Surrounded or Surrendered

“Surrounded or Surrendered”
by Pastor Ali Munsey
March 29, 2020

But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and be silent in the realm of the dead. Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous. How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you. In the shelter of your presence you hide them from all human intrigues; you keep them safe in your dwelling from accusing tongues. Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege. In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

• Psalm 31:14-24

Psalm 31 is about taking refuge in God. Our trust in him gets rewarded because he is reliable. Even when we feel surrounded, our question should be: “What kind of surrender is God working into us?” Let's examine Psalm 31 to explore what the condition of our heart is, and how we worship when trouble comes.

Like David, in our worship, we can surrender our desire for control to God. David was a warrior and a man after God’s own heart; he was also a songwriter. He was often attacked and surrounded by his enemies, but he declared, “In you, O God, I take refuge. Rescue me, O rock of strength.” 

As we pray and dig into the Psalms, let’s ask ourselves: What is your soul singing back to you? Our souls are always singing something. What songs are playing over and over in our minds? When we choose to trust God’s voice through the Psalms, we can keep fear from overtaking our faith.

1. Psalms remind us to sing

Worship is something to give to our creator, not something we get. This is why we can worship regardless of our particular musical preference because it is about God; it is not about us. Zephaniah 3:17 says that our God rejoices over us with singing. 

2. Psalms reminds us that worship is a verb

Worship is an action word. Worship is not just thinking about God; it is declaring who he is, lifting our hands, engaging our minds and connecting our hearts to his. When we worship, we are proclaiming our love for a God who sings over us. 

3. Psalms reminds us that worship is a lifestyle, not an event

We don’t have to wait for Sundays to worship. Worship is found in our prayers and in our conversations. Worship is whatever consumes your time, thoughts, emotions, and money. We can either let fear consume our thoughts and emotions, or we can decide to surrender to God. 

We are engaged in a quest, and our surrender is needed, even in a pandemic. This is not the final chapter of the story. Jesus is our savior, the author and finisher of our faith, the Alpha and the Omega. The enemy has been defeated and kicked out of heaven--he only has power based on the power that we give him. Why would we give him any power by dwelling on fear? 

God is bigger than whatever we are facing. This pandemic is no judgment. We are fully healed in him. Psalm 139 asks “Where can I go from your presence?” God is always with us. Depending on the level of our surrender, God will either seem far away or real and tangible. Let us put our hope in Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith.

Reflection/Discussion Questions: 

1. What does it feel like to be surrounded? 

2. What does it feel like when we surrender to God in hard times?

3. How can we be more intentional about our worship this week? 

4. What steps can we take this week to build our confidence in God and increase our level of surrender in this season?