When the disciples fell asleep while Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, they proved true the old saying: “The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps trying to crawl off the altar.” I certainly can’t criticize them. I have slept when I needed to be awake, and I have denied and betrayed Jesus more times than I can count.
Only Jesus was perfectly surrendered to the Father’s will, demonstrating the true power of ultimate surrender. You may recall the prayer He prayed three times in the Garden:
And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want, but what you want.” (Matthew 26:39)
This prayer was uttered in the midst of intense agony as Jesus anticipated suffering the penalty of sin for all humanity, for all time. The biblical account reveals He was “grieved and agitated,” telling His disciples, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to death” (Matthew 26:37-38).
There is an ancient heresy called Docetism which claims Jesus was entirely divine and only pretended or appeared to be human. However, the true doctrine is that Jesus was both fully human and fully God. We accept this not because our human minds can fully comprehend it, but because God has revealed it to us.
As a fully human man, Jesus suffered the complete physical and spiritual impact of sin’s penalty on the cross. Before even reaching Calvary, He had already surrendered any desire to escape that suffering and death.
The Logic of Full Surrender
We are the eternal beneficiaries of Jesus’ ultimate surrender to the Father’s redemptive plan. According to the prophet Isaiah, the surrender of the Lord’s Servant makes us righteous because He bore our iniquities and interceded on our behalf:
“Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:11-12)
We know this to be true about Jesus’ surrender, but what about our own? What difference does it make if we surrender our plans, hopes, and dreams entirely to the Lord?
We will never know what God can do with a fully surrendered life until we actually put it to the test. The reality is that no one accomplishes anything of lasting value in their own strength. However, when we surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit, anything God wants to accomplish through us becomes possible.
It may surprise you, but even Jesus accomplished His earthly ministry through the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit. If you look at the most impactful men and women in Christian history, you will find they simply followed Jesus’ example. They gave all they knew of themselves to all they knew of the Lord, and trusted Him to take care of the rest.
If you need more encouragement to fully surrender to the Spirit’s leading, remember this: no one loves you more than God. If you ever doubt His love for you, simply look at the cross.
Furthermore, no one knows better how your life should be lived than the Creator Himself. He invites you to experience abundant life (John 10:10), but that rich and full life comes with a clear directive:
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)
The only way to experience the wisdom and power of a fully surrendered life is to step out and do it. Let us demonstrate our faith by entrusting our lives entirely to His guidance and power.
Join the Conversation on YouTube
To dive deeper into this topic, check out today’s YouTube discussion where Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I explore Matthew 26:31-46.
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