Ways I Can Surrender to God

Surrender to God is not a one-time decision but a daily posture of the heart. It is expressed through the choices I make: what I allow to take root in my heart, where I place my trust, and how I respond to life’s challenges. Psalm 37 provides a clear and practical picture of what surrender looks like in action. The following are intentional ways I choose to surrender my heart, my ways, and my life fully to God.

1. I will not allow fear or anxiety in my heart.
Psalm 37:1–2 – Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

Fear means I am looking to myself and not to God. Fearing means I have chosen to consider my own abilities and not what God can do. Rather than fear, I will trust in God’s abilities, not mine.

2. I will not allow envy in my heart.
When I envy, I look at others and fail to acknowledge the gifts that God has deposited in me and how He chooses for me to use them for His glory. Envy makes me compare myself to others, and rather than view myself through God’s lens, I view myself through my own lens or the lens of others. In surrendering to God, I should be concerned only about God’s opinion of me.

3. I will trust in the LORD and do good.
Psalm 37:3 – Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Trust is believing that God is able to do what I have asked of Him and resting (having peace) in that knowledge. As I trust in God, I can do and accomplish great things for Him even when they seem daunting.

4. I will delight myself in the LORD.
Psalm 37:4 – Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

In the words of Tara-Leigh Cobble, God is where the joy is. Surrendering to God means that I find my joy in Him no matter what the situation may be; delighting myself in Him means my heart is focused on Him and not on my problems. The word for “delight yourself” in this verse is ʿānaḡ in Hebrew; it means to be happy about, and take exquisite delight, in God. When my heart is glad in the LORD and focused solely on Him, He will grant my heart’s desires.

5. I will commit my ways to the LORD.
Psalm 37:5–6 – Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

“Commit” in this verse is gālal in Hebrew. It literally means to “roll away.” And what does it say I should roll away? My way. “Way” here in Hebrew is dereḵ, and in this context, it's used figuratively to mean the course of life, action, or undertaking. This verse tells me to roll everything in my life – including my actions and undertakings – to God. There is no better way to describe surrender.

When I hand over my life and my many projects to God, He will bring them to pass. Because my life is His and all my undertakings are for His purpose (having delighted myself in Him), I must allow Him direct the paths of my life. When I do this:

• He will cause my righteousness (which is really His righteousness) to shine as light. He will vindicate me before others. He will cause others to see my light and give glory to Him (Matthew 5:16).

• He will justify me. As a Christian, turning my life over to God means I can live out His purpose freely.
  

6. I will rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him.
Psalm 37:7 – Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

The culmination of God’s creation of humankind was rest. Genesis 2:3 says, “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” The final aspect of God’s creation was rest – both for Himself and for His creation. God desires that I find rest in the work that He has already accomplished for me.

Hebrews 4:9–10 says, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”

Resting in God requires patience, because even though God has finished the work, it may take time for it to be manifested or revealed. Resting in the LORD and waiting patiently for Him helps me enjoy peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6–7).

7. I will cease from anger, forsake wrath, and refuse to be anxious.
Psalm 37:8 – Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret – it only causes harm.

No good thing can come out of unrighteous anger, wrath, or anxiety. To fully enjoy a life of surrender to God, I must guard my heart with all diligence. Proverbs 4:23 - Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.

I can guard my heart by putting into practice all I have already listed above:

• Not being afraid or anxious

• Not being envious of others

• Trusting in the LORD

• Keeping busy with what God has assigned me

• Delighting myself in the LORD

• Committing my ways to Him

• Resting in Him and waiting patiently for Him

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