Prayer Of Surrender

Father, I am inadequate. You know the depths of my need for You today. I humble myself before you, Lord—recognizing that without You, I am nothing. I pray that You sanctify the words of my mouth and the intentions of my heart so that my life can bring glory to Jesus in these uncertain times.

Beyond that, Father, You know the collective weight of the needs of every pastor and congregation around the world. While I pray for the church universal as we navigate these unprecedented days, I pray especially for the tribe you have called me to serve. In these unusual times, may the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit guide the people called “Nazarenes” in a unique way. 

Help us to realize that without the attending power of the Holy Spirit, all of our efforts will be in vain. Yet through Your presence, may we be enlightened, empowered, and encouraged to greater measures of faith. In the coming days, may Your Word come alive in ways it never has before. May our eyes be opened, our hearts be changed, and the lives of people everywhere be transformed.

You Are Sovereign Over All, In All, & Through All

You declare in Your Word, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me” (Isaiah 46:9). In these days, may we be reminded that we have an incomprehensibly great God. You are without error. You are without equal. It is foolish to compare You to anything else.

Father, we repent of the times we have failed to seek Your will in our decision-making. Forgive us for asking You to bless our plans, instead of seeking Your heart at all costs. Forgive for allowing disbelief to infiltrate our systems. Renew us in these difficult days, Lord. Do whatever you have to do to draw us close to Your heart. 

Throughout the Bible, You remind us that the world is in Your hands. Lord, You reign over-all, in all, and through all—and if we miss that, we will miss You.

Of the 100 thousand million stars in the Milky Way, You know them all by name. Of the 350 quintillion gallons of water in the ocean, You know every microorganism in every drop. Of the 100,000 follicles on the human scalp, You know the precise number of hairs on every human head. There is not one inch of creation, not one grain of sand, not one drop of water, not a leaf on a tree, not a snowflake that falls to the ground, not a cloud in the sky, nor a speck of dirt on the face of the earth—absolutely nothing—that doesn’t respond to the behest of King Jesus!

Throughout history, kings have come and gone, leaders have come and gone, presidents have come and gone. However, One King remains—and He rules forever. We rejoice in knowing that the fate of the world is not ultimately in the hands of Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, Angela Merkel, Donald Trump, the Democrats, the Republicans, the Socialists, the Capitalists, or any other entity on the face of the earth.

There is One King that rules them all—and His name is Jesus! 

Nothing compares to You, God. You have never had a wrong thought or motive. You never wake up on the wrong side of the bed. You always do the right thing. Even things that cause us pain and things we can’t comprehend—like COVID-19—we know that You are still “causing all things to work together for good…” (Romans 8:28).

I Surrender Everything I Am, Have, & Hope To Be

At this very moment, there are multitudes of angelic beings ablaze with adoration gathered around Your throne (Isaiah 6). John tells us that there are thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand of heavenly hosts continually singing praises to the King (Revelation 5).

At the same time, all over the world, people’s lives are in chaos. Lord, while people are quarantined in their homes, while businesses are shut down, while the economy is in a downward spiral, while life as we’ve known it has come to a screeching halt, may we be reminded that the angelic hosts are forever echoing the glory of King Jesus.

When we lay down to go to sleep tonight, and when we awake in the morning, they’ll still be singing “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6). In these uncertain days, and when our lives get back to normal, the angelic chorus will continue to sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy…” May the same song be forever burned into our hearts and minds.

Father, in light of this great King, what can we do but surrender? Lord, teach us the value of complete surrender; lead us to our knees. During this season, show us that the only appropriate posture is that of absolute humility. Let us find ourselves lying on our faces, joining the angelic hosts declaring, “Holy, Holy, Holy…”

Forgive us for the times we’ve failed to assume a posture of humility. Forgive us for the moments we’ve given in to the temptation to lean on our intellect and instinct over Your divine revelation. Forgive us for not allowing Your Word to infiltrate every part of our lives and ministry. Forgive us for the times we’ve ignored the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Lord, remind us that the only way to recognize how great You are is to acknowledge how sinful we are outside of Christ. The only thing that makes us worthy of You is our willingness to admit that we are unworthy. Remind us that when we stand in Your holy presence, the only reasonable response is, “Woe is me, for I am undone” (Isaiah 6). To think that when we deserved death, You gave us life—we don’t have the appropriate words to respond to such an act of divine mercy.

Thank You For Being With Us

Lord, I stand most amazed that the Sovereign King of the Universe is always provoking the surrender of mortal men and women—O the power of prevenient grace! To think that when I was in the gutter, You came down from Your throne and sat with me. How many Kings are willing to live in the streets among their people? 

Beyond that, You invite us to become a member of Your household and dine at Your table. And to think, when we respond to Your invitation, You fill us with Your Spirit and send us out to engage the world in ways we never dreamt possible. Praise Your Great Name!

Father, transform us in this hour. May we decrease so that Jesus can increase (John 3:30). We humble ourselves today, trusting that You will lift us up in due time (James 4:10). 

I pray all of this in the glorious, matchless, powerful name of Jesus. Amen.