Let It Go

(This post is based on the song “Let It Go” by Tenth Avenue North, which you can listen to here.)

clinging (verse 1)

I’ve been holding on so tight
Look at these knuckles they’ve gone white
From fighting for who I want to be
I’m just trying to find security

Worry unearths the ugliness inside our hearts, revealing the sin of pride. We try to hide it, but when we’re grasping to be in charge, we’re showing that we think we know better than God. It all comes down to wanting to be in control.

Worry also uncovers our fear that life won’t turn out the way we want it to and we won’t become who we want to be. It all comes down to clinging to our idea of what’s good for us and refusing to surrender to God’s plan when it contradicts ours.

Deep inside all of us is a little child who wants to know they’re loved and accepted for who they are. Worry is a way we try to guard that secret place. It puts us in a headlock with the One who cares about us most, enlisting us in an endless war against our Father.

bringing (verse 2)

Well it’s hard enough to hear 
Harder still to move beyond this fear
We know there’s nothing I can bring
So tell me what do You want from me?

Hearing God’s call to surrender and considering surrender is hard enough; actually surrendering and releasing the fear of what could come as a result is even harder.

There’s nothing we can offer to God that He doesn’t already have, so what can we give Him? What could He possibly want from us? He is all-sufficient, and we are all needy, filled from the depths of His grace.

Maybe surrender isn’t so much about what God wants from us as it is about what He wants for us. Even though He doesn’t need anything from us, He is still our loving Father, and a good father wants good things for his children. Our heavenly Father is no different. Remember what Jesus said: “What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13 ESV).

Our surrender doesn’t benefit God in the sense of supplying something He needs. But it benefits us, growing faith and trust in the ground of our hearts. It unbinds us from fear and sets us free to love like never before. So in His love for us, God calls us to surrender to Him and receive the peace only He can give.

questioning (bridge)

What do I love? What do I hate?
What will I lose? What will I gain?
How do I save my soul?
What if I bend? What if I break?
What will it cost? What will it take?
For You to save my soul

The bridge masterfully describes how our perspective switches as we inch ever closer toward the point of surrender.

It starts with the desires and passions lodged deep in our hearts. When we first look into the pool of surrender and consider diving in, what first comes to mind are the things we most love (what we don’t want to lose) and the things we most hate (what we don’t want to gain). Will we lose what we love and gain what we hate? How can we preserve our soul—what we hold most dear?

Slowly we remember that surrender means yielding to God’s control. It’s not up to us to decide what happens when we take the step of faith. Our thoughts turn in another direction. What will happen if we let go? Will we be stretched beyond the borders of our comfort zone and bruised by the stones of suffering? Will surrendering to our Shepherd mean He will lead us into the storm?

What will it take for God to receive our offering? Will the best and worst we have to give be enough to meet what He requires? What do we have to do in order for Him to enfold us in His arms and accept us as we come, making us fully His?

surrendering (chorus)

You say let it go
You say let it go
You say life is waiting for the ones who lose control
You say You will be everything I need
You say if I lose my life it’s then I’ll find my soul
You say let it go

God speaks in our hearts the words He knows we need to hear and receive: let it go. Don’t hold on to it anymore—let Me hold on to you. 

On the other side of surrender, you will find the life you didn’t know you longed for. You might have thought you wanted a life under your control, but that wasn’t the deepest desire of your heart. Planted inside you by the One who made you is a yearning to be under the authority of another—and not just any other, but the One who is sovereign over all. He has given you freedom to decide whether you will welcome His rule over your life. 

You can run from it, but you can’t hide from it: this is what you were made for.

On the other side, you will find that what you thought was lost is found in the One who called you to Him. He will supply all your needs out of the abundance of His grace.

And on the other side, you will find your soul. You may have lost life as you thought it would be, but you will find a far more lasting identity by being hidden in the depths of the heart of God.

Can’t you see why He calls you to let go?