"Perfect submission, all is at rest..."

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“Perfect submission, all is at rest,

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.”

Blessed Assurance- Frances J. Crosby

Alright. I’m gonna ask you to do something for me. Scroll back to the top and re-read those words again- Slowly.  Go on; I’ll wait. Done? Great! Why did I ask you to do that? Well…

I was standing in church, hands raised, singing along with the meaningful words of that hymn when this verse came up. I continued singing the words by heart, almost by rote, when they began to speak to me in a new way. Just the first line alone states “Perfect submission, all is at rest…” That is a powerful statement right there! Where there is perfect (complete) submission our spirits are at rest (in peace). Oftentimes this verse is thought to be speaking about nearing the end of one’s life; and I guess that makes sense, but I suggest that we look at it in another light; a more relatable light.

Back to the Bible-

Do you remember reading about Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane? That part where, right before He is crucified, He spends the whole night praying? Jesus is faced with such extreme torment that He actually asks His Father to take it away if HE be willing.

⁴¹ And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, ⁴² saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup [of divine wrath] from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done.” [Luke 22:41-42 AMP]

Jesus surrendered His life to His Dad in perfect submission and what did it get Him? This:

⁴³ Now an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. [Luke 22:43 AMP]

Can’t you almost visualize the instantaneous comfort brought to Jesus through this messenger sent by His Father? Now I’m not saying that because of this angel Jesus felt completely great about the ordeal he’d soon endure. I do believe, however, that because He was in perfect submission with God, He felt peace.

So what does this have to do with you and me?

I firmly believe that there are circumstances and situations facing you right now that you would rather God just take away from you all fairy godmother like. Maybe it’s your ‘single’ relationship status. Maybe there’s something going on in your home that’s out of your control. For me, I’d love for God to just lay out a detailed life-map of the next 50 years and clue me in on what He’s got planned. Even the next 10 years would give a good idea! Yet it’s in those moments that we have the opportunity to submit. It’s in those valleys in which we feel like everything is towering above our heads and we have no choice but look up to God.

Let’s Make It Real

One of the definitions for “Submit” in Webster’s dictionary basically says to stop fighting and resisting. The Lord has been laying it on my heart that I need to stop fighting to know the details and submit to His yet-to-be-revealed plan. You know what? When I do that, I feel peace. When we allow God to have way in our life, when we submit to His will for us, He will not only grant us peace (rest), but the next phrase becomes reality for us: “I in my Savior am happy and blessed…”  

Believe you me; I know VERY well that it’s not easy to surrender the big things to God. It’s easy(er) to let Him have control over the little things like: “Lord, let me be safe today;” or “Lord, give me good sleep tonight;” but when it comes to situations like what college to choose, or our struggles passing an important class, we often withhold those things from Him while we attempt to juggle the “solution” ourselves. There are moments when I become restless with the thought that my future is not set in stone; that I’m really not sure what the Lord has for me. So what do I do? I rip the control away from God and put it back into my own hands. It is super easy to fall back into the thought process of figuring it all out myself. I begin to make plans and have big ideas. I’ll go researching different avenues and stressing out over career paths. All of this is not only bad for my physical being, but it’s more grossly bad for my spiritual being. What does withholding control from God say about my trust in Him? Scripture says:

“Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him],And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].” [Proverbs 16:3 AMP]

Give it a try today. Those situations and circumstances that you’re withholding from God, give them to Him. Submit your will to His; like Jesus did. Experience the rest, peace, happiness and blessings that He has waiting for you.