Submission Affects Worship, Prayer & Witnessing

By Beverly Hill McKinney

I compare submission to raising children. We teach them from an early age to submit to authority, whether to a parent or other adults. As children grow they encounter other areas of their lives in which they must submit to those over them.

We are like children who as babies in Christ are shown through God’s Word the need to submit to God’s authority if we are to live a productive Christian life. Like a child, we sometimes argue and question God. As we mature in Christ we realize the importance of submitting to His will.

Worship: So often when we worship, we come expecting something special from God, but if our worship seems cold and distant, we blame God that He was far away. Someone once told me that when we worship, God is our audience. When I heard that it began to change how I worship. I don’t enter into worship expecting something from God, but to give God my praise and adoration. As I release my life to God and surrender to His will, my worship becomes a time of loving and adoring my Savior. “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God…” Psalms 19:6-7

Prayer: We tend to bring a laundry list of our needs to God expecting an immediate answer. When we submit our lives to Him, we will begin our prayers with praise and thanksgiving for what the Lord has already done for us. Do we pray only for our own needs and those of our family or is it a time of remembering others and asking how we can be a blessing? Submitting to God’s will for our life requires us to give the outcome to Him and allow Him to direct our decisions. Change prayer time from a time of telling our needs to a time of rejoicing for what He has in store for us. In I Thessalonians 5:16,17,18 we are admonished to: “Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Witnessing: By submitting to God’s will, we will see more opportunities to share His love with others. We should look for opportunities and be excited each day for a chance to share Christ. I Peter 3:15 states: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” Did you notice the first part of that verse? “...in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.” As we submit to Christ’s authority and set Him apart as Lord of our life, He will open the doors of opportunity to share His love with others.

Beverly Hill McKinney writes from Rogue River, Oregon. bmckinnehill@yahoo.com