The word ‘submission’ has become something like a swear word to some, especially at this time when a person seems to have the right to do just about anything.
But actually, mankind has struggled with submission from the very beginning of time.
Power and riches seem to be the top priorities. But where does that put man when it comes to God.
If we desire to have a relationship with God, we need to surrender ourselves to Him. To commit our lives to Him. To submit to Him … and there, in that place of submission, we will find everything that we need.
EVERYTHING.
Peace, Love, Hope, Protection, Provision.
Yet even if this truly is our desire, it is still so easy to take back the lead. To hold on to the things in our lives way too tightly.
I have just found myself doing just that.
I thought that I was good with God. I knew that I needed to ‘press in’ more, but I felt we were in a good place.
Until God put this book right in front of me. Until I opened the book and started reading. Until I realized that I was holding onto the reigns too tightly. I had invited God to come along … but I was doing the directing.
For a while, I have been feeling overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. My reaction to this, was to take control and make things happen – on my own.
I even separated myself (emotionally) from my husband, thinking ‘you can take care of your things. I need to get control and master my things.’
But in actual fact what I was doing was creating division where there should have been unity. I was trying to overcome my anxiety by going at it alone rather than surrendering to God and looking for support from my husband.
But God, in his kindness and infinite wisdom, sent me a message three times over – firstly through a conversation with my mom, secondly through an online workshop, and thirdly through a book, ‘The power of a praying wife’.
I didn’t think that I needed to pray. I didn’t think I needed to pray for my husband. And I definitely didn’t think I had a problem with submission, until God said to me, ‘the devil has been having a field day with you, filling your mind with all sorts of ideas that are making you anxious and independent.’
The message that came through loud and clear was that I need to ‘submit to God, resist the devil, and he shall flee.’ James 4:7 (NIV)
There was a paragraph in the book that I read, that suddenly made everything make sense … ( I have paraphrased slightly so you can see how it spoke to me in my situation)
‘Something amazing happens in our hearts when we pray for another person. The hardness melts. We become able to get beyond the (frustrations and anxieties), and forgive.We even end up feeling a renewed love for the person we are praying for. It’s miraculous! It happens because when we pray, we enter into the presence of God and He fills us with His Spirit of love. If you pray for your husband, the love of God will grow in your heart for him. Not only that, you will find love growing in his heart for you, without him even knowing you are praying. That’s because prayer is the ultimate love language. It communicates in ways we can’t.’
Prayer brings us into submission to God and shows Him that we trust Him to work things out in our lives.
Prayer is the ultimate surrender.
In the Oxford dictionary, we find the meaning of the word SUBMISSION.
‘the action of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.’
Lets start by submitting ourselves to God in prayer.
The rest will follow.
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.