And now we begin laying the walls that will protect us from bad weather, dampness, wind, cold and heat, and from every temptation that seeks to destroy my happiness and make me unfit for Eternity.
Have you ever wondered why being unhappy is dangerous for the soul? It is because an unhappy person deprives everyone around him of joy without even realizing it. He simply tells everyone about his sorrows and, through his influence, loads entire mountain ranges of his cares onto the shoulders of those close to him. They, in turn, share these cares, along with their own, with others, burdening their minds with an unbearable load as well. And if we add news reports and various books and movies about other people’s problems, all this negative information settles in my mind and freely destroys my happiness. In order to survive somehow amid such informational garbage, I look for a stimulant or a rush of adrenaline. But even this does not solve the problem as a whole.
The world, however, has studied psychology and psychiatry in order to use them to resist all the cares of this life.
At last, utterly exhausted, I come to Jesus and ask Him to help me. And He shows me a very strong little brick called ‘I surrender,’ in which the word ‘I’ shines with a bright light, making it clear that there is something very important here.
The word ‘I’ is the practical guide and the ‘guinea pig’ of my soul. Through its actions, it brings every biblical teaching to life and makes that teaching a visible example of the power of God’s grace. Without my participation and cooperation, all truths will remain stone-cold and lifeless, testifying against me: I knew, but I did not apply them to myself. And the best I can do in such a condition is to make other people right and good by pointing out their sins, giving them valuable instructions, and noticing all their failures and mistakes. I then become so busy with this kind of ‘saving’ of others that I forget about myself and, in the end, become hopelessly burned out emotionally and collapse beneath the incredible burden of all my cares and sins. A mere theory of surrender does not work. It must be joined with my personal ‘I.’
Our world is filled with lawlessness and violence, and we live amid this evil. Whether we want it or not, something harmful finds its way into our homes in one way or another, making our lives very difficult. It is even worse when evil touches my heart and destroys my peace, my love, and my happiness.
In His wisdom, God has made provision to protect me from such things and to fill my life with true happiness and meaning. He does not remove the fiery furnace from my path; instead, He leads me into it, holds me by my right hand, and remains with me through the trial. If I understand what is happening to me, where I am, and what I should do, it becomes much easier to endure this process of purification.
The Lord of our happiness does not want the burden of my cares to break me and crush me beneath its weight. Therefore, through the apostle Peter, He counsels us to cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). The key words in this promise are ‘all’ and ‘cast’—to surrender them. When I do this, the Lord takes my problems and gives me peace.
I did not always know this truth. I believed that I needed to surrender only my sins to God, while carrying my cares alone and resolving them on my own. Eventually, they came crashing down on me from every side and nearly crushed me. I began seeking help from friends in the church, but unfortunately, they burdened me even more.
Then the Lord reminded me of His promise mentioned above, and I appealed to Him with these words—with a cry: ‘I surrender all my problems to You, because I have no strength to solve them or carry them. And I BELIEVE that You have taken them.’ At that time, I was simply wandering around the outskirts of the city. I could not even kneel, but I cried out to Heaven. After that prayer, I felt very light, and I suddenly realized how simple it is to live with Jesus and how simply every problem can be resolved. I suddenly understood how easily we can be freed from our cares. They remained in my life, but they left my heart, and the path no longer seemed so difficult. Later, those problems were resolved as well, but now there was peace in my heart. As I experienced the joy of this newfound freedom, I decided to ask for genuine heavenly love, and God answered that prayer too. He did not merely sweep my heart clean; He also filled it with Himself so that the evil spirit would not return with its companions and leave me in an even worse condition.
There is a special power in the words ‘I surrender,’ and faith that God exists, has heard, and has answered is very important. My words are a document for the heavenly host, on the basis of which they may begin to act or wait for an order. If I say, ‘I want to surrender,’ I am expressing a desire that contains neither an action nor a request, and such a desire may receive no answer. But when I surrender something, I part with it forever.
Then God’s peace enters the heart, and happiness comes with it. Blessed are the poor in spirit. I do not possess this strength; I am poor and blind in spirit, but I have the rich Jesus. I cannot rid myself of all my cares, but I can surrender them to the One in Whose hand I rest. It will not become any harder for Him if I take off my backpack and set it beside me. He loves me and will free me from every burden.
I often hear people mock me. They tell me that only the mentally ill can be happy today, and they call me one of them. But I see the opposite: only those who are mentally sound and have fellowship with Jesus are truly happy.
Since I began entrusting everything to Jesus, I have become such a close friend of His that I simply can no longer do or decide anything without Him. I share all my little cares and concerns with Him. When I am alone, I am not forsaken; and when I am among a multitude of people, I remain with Him. And He teaches me.
What problems may arise in our lives?
Very often, those close to us tell us about their cares and concerns. This involuntarily burdens me and begins to weigh me down, especially when illness or suffering is involved. As soon as I realize that someone else’s burden is weighing on me, I immediately pray silently or whisper, ‘I surrender this to You, Jesus. You resolve this problem,’ and peace comes. Then I can continue listening. I know people who cannot sleep normally after learning that something bad has happened, but Jesus is able to help them too.
This works in your life as well. I have practiced it many times in the lives of people who were completely crushed. I see them, and when they accept help and surrender EVERYTHING to Jesus, they receive freedom immediately. What a joy it is to see tears of repentance and deliverance, followed by smiles and joy as they become aware of God’s power and freedom.
‘I surrender’ is not an incantation. It is a decision of my will to be freed from cares and an act of trust in God’s promise that He will take them. He Himself taught all who labor and are heavy laden to come to Him for rest, and He promised that we would find rest for our souls.
A soul that has received this rest is happy. It has found a quiet harbor for a brief rest—and then it returns to the battle for new victories.
I love, I believe, I am faithful, I thirst, I surrender—these form the solid foundation of happiness. They work together with one another and with my personal ‘I,’ without which they would remain nothing more than correct theory.
And so I purchase this material and prepare to lay the wall. But I see that I should not build with this material alone, and I begin selecting other building materials as well.
Bible verses for this chapter:
John 8:36; 1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6–7; Romans 12:1–2; Psalm 37:4–6, 37; 1 Peter 2:4–5; Hebrews 4:16; 5:7; Psalm 22:25; 91:14–16; 94:12–14; Proverbs 3:5–8; Psalm 55:23; Matthew 6:34