A Place Called Surrender ~by robin moroney

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once they left their nets and followed Him.”  Matthew 4:18-22



Our church is doing a 50 day study called “An (un)Ordinary Day with Jesus.”  This week’s lesson is about faithfully following Jesus.  In the introduction for this week, our minister, Craig, wrote:

"Following involves movement.  It involves motion. And in following we give up the right to control the outcome.  Following Jesus means we release the burden of having to have things our own way, and simply follow Him in every part of our being – thoughts, motives, and actions.”

God is taking me somewhere I don’t want to go. It has been a very long journey. It has been a journey filled with one obstacle and one closed door after another. At times I feel like Joseph must have felt. This is a journey that most of my friends think is crazy. And there are many, many, times when I feel unsure too.

I do not know the final earthly destination of this journey. But I do know that while I am walking on this path, God is teaching me many very important things. He is teaching me patience and perseverance (a lot of patience and perseverance). He is teaching me to trust Him and not get discouraged by what I see and hear in the earthly realm. He is teaching me to hear His voice and how to discern what is His voice and not my own imagination. He is teaching me that I do have a relationship with Him and that I do hear Him ~ even when things don’t seem to be going the way I thought they would. God is teaching me that I have courage that I never thought I had in me because He is with me and He gives that courage to me. I am learning that I am not a quitter even though I thought I always gave up too quickly when things become too hard. I am learning that sometimes following Jesus can be very, very lonely when Jesus asks you to go somewhere where others think you shouldn’t go. But I’m also learning that it’s in my loneliest times that I press into Him and rely on Him the most.

This has been a very hard journey and one I haven’t always liked being on. But God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams while I am waiting and walking with Him. I am learning to trust Him no matter what. I am learning to surrender to Him and allow Him to do His good work ~ and He doesn’t need my advice or my help.

Following Jesus doesn’t mean that we get to go where we want to go or do what we want to do. It isn’t always easy and it may even look like we are going in the wrong direction at times. But when we follow Jesus, really follow Him, we must eventually get to this place called Surrender.

Surrender. It’s been a long, long journey for me to get to this place. I haven’t always enjoyed the trip and I did not come without a fight. But I am so glad that I finally made it here.

Remember:  "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

Precious Jesus, thank You so much for bringing me on this journey and for teaching me so many wonderful truths.  Thank You for Your strength and courage as I face each obstacle.  Thank You for teaching me perseverance and for not letting me give up.  Thank You for helping me to soar, run and walk when I think I can’t go any further.  Thank You for sticking with me as I fought You on our way to Surrender.  And thank You most of all for getting me here to this place called Surrender.  ~robin

I'm Waiting! ~by robin moroney

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”  Psalm 27:14

When I feed my dog, Allie, I make her sit and wait until I nod my head and say “Ok.”  A few weeks ago I asked myself why I make her wait.  One reason is so that I have time to get my hand out of the way so she doesn’t bite me.  I also realized that the other reason I make her wait until I say “ok” is because I want to teach her to listen to my voice and I want to teach her obedience.

Ding! Ding! Ding!  Neon sign going off in my head “Godly learning opportunity!!!! Godly Learning opportunity!!!  Defcom One!!!” (ok maybe it wasn’t that bad but I certainly got the message).

Why does God ask us to wait?  Maybe we have to wait because He is clearing a way for us before we can move forward.  Maybe we need to wait because the path ahead isn’t safe yet.  Or maybe sometimes the only reason He asks us to wait is to teach us something and to help us grow closer to Him.

So what does waiting for God look like?  It certainly is not sitting around doing nothing.  Waiting for God requires our active participation.  Joseph had to wait over 20 years between the time God told him he would rule over his brothers and the nation and the time that promise actually came to fruition. And during that time, Joseph was thrown in a well, sold into slavery, wrongly accused of adultery, thrown into jail (for 13 years), told by another inmate that he would help get Joseph out of jail, then the inmate forgot to help him.  Joseph wasn’t sitting still while he waited for God.  He was actively seeking God and serving and glorifying Him in every one of the circumstances that God brought him to.  And God used each of those circumstances to teach Joseph another lesson that would help him accomplish God’s ultimate goal for his life.  Joseph was actively participating in God’s ultimate plan.

And here is the kicker . . . . . Joseph was actively trusting God no matter how long it took and no matter what circumstances he found himself in along the way.  Joseph knew what God had promised.  He didn’t know how he was going to get there and he didn’t know when it would happen.  And I’m sure there were many, many times when Joseph wondered how in the heck he was going to fulfill God’s promise when his life seemed to be going in the complete opposite direction.  But still, Joseph believed God, he served God, he glorified God and he trusted God while he waited for God.

For me, this is the absolute hardest lesson I have had to learn ~ trusting God while I wait.  At times, this has been agonizing for me.  These are the questions I ask myself:

Why am I waiting?  Because God asked me to.

What am I waiting for?  I have no idea.

Why has God asked me to wait?  I have no idea.

And the hardest question of all: How long will I have to wait?

Recently as I was driving to work I asked God, “Why can’t you just give me more information, more details?”

His answer: “Why can’t you just trust Me?”

Ouch!  He’s right.  Why can’t I just rest in His capable arms and rest knowing that He has it all under control and just go where He wants me to go as I’m waiting?  Because it’s all a matter of trust.  Do I really trust Him when I don’t know the details and when I don’t even know what I’m waiting for?  Am I going to trust Him when doors are shut and there are obstacles in the way and I don’t even know where I’m going or when I’m going to get there?  And am I going to trust Him enough to obey him no matter what?

In Habakkuk, God tells Habakkuk that He is going to rise up the Babylonians to destroy the nation of Israel.  He is going to scatter His children all over the area and they will be held as slaves to the Babylonians. God says that life is going to get ugly and harsh and horrible. Habakkuk is not happy with this turn of events but he tells God:

“I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what He will say to me and what answer I am to give to this complaint.”  Habakkuk 2:1

In other words, Habakkuk will wait for God to do what He said He would do and Habakkuk will trust God, obey Him and wait for His instructions.

Then God tells Habakkuk that at the proper time, He will restore His people and bring them back together.  God says:

“For the revelation awaits an appointed time, it speaks of the end and will not prove false.  Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”  Habakkuk 2:3

The commentary in my Bible says:  “This message deals with the fall of Babylon, which was about 66 years after Habakkuk’s prophecy.  God is saying that it may take a while but it will happen and His people are to wait patiently and live by faith ~ trusting in their sovereign God.”

Sixty-six years!!  Are you kidding me?!?!? That’s a long, long time to wait.  And Habakkuk didn’t have all the details.  He didn’t know how long he would have to wait.  And while he waited, things were going to look really, really bad.  Life would not be great.  Habakkuk 3:16 says:

“I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled.  Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.”

Habakkuk was terrified.  And yet still he waited for God.  He was terrified and still he trusted God.  He was terrified and still he worshiped God (this is one of my very favorite Scriptures):

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food; though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.”  Habakkuk 3:17-19

So what will we do when God asks us to wait?  Will we try to run ahead of Him and take matters into our own hands; trying to control the outcome and timing?  Will we wallow in self-pity and anger?  Will we hide out in fear terrified to make a move?  Will we just do nothing while we wait for the day to come when He tells us it’s time to move?

Or will we obey Him and serve Him while we wait?  Will we still praise and worship our sovereign, all knowing and all powerful God even when things don’t appear to be going our way?  No matter how afraid we are; no matter how little information we have; and no matter how long it takes will we put our trust in Him? 

He wants to bless us and draw us closer to Him as we wait for His nod and His “Ok.”  Trust Him ~ no matter what.

Remember:  “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him.”  Isaiah 30:18

Father, God, please forgive me for being difficult as I wait for You.  Forgive me when I want to run ahead of You and try to figure out all the details.  Thank You for staying with me as I’ve struggled with trusting You during this season of waiting.  I pray that You will give each of us the courage, wisdom and perseverance we need as we wait for You.  Thank You for making us wait when the path ahead is not safe.  Thank You for making us wait while You prepare the way for us.  And thank You for making us wait as we learn obedience and as we draw closer to You.  Teach us to trust You and only You when we are in seasons of waiting.  You, our Father in Heaven, are well worth the wait.  ~robin

Forever!

In loving memory of my father-in-law, Peter Moroney ~ Pop-pop.  Thank you for encouraging me and for not giving up on me.  I wish I had let you help me with those crossword puzzles and I wish I had never given up.


“Be strong and courageous and do the work.  Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you.”  1 Chronicles 28:20

My father-in-law, Pete, passed away just before Thanksgiving.  I’ve spent a lot of time since then thinking about him and remembering the impact he had in my life.  In some ways, I didn't even realize the impact he had on me until now.

Right after high school, I went to work at National Car Rental in the Sarasota Airport.  Back then, the airport consisted of one runway (maybe two) and one very small building.  It was so small, in fact, that I could shoot a rubber band from my car rental counter and hit the people at the airline check-in counter across the walkway (I know this for fact because I used to do that often ~ not at customers but at the people working there).

I worked the late shift and there was a big lull between the last two flights of the night. If I had been busy that day, it was a good opportunity to catch up on reports and to get things ready for the next morning’s shift.  But when it was slow, which was often, it was a great opportunity to talk to the other people at the other counters ~ or to shoot rubber bands at them.

This is where I met Pete Moroney.  We struck up a conversation and before I knew it, he was bringing me the crossword puzzle to do.  Now, let me stop here and say that Pete was very, very smart.  We tried for years to get him to go on Jeopardy but he wouldn’t.  He was that smart.  I, however, am not that smart, and I told Pete this often.  But every time Pete had the opportunity, he would bring me the crossword puzzle.  And each time, I would say, “Pete, I can’t do this!”  And he would say, “Yes you can.  Here, I’ll help you.”

So he would start methodically going through the clues.  “One across . . . . Eight letters.  Where the Spanish bulls run."

“Awww come on, Pete.  I don’t know.” (and inside I was thinking “and I don’t really care.”)
“Sure you do.  You know this.  I know you do.  It starts with a P.”

Sigh!  “Ok, Pamplona.”

“Yes!  See I told you you knew this.  Ok five across:  Geodesi Dome inventor?”

“Seriously, Pete, I don’t even know what the heck the Geodesi Dome is, where it is or why I should care about it.”

And on it would go until, thankfully, one of us would get called away to do some work.

Pete didn’t prod me to do the crossword puzzle to show me how smart he was or to make me feel stupid or inferior.  He didn’t do it to embarrass me or to make himself look good.  I’ve come to realize that Pete encouraged me to do the crossword puzzle because he believed that I could.  Because he thought that with a little help and encouragement from him, and if I tried and didn’t give up, then I could accomplish what he had put before me.  And, he never gave up on me ~ even though I gave up on myself.

Now, over 25 years later, I’ve realized that those moments with Pete were an example of how our heavenly Father believes in us.  And an example of how He will never, ever give up on us.  Even when we give up on ourselves, God will not give up on us.  Even when we turn our backs on Him and try to walk away, He will be there patiently and lovingly waiting for us to turn back to Him and ask Him for His help.

When God asks us to do something that seems impossible, it isn’t to make us feel inferior, insignificant or defeated.  No, it’s because He believes in us.  He believes that if we depend on Him, if we ask questions and if we don’t give up, then we can accomplish amazing things that we think are beyond our abilities.

There have been many times in my life when I have disobeyed God and tried to go my own way.  There have been times when I just didn’t feel like doing what He asked.  And there have been times when I’ve been so darn frustrated with waiting that I’ve tried to give up.  But God tugs at my heart and continually encourages me to keep going.  He won’t give up on me.  He believes in me.  And, like Pete asking me to complete the crossword puzzle just one clue at a time, God asks me to walk with Him just one step at a time.

Psalm 23:6 says:  “Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

God will follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in His house forever.  He has made a vow, a covenant, with His children to be with us forever and ever and ever.

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.”  Deuteronomy 7:9

God won’t give up on me.  And He won’t give up on you.  He is here with us all the time.  He is encouraging us to take just one step at a time with Him.  Because He knows that we can and because He believes in us.  Because He loves us and He wants us to know Him.  Let’s take one step with Him and walk with Him together.  He will encourage us and help us every step of the way ~ even when we think we can’t possibly go another step. He won’t give up on us.  He won’t let us go.  So let’s not let go of Him.

Remember:  “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.” 

Thank You, Father for always encouraging us to do things that we think we can’t do.  Thank You for believing in us even when we don’t believe in ourselves.  Give us the courage and perseverance to walk with You; even when we feel like we can’t possibly take another step.  Thank You for never giving up on us.  And forgive us when we give up on You.  Thank You for never ever letting us go.  We love You and want to know You more.  You are awesome!!  ~~robin