Surrendering to God - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - July 28, 2025
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14
Over the course of this year, I have learned what it means to fully surrender to God. It takes a lot to finally say, “Your will be done, Lord—not mine.” As humans, we want control of our lives; however, ultimate control belongs to the Lord. While we make daily decisions, there are many things outside of our control. The weather, an unexpected sickness, or the death of a loved one are all out of our control.
When we look at these things, we begin to understand how small we are. Our human bodies feel so small compared to the vastness we call death. We grow weak, tired, and, one day, we will pass away. As Christians, most of us have already surrendered life after death to the Lord, so why is it so hard for us to surrender our lives to Him now?
For some of us, death seems abstract. Almost like we will never have to actually face it. However, once we see a loved one pass away or we encounter a near-death experience, death becomes much more real to us. While experiencing death is never pleasant, it does open our eyes to the worship of surrendering. Once we experience a loved one passing away or a close call with death ourselves, we begin to think of death as more relevant.
Rather than viewing it as an abstract concept, we now see death for what it is—an opportunity to surrender to God. When my mom passed away, I surrendered all control to God. I didn’t know what to do with my life after my mom passed. I was scared of what would happen to our family, and I have been constantly worried about my dad’s health. I had to surrender all of these things over to God in order to truly function again in life.
Holding on to these things will cause our lives to struggle. This is why we must surrender all control to God. He is already in control, and we need to trust Him. There are bad things that happen in the world, but they are not His fault. The bad things that happen in this world are due to the fall of mankind, which is actually our fault. However, God can still use these things for our good (Romans 8:28).
Think about what you need to surrender to God today. Is it a new career path or a failing relationship? Give all control over to God and give up your false sense of control. Even though we might like to think we forge our own destinies, our lives have already been written in God’s book. The day of our birth, what we do with our lives, and the day of our death are all already known to God.
With the same trust we have in Him for salvation, we need to trust Him with every other aspect of our lives. It is hard to do this since we want to be in control, but we need to allow ourselves to relinquish control. God is our almighty and amazing God, and there is no reason to doubt Him. Pain might come at first, yet beauty will shine out of the darkness.
Exodus 14:14 tells us, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” As we are told here, we need to be still. The Lord will fight for us. This shows us that God is in control. He is working all the time, even at this very moment. There is never a day when God takes a break or leaves mankind without help. He is always for us, never against us (Romans 8:31).
Even though Exodus 14:14 was speaking to Moses and the Israelites as they were being led through the desert after being held in bondage by the Egyptians, it still applies to us. God will fight for us—we only need to be still. Choosing to be still can be extremely difficult, especially if we are someone who likes to get things done quickly. However, we are called to wait on the Lord and to be still. As we are waiting and being still before the Lord, we can offer up prayers and present our worries to Him.
The Lord understands the pain we are going through, and He desires to give us rest. Therefore, we need to surrender all control over to Him and simply be still. God can do amazing things, but we will never see these things if we are always fighting for control. Give control over to God and watch Him bring light out of darkness. He is able to do immeasurably more than we could ever hope or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21).
Let's pray:
Dear Lord, I praise You for all of Your greatness. I am choosing to surrender all control over to You today. I am not in control—You are. Please forgive me for all the times I tried to take control from You. I'm choosing to be still before You today. Thank You for fighting for me. In Your Name, I pray, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Olaf Speier
Related Resource: Soft Words for Hard Days: A Conversation with Aundi Kolber
Some days feel heavy. Some moments leave us wondering how to keep going. If you’ve ever longed for encouragement amid life’s hardest moments, I have a special episode of The Love Offering for you. This week, I’m joined by therapist and bestselling author Aundi Kolber to discuss her latest book, Take What You Need: Soft Words for Hard Days. This beautiful collection of quotes, scriptures, prayers, and gentle exercises is designed to be a balm for your most tender places—a reminder that you are never alone on your journey to healing.
In our conversation, we explore:
✨ How to hold space for yourself and others in difficult seasons
✨ The power of compassionate words when life feels overwhelming
✨ Practical ways to embrace healing and take one more step forward
If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe to The Love Offering on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
