Battling Anxiety: Surrender

On Monday, we talked about the first step in battling anxiety–trusting God’s plan and hearing his truth.

The next step I want to propose is surrender. This is a tricky one. As a single woman until the age of 38, I had a love-hate relationship with surrendering my desires to God. I learned that surrender is not a one time action. For me, it was a daily struggle to surrender my plans and trust that God’s plan was better.

God’s grace is sufficient in all situations . . .

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)

And we can trust God to meet all our needs . . .

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

Surrender means sharing our desires with God and then leaving the outcome to him. The “leaving” is the difficult part for me. I want to pick it back up and hold it myself, fret about it, and then maybe give it back to him later when I’m sure I can’t fix the problem myself.

Anxiety holds on to control. Surrender means recognizing I’m not in control. It’s the daily practice of making our requests known to God and then trusting him to provide for us, just like he says he will do.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

Be blessed!