Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

A few years ago (which seems like a totally different lifetime now), I had a job at a church that I loved. I loved the people, I loved the job, I loved the church, the mission, and the security of having my first salaried job. I loved everything about it. I loved it so much that I even thought it was where I would retire. I had the opportunity to share my faith frequently and consistently. I was doing everything I could imagine that seemed so right.

After a few years, there came a feeling that something was missing. I couldn’t place a finger on it, even though I tried. After all, I was checking all the boxes of what God calls us to do in following Jesus. Everything seemed so good from the outside, but on the inside, there was this faint, unsettled feeling. You can sense that same feeling coming from the rich young ruler in these verses after Jesus tells him all he’s supposed to do, and he says, “All these [commands] I have kept. What do I still lack?” In verse 20. He’s missing something - like I was missing something.

Surrender. Surrendering the things that are most precious to us in order to trust Jesus and what He has for us is so mind-boggling. That job, those relationships, that security of knowing my check was coming twice a month. They were all precious to me, but come to find out, I was being called to surrender them. Even though they were good things, God wanted my surrender - much like the rich young ruler was being called by Jesus to surrender his possessions in verse 21.

In verse 22, the young man went away sorrowfully. While we aren’t totally sure what happened with him after that, I do know how that sorrow felt. One of the "possessions" I was being called to give up was the relationships I had built over many years. I was heartbroken at the simple thought of stepping away from what I was doing in ministry and as a job. I cried a lot in that season. That seems to be a recurring theme for me in these devotions, but God seems to work in me the most in my seasons of heartache. But, in that heartache, I have learned that we find surrender, and in that surrender, we find so much more in God’s purpose for our lives.

After some time of wrestling with what I was supposed to do, I stepped away from my job, not knowing what my next step was. The following few years were a whirlwind of jumping around to different areas, working for myself in different ways to make sure bills were paid, and uncertainty at pretty much every turn. Everything was basically the exact opposite of everything that I loved at that job. But in that season, I found so much spiritual growth.

The verse Isaiah 55:8 was a constant for me. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.” Much like Jesus said in verse 26 of our passage, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” I learned in that season that I don’t need to know the outcome, because His thoughts are not my thoughts. I don’t even need to know the next step, because His ways are not my ways. I simply had to surrender, take the next step He called me to take, and believe God would provide the path.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence. 

Reflections:

• What is something you’re being called to surrender to better understand God’s calling on your life?
• What is holding you back from that surrender? (Security, comfort, etc.)