How Do I Let Go and Trust God? | Phil Kniesel

Releasing control, perseverance, and a changed heart are all part of surrendering our will to God’s.
 
This week, Pastor Phil continues our Prayers of Jesus series with a powerful and honest message on surrender. Looking at Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, we learn what it means to fully trust God, even when life doesn’t go the way we want.

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- Hey, this is Phil Kniesel, lead pastor at Hope City Church. Thanks for tuning into our podcast. My prayer is that this helps and encourages you, gives you some practical ways to live out your faith and ultimately fills you with hope. Enjoy the message.- Hope city. I want to start with a question today and hands up all across our campuses. How many of you pray? Okay, that's what I thought. Show of hands again. How many of you find praying hard? That's also what I thought. Don't you wish at times you had different ways to pray or better ways to pray? Jesus, he gives us some great examples and we've been in a series looking at some of the prayers of Jesus.'cause from my experience, most of us find prayer hard. Now, prayer is one of the ways we draw closer to God. So it's vital for us as Jesus followers. It's not that we don't pray, it's just that we wish we could pray better. And learning how to pray better is a little bit like cracking the code on some of life's questions, such as why is the letter W in English called W? It should be called double V. You know what I'm saying? ? Or have you realized that every time you clean something you just make something else dirty? And a hundred years ago, everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has a car and only the rich own horses . And you see, Jesus shows us some great ways that we can pray better. One more time, one more question. Show of hands across our campuses. How many of you have ever prayed for something and it didn't happen? Ha again, that's what I thought we all have. What do you do when you pray for a circumstance to change, but God seemingly doesn't change a thing? I want to take you to one of the last prayers that Jesus prayed before going to the cross. The disciple Matthew records it in his New Testament self-titled book. And in chapter 26, there is a lot going on in this chapter. We find out that Jesus was feeling the weight and the burden of the cross that lay ahead of him, which was shortly after he was cheered on while riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. We remember that today, as on the calendar today is Palm Sunday where the crowds that cheered for Jesus days later would call for his death. And Palm Sunday marks the beginning of what is traditionally called holy week. So here's what else is going on in this chapter. There's a group of guys called the Chief Priest and they wanted to arrest and kill Jesus. One night over dinner, a woman came and anointed Jesus's head with expensive perfume to which the disciples questioned the validity and called it a waste of money. We discovered that Judas, he's one of the 12 disciples, agrees to betray Jesus and hand him over to the chief priest. Remember the very guys that wanted to kill him? And Jesus is having his last Passover meal before the cross with the disciples, and he reveals Judas as the traitor in front of them all indicating that he knew everything that was going on behind the scenes. He also says at this meal to the disciples that they're not gonna be there for him when he needs them most. And so all this is going down in a short amount of time. Imagine the weight Jesus is feeling. Imagine the stress, the anxiety, the fear. He knew he was gonna die a brutal death. He knew the duplicity of the people. He knew he was gonna be tortured. He knew his friends would desert him. Imagine the weight. It would've been heavy, even brutal. And I know this morning some of you are carrying heavy, even brutal weights. There's things that are overwhelming you. They, they cause fear. They cause stress. They cause anxiety. Tomorrow is filled with uncertainty. There's pain, there's sorrow. Friend, listen to me. Jesus understands He gets you. I like how the writer of Hebrews puts it. It's a New Testament book. He says it this way for we do not have a high priest in reference to Jesus who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses. But we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are. Yet he did not sin. So no matter what is in front of you, I want you to be encouraged because Jesus understands He can empathize with you. He can relate to you. He gets you. And so with all these things going on, Matthew writes this as chapter 26 continues. And then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, which is just a garden. And he said to them, sit here while I go over there and pray. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, which are James and John along with them, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. Jesus had an outer circle of friends and he had an inner circle of friends. The outer circle was his 12 disciples. The inner circle was Peter, James and John. Now all of them would've often seen Jesus pray. So when he said, let's go to the garden to pray, they wouldn't have thought twice about it. He tells the outer circle to stay put while he goes further with his inner circle. And he says to them, it's kind of like he opens up to them. He says, my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Here we see the massive weight that Jesus is carrying. And we also see that Jesus is real open and honest with his closest friends. No pretenses, no hiding. He was vulnerable. See every single one of us, we need support. We all need those that we can be authentic with to go beyond surface level conversation and vulnerability always builds intimacy. But I want us to read on this is what we read next. Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, my Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. I want you to notice some things here. First, his posture, it says He fell with his face to the ground. That's a sign of humility before God. It's also a sign of brokenness and distress. Second, he began his prayer with the words, my father. And this was an expression of intimacy and trust. He knew God was his loving father. Third, the cup that Jesus wanted lifted was his suffering and death on the cross. He wanted God to find another way to save the world. Now, Jesus knew this was God's will for his life. He repeatedly explained it to his disciples. He knew that this was God's perfect plan for humanity, that he would have to go to the cross to die for the sins of the world, to make a way to bridge the gap between humanity and God. For all people to come to God to pay the price of sin. He knew it was God's plan. He knew he would rise and he knew it was gonna be extremely difficult and hard. Jesus, he was facing a situation he didn't want to face. It was ultimately out of his control. And so he prayed My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Friends, listen, in our lives there will be moments where we face something out of control. It could be a tragedy, an illness. It could be the economy, a relational issue, a job loss or more. Whatever it is. Remember, you can go to God as your loving Father. He is present. He cares and he always has a plan. Nothing you face hasn't crossed God's desk.'cause we all will face trials. In fact, scripture tells us again in the book of Hebrews that God allows trials. The writer of Hebrews says it this way, endure hardship as discipline. See, discipline is how you get better at things. Anything good in life requires discipline. And so the writer says, endure hardship as discipline. God is treating you as his children for what? Children are not disciplined by their father. If you are not disciplined, then everyone undergoes discipline, then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. God allows hardship to discipline us, to make us better, to give us perspective. And other times in scripture, we are even called to share in the sufferings of Christ. And so Jesus asked God, Hey, if it's possible, change the plans. He asked him to take the cup from him even though he knew this was God's plan. He still asked because he knew God was all powerful, meaning Jesus believed that God could if he wanted to devise another way. Listen, we serve an amazing God and anything is possible for him. Jesus illustrates that we can at least always ask God for the impossible. And so friends, you need to believe that no matter what you are facing, we have a God who is able, capable and powerful. He can make the blind see the deaf here and the mute talk. He controls the weather, the world and all that is ahead. Nothing is beyond his reach or his grasp. So bring everything to him. Always ask. But this is where the tension comes. Because what if we ask and God doesn't do what we ask? What do we do when we pray for a circumstance to change, but God seemingly doesn't change a thing. Jesus prayed my Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. So he's asking, but his prayer didn't stop there as ours soul often do, our sir like Man, God, please do something different here. God please change the circumstance. God, I need you to do what I'm asking you to do. But what if he doesn't? Jesus prayed for his circumstance to change, but I want you to notice what he prayed next. And I, I would claim that this is one of the hardest things to pray. My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. And here it is, yet not as I will God, but as you will. That's a prayer of complete surrender. It's trust, it's dependence. Take this away from me. God, I don't want it yet. Not as I will, but as you will. Hard words to pray. Now, when Jesus referred to his own will, it meant his human desire that was in conflict with God's desire. Jesus was not just fully God, he was fully man. And there's this big theological term for this called dioctyl, which says that Jesus had both a divine and a human will. The divine will is the one that he shares eternally with God. The human will is the one by virtue of his incarnation taking on full humanity. And there were times in scripture where Jesus referenced his human will in distinction from his father's. Will I just wanna give you three of them? John writes about it. Here's an example. Jesus said, my food is to do the will of whom who sent me and to finish his work. Jesus said by myself, I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear and my judgment is just for, I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. He also said, for I've come down from heaven not to do my will, but to do the will of him who sent me. So Jesus prays not as I will God, but as you will. And Matthew goes on to say this, that he returned to his disciples. Remember he went off and prayed and found them sleeping. Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour? He asked Peter, watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away a second time and prayed My father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it may your will be done. When he came back again, he again found them sleeping because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come and the son of man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go. Here comes my betrayer. So three times Jesus approached God with a passionate plea. Take this cup from me, change this circumstance. Find another way. Yet three times. He also gave the caveat, not as I will God, but as you will, he surrendered his human will to God's will. And listen, it's not wrong to wrestle with your will against God's will. It's not wrong to want to control what is going on and to ask God to take something away. The tension is that most of us want God to do our will because to us, our will just makes sense. Our will won't have us walk through the pain of what could be our will won't have us face hardship. Our will in the moment always seems like the better option to us. So what do you do when you pray for a circumstance to change? But God seemingly doesn't change a thing. You pray like Jesus prayed, you pray a prayer of surrender, not as I will God, but as you will. And praying a prayer like that is hard. So how can you do that? I wanna give you three ways that you can pray a prayer of surrender. And then I want to give you the greatest result of praying this way. And I believe it's the one thing that we all want and need when facing difficult circumstances. So how do you pray a prayer of surrender? Number one, a prayer of surrender is honest. See Jesus, he was transparent before God. He didn't hide or mask his emotions. Surrender doesn't mean we don't struggle. It means we bring our struggle to God. And so listen, you don't need to pretend to be strong when you're not. Just admit when you're scared, when you're burdened and when your desires are unmet. Three times Jesus laid it out before God. Three times he asked for another way. He was open, he was authentic and he was raw. Are you honest with God? Do you consistently bring him your fears, your emotions, your anxieties, your stressors and your circumstances? You can't grow in a relationship with God if you're not honest with him. Honesty is the bedrock of any solid relationship. A woman by the name of Corey 10 Boom was arrested during World War II for hiding Jews from the Nazis. While in the Ravens Brook concentration camp, she wrestled with deep fear and sorrow and suffering. She actually felt abandoned by God like she helped people and she got caught. And later she wrote out her honest prayers to God admitting that she struggled to trust them in the midst of such horror. She was just awe and raw and honest with the Lord. And despite all this, she continued to pray, pouring out her pain while surrendering to his will. Do we trust God enough to honestly pour out our emotions while still submitting to his will? A prayer of surrender is honest with God. Secondly, a prayer of surrender releases control. What did Jesus have to release His will? What do we have to release our will? Jesus wanted another way. And how many times do you and I want another way. I mean Jesus was desperate. God, if there is any other way, I would love it. Yet not as I will, but as you will. True surrender means we don't just ask God to approve our plans, we submit to His. And think about it. Jesus even taught us to pray this way in something that was called the Lord's Prayer. He says these words, your kingdom come, your what? Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Your will God, not my will. Yeah, well that's good for others Pastor Phil. But dude, it's different for me what I'm facing right now. I need God to fix according to my will. You see, surrender requires you to let go of control, letting go trust God's plan is ultimately better than yours. And I, and I like how the writer of Proverbs says it, he says, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding or your own will in all your ways. Submit to him his will and he will make your path straight. I like to say it this way. Letting go is blind obedience in the right direction for a moment. Think of Google maps. Most of us use it quite frequently. A couple weeks ago I was in Toronto. Even though I grew up there, I had no idea where I was going. And so I just put it into Google Maps. And it was interesting because every turn and seemingly weird way I was taking, at one point I was going down a back alley . I just decided to follow it blindly trusting I'm gonna end up where I wanted to go and I did. Because of my past experiences with maps, every time I've reached my destination, blind obedience says, okay, I'm gonna trust God. I'm gonna depend upon him. I will submit my will to his even when I can't see or comprehend the outcome because he has never failed me yet. Friends, listen to me, God will never fail you. So are you trying to control something? Are you holding onto something that you just need to let go of? Maybe it's pain, maybe it's bitterness, mistrust, maybe it's fear, security or safety. Maybe it's a, it's a scenario you never wanted. What would it look like to release control and allow God to lead? What does blind obedience in the right direction mean for you? A prayer of surrender says, God, I give it all to you. My will, my life, my mind, my future, my ways, my kids, my family, my career, my inadequacies, my insecurities, my finances, my marriage, my circumstances, my health, my everything. Not as I will God, but as you will. So a prayer of surrender is honest, it releases control. And thirdly, a prayer of surrender involves perseverance. I wanna take you back to something Matthew wrote. This is what he says. Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. Couldn't you men keep watch with me for one hour? He asked Peter, watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. I mean these guys couldn't stay awake. They, they were tapping out three times. Kinda like when you're in church and you get like super, super tired, it's really hard to keep your eyes open, right? This is what they were feeling. And it wasn't just once, it was three times. And then Jesus says the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Meaning you may be willing to surrender, but it's gonna be tough because everything in you is gonna want to do something else. Surrender is not just a one, one-time event. Surrender is an ongoing process. We keep on surrendering daily and one day it's gonna come easy and the next day it's gonna be incredibly hard. You know, on day one, most of us are like, yeah man, I got this. I can do this. But what about on day 1000 surrender involves perseverance. So how do we persevere? The Bible actually gives us two ways by prayer and by God's strength. Now most times when our prayers seem unanswered, we don't want to continue praying. But that's the very thing that will build perseverance. I want you to listen to some scriptures that Paul writes. He says this, be joyful in hope. Patient and affliction, faithful in prayer. He says, devote yourselves to prayer. Being watchful and thankful. You persevere by your commitment to pray whether you feel like it or not. And second, you persevere in God's strength. Scripture says so do not fear for I'm with you. Do not be dismayed for I'm your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Paul says it this way, for I can do everything through Christ. Not some things, not the stuff I wanna do. Not the things that I think are great. No, I can do everything through Christ who gives me what strength. Like Matthew in the New Testament, the writer, Luke also records this moment of Jesus in the garden praying before the cross. But Luke adds something that Matthew didn't and I wanna take you there. This is what Luke writes. So he's, he's got Jesus praying, saying, father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done. Same as Matthew. And then Luke adds this, an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. God sent an angel to strengthen Jesus in his most difficult time. And friends, God will send strength to your life when you need it most. And that strength is gonna help you persevere. And here's a real encouraging truth. Perseverance gets easier over time because with God's strength you become stronger over time. So those are three ways that you can pray a prayer of surrender, your honest, honest, you release control and you persevere. And if you do this, here's the greatest result we all want and need. When facing difficult circumstances, a prayer of surrender changes your heart. Let me take you back to Jesus. We read this, then he returned, this is the third time to the disciples and said to them, are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come and the son of man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go. Here comes my betrayer. What changed for Jesus? The circumstance. Did it the cross was still ahead. What changed? His heart did. The final time Jesus came back to the disciples. It's kind of like this switch had flipped. He was different after wrestling in prayer and praying, a prayer of surrender, Jesus now returns with confidence ready to face the thing that he was asking God to take away. His prayer of surrender brought clarity and capability. The cup wasn't taken away. Rather he was prepped to drink the cup. Prepped for what? Lie ahead. And what does he say? Rise, let's go. In other words, I'm ready to do this. A prayer. Surrender. Friends, it changes your heart. It brings peace where anxiety existed, it brings security where insecurity existed. It brings courage where fear existed, it brings the capability to face whatever lies ahead. It preps you to drink the cup. It helps you own and understand some words of Paul that just say it this way. And we know that in all things, not some things, not the stuff that's good, not the stuff that you only want. No. In all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. You know, back in December of 2022, a guy by the name of Daniel Johnson, he was a resident of Texas, he shared footage on TikTok that his wife recorded of him singing a worship song to their newborn sung Remington at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center. And this video went viral a number of years ago. See their son was born four months early and given a 21% chance of survival. And as you can imagine, it was super hard on the couple. And it wasn't until they surrendered the situation to God that they felt equipped to walk through it. And in the midst of not knowing if his son was gonna make it, the dad, Daniel does something. And I want you to watch this video because he starts to sing over his son. And I want you to notice, especially when he starts singing the words, hallelujah. It's kind of wild. 'cause this little child that's hooked up to all these devices raises his right hand almost like in praise. Watch this Hope city. No matter the situation, God gives you the strength to make it through. He may not lift the cup, but he fills your cup to face it. And that's what a prayer of surrender does. It changes your heart today that baby Remington is healthy and growing. God intervened. But a prayer of surrender, no matter the outcome, equips us to face the circumstance if it changes. And if it doesn't, it gives you the capability to drink the cup and not wish the cup away. It brings peace when we need it most. It gives us the strength to walk through the thing that we thought that we couldn't walk through. It moves us from inaction to action to be able to say, okay, rise, let's go. I'm ready to face whatever is in front of me. Jesus, he faced his betrayer head on. What changed? The circumstance didn't. But his heart did. He chose to submit to God's will. Friends, what do you do when you pray for a circumstance to change? But God seemingly doesn't change a thing. You pray a prayer of surrender. And that involves being honest, releasing control and persevering. You pray this way and I promise you it will always lead to a change of heart. So even if the cup that you are facing is not taken away, you will have the capability to face whatever tomorrow holds. And some of you, I know you're feeling like, man, I can't go on this situation is too tough. You've lost hope. You've lost trust. The burden is overwhelming you. And I wanna encourage you, Fred, pray like Jesus pray. Pray a prayer of surrender because no matter if the circumstance changes or not, God will equip you to face it head on like Jesus. You're gonna be able to say, rise, let's go. Not as I will God. But as you will, I'm gonna ask you to stand if you are able to. I'm gonna close in prayer for you today. And I know even as I was prepping this week, I know in this room online across our campuses, some of you're facing some very real things. And this was a word for you today. And so as I pray, I'm gonna pray through some of these points that I address. And if one of them resonates deeper with you, I just pray that you do some soul work, some heart work in this prayer between you and God in this moment. So let's pray. Lord, I thank you for your word. And first off, I just say thank you Jesus for going to the cross. Thank you that you died and rose to save us, to forgive our sins, set us free. Thank you that you didn't back away. And I'm so grateful that we have this model, Jesus, of you just being so human in one of your hardest moments. It makes, it makes things so relatable for us. And so I'm just grateful for that. And today, I pray over my friends here today who are walking through some very heavy, difficult circumstances. I pray that in Jesus' name, you just come alongside of them. I ask that if they haven't been fully transparent with you, help 'em to be honest with you. Help just lay it out. I pray for that person who's having a really hard time releasing control. I pray today in Jesus' name. They figuratively open their heart and say, God, I surrender it to you now my will, but your will be done. I can't control this any longer. I give it to you fully. And may they trust you in that. May they trust in the Lord with all their heart and lean not on their own understanding. May they just believe God that you are making a way. I pray for my friends who are having a hard time to keep going. And maybe that's you. You're like, man, I've been going. I've been going. I've been going. It's just so hard. I pray that you persevere, friend. I pray that you persevere not just another day, but another week, another month, another year. I pray that through you calling out to God and the strength of the Lord, may it reside over you. May it reside in you. May you keep on keeping on. May the perseverance of the Lord be so real and tangible in your life. And God, I pray over all my friends here that you change their heart as they call out to you, that no matter what lies ahead, they are able to say, you have transformed me inside that I can face tomorrow. I can have a confidence, I can have a trust, and I can have an assurance that you go with me no matter what tomorrow holds. And so I pray for that faith to increase that, that confidence in that assurance. Maybe you're joining us today and you don't know Jesus personally and you came with a friend, or you've been checking us out last a little while said it. Jesus went to the cross to die for your sins. He rose and he offers you life, both now and forever more. And all you have to do is believe in him, believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Confess your mouth in Jesus Lord. And the Bible says you'll be saved. And so if you're sensing today, maybe there's that longing to make that decision. Maybe you're online, maybe you're at a campus, we're in the house. What you're sensing is the Holy Spirit drawing you. And if that's you, I wanna pray a prayer that helps you begin your journey with Jesus, helps you put some words. That is why don't you pray along with me. Jesus today I see my need for you. I'm so grateful you went to the cross that died for my sins. And I thank you that today I have the opportunity to profess my faith in you, my trust in you, and that I believe in you. I believe in all that you are. And so help me to follow you. Thank you that you didn't stay dead, that you rose. And I wanna put my fate and confidence and trust in you. I wanna make you Lord and leader of my life and follow you from this day forward. And Lord, I pray over every individual, every couple, and every family. I ask that as they go into this week, God, may you surround them, equip them, and strengthen them. I ask Holy Spirit, that you may give them the grace and the power that they need in every circumstance. May you speak to them, may you work through them. But I pray that they are men and women who are aligned to say God, no matter what today or tomorrow faces, I will face it with you. I will trust you. I will pray a prayer of surrender and release it all to you in the powerful name of Jesus. And so I pray this over and for them, amen. You know, if you prayed that prayer, surrendering your life to Christ, can I ask you just to scan the QR code that's on the screen? It's also on the CAC in front of you. It's a way of us getting a digital booklet inside of your hands and just talks a little bit more about knowing and following Jesus. And it also helps us get to know you'cause we'd love to get to know you personally. If you're joining us in the house and you want prayer about anything, we're gonna have a prayer team available down at your front, left after the service. Hope city before you leave today. Know this. You are prayed for lots. I love you lots. I'm cheering you on. And as you leave this week, may your prayer simply be this. Not my will God, but your will be done. Thanks for being in church today. Have an incredible Sunday.