When Surrender Costs Something
Reflections on Betty Scott Stam’s prayer of surrender
Some prayers ask God to change our circumstances. Others change us. Those are harder to pray, because they ask us to loosen our grip on the life we imagined and trust the God who sees what we cannot.
Betty Scott Stam, a young missionary who served the Lord in China alongside her husband John, wrote one of those prayers. It does not ask for comfort or success. It asks for complete surrender:
Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee to be Thine forever. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt, and work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever. Amen.
At any cost. Those words are easy to admire with a settled life and an open Bible. They become far more searching when life unfolds differently than we planned.
When Life Does Not Follow the Plan
I have known the joy of raising a family, building a business, and serving the Lord. I have also known disappointment, betrayal, financial hardship, and the pain of beginning again. When we moved to Germany in 2012, I could not have understood what lay ahead. There were seasons when I had to release the future I had pictured and trust God one step at a time.
Surrender did not come easily. I wanted answers before I could rest. I wanted to see the whole picture before taking the next step. But faith taught me this: surrender is not the same as understanding. It is trusting God’s character when I cannot explain His ways.
Proverbs 3:5-6 calls us to trust the Lord with all our hearts and not lean on our own understanding. Scripture does not say to trust Him once we understand. It says to trust Him fully, especially when understanding runs out. That is where surrender becomes real.
Surrender Does Not Mean the Absence of Grief
Losing my granddaughter Elizabeth at only twenty-two months old left a sorrow words cannot hold. When we love deeply, we grieve deeply, and faith does not make us immune to heartbreak. Faith gives our heartbreak somewhere to go.
Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Our Saviour was not ashamed of grief, and we need not be either. Surrender is not pretending everything is fine. It is bringing what is not fine into the presence of the One who remains faithful.
Romans 8:28 does not promise that every painful thing is good. It promises that nothing that has wounded us lies beyond the reach of God’s redemptive work. He brings purpose from pain, wisdom from experience, and compassion from broken places.
What “At Any Cost” Looks Like Today
Surrender is not reserved for missionaries in faraway places. It is lived in ordinary ones. It looks like forgiving someone when reconciliation is not possible. Releasing a dream that no longer fits this season. Beginning again after failure. Serving faithfully when nobody notices.
It also means accepting our limits. For years I kept going because I believed I had to be strong for everyone. But strength is not refusing to admit we are weary. Even Jesus withdrew to quiet places to pray. Acknowledging that we are not God is not failure. It is the truth that sets us free to depend on Him.
For those of us in midlife and beyond, our plans may have changed shape. Our usefulness in God’s kingdom has not expired. The question is no longer, “Lord, what can I achieve?” It is, “Lord, how can I be faithful to You in the season I am living now?”
God Is Worthy of Our Trust
The great danger is making our trust in God depend on the outcome we want. His goodness is not measured by the ease of our circumstances. His faithfulness is not cancelled by our disappointment.
In Gethsemane, Jesus surrendered Himself to the Father’s will in full awareness of the cost. Because of His sacrifice and resurrection, surrender to God is never surrender to a meaningless future. I do not stand on the certainty that everything will go as I wish. I stand on the certainty that God is faithful.
Will You Trust Him With Your Story?
You may be reading this in a season you never planned. You do not need to pretend you are not afraid, and you do not need every answer before you come to God. Begin where you are. Tell Him the truth about what you carry, and ask for grace to release what you cannot control.
Surrender is not a single prayer that removes every struggle. It is a daily turning of the heart toward the Lord. God is not asking you to see the whole road before you trust Him. He is asking you to walk with Him.
Lord, my life belongs to You. Teach me to trust You with what I understand and what I do not. Help me release the plans I am holding too tightly and receive the grace You give for today. Amen.
“Not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42, ESV) That is the prayer of a surrendered heart, and it is one we can carry for the rest of our lives.
Walk This Road With Me
If this encouraged you, I would love for you to go deeper. My ebooks and Bible studies are written to help you trust God in every season, including the ones you never planned.
