Surrendering through Stillness

03.10.19 at 9:14-9:18 AM

Sunday morning during worship, we were singing “Raise a Hallelujah” and I saw our church as an army. We were facing an enemy that greatly out numbered us. Then I saw our army begin raising white flags of surrender. They were waving them with desperation. The enemy saw the flags and started to rejoice and taunt, thinking we had given up. As they came closer, they realized that those who had surrendered were full of joy. Confusion begin to set into their troops. Just then, our army split like the parting of the red sea. Jesus, riding on a white stallion, valiantly charged the enemy troops with all of Heaven’s angelic hosts in our stead. It was an ambush. Their pride and confusion had set a trap and caused them to be completely unprepared for the battle at hand.

Times can have incredible significance when God gives us visions or dreams. I immediately began looking for a scripture reference that correlated with the time we were worshiping. The very first one to pop up on my search was Psalm 9:14-18 (TPT). It says,. “Save me! Bring me to the spiritual gates of Zion so I can bring You the shout of praise You deserve. For the godless nations get trapped in the very snares they set for others. The hidden trap they set for the weak has snapped shut upon themselves—guilty! The Lord is famous for this: His justice will punish the wicked. While they are digging a pit for others, they are actually setting the terms for their own judgment. They will fall into their own pit. Consider the truth of this and pause in his presence. Don’t forget this: all the wicked will one day fall into the darkness of death’s domain and remain there, including the nations that forget God and reject His ways. He will not ignore forever all the needs of the poor, for those in need shall not always be crushed. Their hopes shall be fulfilled, for God sees it all!”

I believe this vision is a prophetic picture of what happens when we worship in the midst of trials. In the presence of our enemies, the very battle that was meant for us, becomes an ambush from Heaven. Surrender is our only HOPE! Our success in spiritual warfare is completely dependent upon our ability to let go and let God fight for us. Heaven is waiting to take our place in the battle, so “Raise a Hallelujah” and watch Jesus come to your rescue!

Surrender looks like...

1. Choosing worship, instead of worrying

Matthew 6:27 (NIV), “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

2. Choosing faith, instead of fearing

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV), “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’”

3. Choosing grace, instead of grumbling

James‬ ‭5:9‬ ‭(NKJV)‬‬ “Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!”

4. Choosing virtue, instead of venting

Ephesians 4:29 (TPT), “And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.”

5. Choosing prayer, instead of passivity and pity

Psalms‬ ‭37:7‬ ‭(TPT‬‬) “Quiet your heart in His presence and pray; keep hope alive as you long for God to come through for you. And don’t think for a moment that the wicked in their prosperity are better off than you.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46:10‬ ‭(TPT) says, “Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God. I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth.”‬‬ The word surrender in the Greek is “Rapha” meaning to relax, to be still, to let go and to be quiet. The Lord spoke to me a few days ago and said, “The enemy has tried to steal the art of stillness from this generation by creating chaos around and within you. He wants to keep you striving so you will be too worn out to realize that stillness is where you will find staying-power, steadfastness, and strength to continue on.”

God is the eye of the storm, the place where we can be still even amidst the stirring. In the stillness, you’ll find a supernatural ability to “still” praise, “still” trust, “still” pray, “still” believe, “still” love, and “still” hope, regardless of the storm you see surrounding you. Psalms‬ ‭62:5‬ ‭(TPT‬‬) says, “I am standing in absolute stillness, silent before the one I love, waiting as long as it takes for Him to rescue me. Only God is my Savior, and He will not fail me.” Stillness is more than just refraining from motion. It’s quieting the inner turmoil by basking in the presence of the Lord. Take the time to be still before Him, because as you wait, God is working on you and for you.