Sweet Surrender into God’s Way

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“Father God, You are leading me on a journey into the unknown. Thank You for the path ahead and the choices You have placed before me. Help me make the right ones. Take control of all that is before me, Lord. It is Yours. As am I.” (JJC)

This quote was taken from a historical novel I recently read, but the words could have just as easily been mine 35 years ago. On a snowy day in March - much like this past week - we ended one life-changing 'journey into the unknown' with our two girls (both under the age of two) and our 90 lb. dog in tow! I have no doubt, we made for an interesting sight as we traveled cross country from the state of Washington to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Oh, we knew where we were supposed to land, and we had traveled over 2500 miles to get there, but that’s almost all we knew.

My husband had been reassigned to a new church. He thought he may have visited once as a boy, but that is the only personal knowledge we had about our destination. Well, that and an amazing hand-drawn picture of the parsonage we’d be living in. No detail was left undone. The brick exterior was lined out meticulously, and the drawing of the interior layout rivaled that of any blueprint. Our new home!

The last five miles to get to our new home were the longest miles of the whole trip. We entered the town (population 375) and drove straight through and beyond – no stop light or stop sign, of course! The turn I’d been waiting for finally arrived. Turn left. Only three more miles to go. The road was curvy and at every bend, I kept wondering if I’d get a glimpse of the church or how much farther we had to go. Another curve and another. Finally, we turned on our road. That final tenth of a mile was no help at all as we had to come up over a little hill. Just a little further, and we had finally arrived!

The unknown was now known.

On that memorable day, there is absolutely no way we could have begun to comprehend all that would take place in our lives over the past 35 years. Even with technology like Google Earth – where we can view locations anywhere with just the touch of a button – every day is still a new adventure. To this day, I often feel as if I’m on a journey into the unknown because inevitably change is our reality.

Life changes us. Life changes the world around us. Life changes how we view the world. But, even as life changes us, our circumstances and our surroundings God is sovereign over all. He is the one constant in my life! Because of that, I don’t have to fear the unknown. Instead, I can trust Him to guide me into the next part of the journey. I love the way Isaiah 30:21 expresses God's constant presence in our lives - “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’" I am so thankful for all the turns God has brought along our family’s path in the past 35 years - to the right and left! I am so glad that I don’t have to have it all figured out. I can surrender my life to Him and fully trust Him to guide our whole family today and in the years ahead – all 15 of us now!

“And then she knew that every door that had opened – and closed – had been orchestrated by the Almighty. He had been leading her on this journey…. She had walked through the doors, but they would never have opened if it hadn’t been for God, who was working toward a bigger plan for her life. He deserved her gratitude, her worship. And even more than that, her surrender.” (JJC)

May you, too, be willing to trust God with your unknowns and surrender your will to His ways now – and in the next 35 years of your story!


(Quotes taken from ‘The Journey of Josephine Cain’ by Nancy Moser)

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