Surrender
“And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.'"
— Mark 14:35–36, ESV
I was listening to the song "Only Jesus" featuring Kirby Kaple, Chandler Moore, and DOE. As the song built toward the end, it took me into a deeper place of worship and prayer. The lyrics said:
“My posture for life is surrender, my posture for life is ‘yes,’
My posture for life is hands wide open,
My posture for life is a song of surrender.
I say, ‘Yes, yes.’
As long as it takes for me to get to the place of surrender,
I’m gonna stay right here. Hey, I’m gonna stay right here.”
I kept playing it on repeat. Then it hit me—I wasn’t just singing words. I was crying out for a complete overhaul of my heart. I was asking for the same surrendered posture Jesus had as He approached the cross.
In that moment of worship, I felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to look up the words posture and surrender.
Posture: The physical position of the body, and more importantly, the attitude of the heart and spirit toward God.
Surrender: To cease resistance; to give up or abandon oneself entirely to someone or something else.
To truly walk in the fullness of God’s calling, we must assume a posture of total surrender. In the Scripture above, Jesus is facing the reality of the cross. He prays so intensely that His sweat falls like drops of blood. He knows what lies ahead: the 40 lashes, the crown of thorns, the nails in His hands and feet, the spear in His side, and the mocking from the very ones He came to save. But worst of all—He knows He will be forsaken by the Father as He takes on the weight of our sin.
Yet Jesus doesn’t pray to avoid pain. He doesn’t ask for an easier path. Instead, He says, “Not what I will, but what You will.” That is surrender.
The only way to reach this kind of heart posture is to stay at the feet of YHWH in prayer. When I prayed this kind of surrender, the Lord reminded me: “This stance means that no matter how others treat you, you stay the course. Your response must always be, ‘I trust You, God.’” He reminded me that Yeshua never asked to escape the pain—He endured it, fully committed to completing His assignment, no matter the cost.
True surrender often brings hardship. It may even feel like abandonment. But you are not alone. Think of Joseph, Moses, and Esther. Esther said, “If I perish, I perish.” She had given everything to God. And because of their obedience, countless lives were saved—lives they never could have imagined impacting.
Prayer
Father, I praise You, my Lord and King. You are my help and my answer.
I ask for Your strength—I cannot bring my heart to total surrender without You.
Have Your way in me until every part of me is surrendered fully to You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Key Takeaways
Total surrender means you will not always be treated fairly—it is part of the assignment.
The only way to fulfill your calling completely is with a fully surrendered heart.
Let your posture for life be a song of surrender.
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19; Isaiah 55:11
You can also follow me at JCC Ministries TV: YouTube Channel
My published books are now available at: Amazon - Life’s Journey Volume 2 by Jacqueline Crooks