“Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

— Psalm 55:22

 

2007 was a tough year for me. In one month, the place I was working shut down, the house flooded and the dog had a stroke.

During a job interview at a Christian radio station, the general manager asked a question no previous prospective employer ever had.

“What song did they sing at your baptism?”

Relieved to know the answer, I smiled and replied, “I Surrender All.”

It was easy to sing those words, but so hard to do. My agenda, my plans and even strangers got in the way.

At a particularly low point that summer — after I didn’t get the job — I finally gave up, realizing that even though it had been decades since I promised to surrender all, I really hadn’t ever surrendered all.

This is what I prayed: “Dear Lord, I tried it my way for years. And it’s not working. I surrender all I have to you. I surrender my ego. I surrender my heart. I will do whatever you want me to do. I will go wherever you want (this one is a hard one for me – I like a hot shower every day). Take my life; it’s really yours this time. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

I began to feel a little better, knowing that if God is in control, I couldn’t mess things up. The first few hours were good.

Even the first couple of days. Then, arguments, bad drivers, annoying friends, disappointments and fatigue got in the way. I had to remind myself that I surrendered.

Then about a week later, something miraculous happened. A famous preacher bought the TV network where I had been working, and not only offered me a dream job, but recruited my husband, too. When I quit worrying about my future, God let me know He’s got my back … better than I could have imagined.

A couple of years later, the TV network was sold again, and hubby and I both lost our jobs. This time, though, we had incredible peace, knowing God had a plan for us.

Please don’t take decades to surrender like I did. What have you got to lose? Frustration, anger, the status quo? Say a prayer now and watch God reveal His plan for your life.

 

Lorri Allen is news director for KYTX CBS19.