Surrender Your Will
The Place of Abiding
John 15:7 (NLT)
“But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!”
Break It Down
Jesus ties answered prayer to something far deeper than simply asking. He links it to remaining, abiding, staying joined to Him. This is the language of relationship, not transaction.
The promise is not a blank cheque. It is the assurance that when your life is aligned with His life, your desires are shaped by His heart, and your will is surrendered to His leadership.
God’s Intention
God’s desire is not to make your prayer life a guessing game, nor to send you into the world hoping you’ll figure out His will. His intention is clear: fruitfulness is the overflow of abiding, and clarity is the fruit of surrender.
When Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), He is not limiting you — He is freeing you. He is inviting you out of self‑striving and into a life carried by His power and presence.
Weave in the Passage
It is easy to pray for guidance while still holding tightly to our own preferred outcomes. But Jesus calls us to something deeper than direction‑seeking — He calls us to surrender.
Abiding means yielding the outcome, not just asking for clarity. It is where your will bends, your desires soften, and your heart settles into the trust that His way is always better, even when it is not the way you first hoped.
Martha worked for Jesus, but Mary chose to be with Him. Jesus affirmed that posture, saying, “One thing is needed.” The one thing is always relationship, presence, and surrender.
Fruit does not come from striving. A branch does not strain to produce grapes — it simply stays connected to the vine, and life flows naturally. So too with you.
Related Scripture
Proverbs 3:5–6 — Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Psalm 37:4–5 — Delight in Him and commit your way.
Luke 9:23 — Take up your cross daily.
Application for Today
Take time — even a few quiet minutes — to pause and surrender your will to Him.
Not my way, Lord, but Yours.
Not my timeline, but Yours.
Not my preferred path, but the one You have prepared.
Offer Him the plans you are holding tightly. Offer Him the outcomes you have already imagined. Offer Him the frustrations you do not yet understand.
Fruit will come. Peace will come. Clarity will come. Because He is the Vine, and you are a beloved branch in His care.
Prayer
Father, here I am again with all my plans and desires. I surrender my will to Yours. Teach me to remain in Jesus, to let Your Word shape my thinking, and to trust Your leading even when I cannot yet see the path. Make my heart soft to Your voice, my steps aligned with Your purpose, and my life fruitful for Your glory. Amen.