Have Thine Own Way, Lord
That was the title of a classic hymn that speaks to the importance of an attitude of surrender to the Lord – allowing His Way to be the only WAY! We’ve been having to surrender many things in the last couple of months during this quarantine period. Surrendering hopes, dreams, time, gathering together in churches, schools, meeting places, gyms, restaurants, weddings, parties, and on and on.
Many of us submitted to the “surrender” while many of us held on tight like the reins of a runaway horse. We weren’t about to let go of control until there were no more options. That old hymn was a prayer of surrender. I know I need to make it my theme song and sing it with undaunted trust in my Potter.
“Have thine own way, Lord. Have thine own way. You are the Potter. I am the clay. Mold me and make me. After Your will. While I am waiting – yielded and still.”
That hymn was written by Adelaide Pollard when she was a discouraged missionary. It became a prayer of surrender and yielding to God’s way instead of her way. Her words depict the clay – to be molded into whatever the Potter chooses to be the exact representation of His Master Potter’s hands — yielding to His fine design, intricate details with expertise and brilliance – as the Master Craftsman.
Although it may be challenging and uncomfortable when we submit to the Potter’s touch, we experience the joy of His perfect will. We’ve had to do a lot of laying down our wills during this pandemic, haven’t we? We may have willed to go to work or go out to eat in a fine restaurant or get together with friends and loved ones, but our will had to yield to the laws of our land.
Just maybe we’ve been forced to comply to yielding our wills, so that yielding to God could become easier. In fact, if we had learned to yield to God’s will before all this “forced yielding”, then maybe the forced yielding would not have been so difficult. To say “Yes, Lord” when He asks us to relax and “be” instead of always “doing” or when He asks us to surrender our time to give time to encourage someone or to gather our kiddos in our arms and realize how precious are the gifts He has given us, is surrendering our wills to Him. And, in that loving our own, we understand our Heavenly Father’s love for us – wanting the best for us – to make us vessels of honor that display His likeness in love, character and honor.
We have the opportunity and privilege to partner with God during His sculpturing process. Maybe in our surrender to Him, we can help decide the end result — that vessel of honor, humility, faithfulness, compassion and one who bears a prayerful, peaceful spirit in the midst of chaos. Have Thine Own Way, Lord! I surrender all!
Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”