Empty Hands by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39)

I surrender.

I was reading a devotional this week where the author said that every morning she lifts up her hands to God, surrendering her day to Him.

I thought, I need to start doing this each day—physically opening up empty hands to my heavenly Father. Whatever you want to give me, LORD. While I spend a lot of time in prayer each morning, I don’t always give Him daily carte blanche.

When I think about the Christmas story, isn’t that what Mary did when the angel Gabriel told her she would give birth to the Savior of the world, Jesus? Mary, in a sense, raised empty hands when she said, “May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38).

Didn’t Joseph surrender? When he learned about Mary’s pregnancy, he planned to divorce her quietly. However, when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream to explain it all, he accepted the plan, and took Mary as his wife after all.

Jesus raised up his empty hands, giving up a comfortable seat at the right hand of His heavenly Father to be born in a cattle feeding trough, and later sacrifice His life so that we might have life.

It’s the ultimate surrender.

I think about what a difference surrendering would have made—even today—when there were some last-minute changes with our radio show. Would I have relaxed more and not have allowed anxiety to rule?

What about the mountain of presents I wrapped this afternoon? Would it have been as tedious?

There’s an event I am involved in today that will require a lot of energy. Will I lift up empty hands and allow God to fill me, and not try to do this in my own power?

Then there are family and friends I worry about, causing a wringing of hands. I now know many people who have been stricken with COVID. All of our immediate family members are traveling this week. A friend was in an automobile accident. Will I make the exchange of worry from my hands to God’s hands?

What do you need to surrender to your all-powerful heavenly Father today?

Even now, will you lift up your empty hands to not only turn over your day, but to receive whatever God has to offer you? Trusting that our Omnipotent God has every aspect of our lives in His hands is one way to experience peace.