• Scripture: Matt. 11:26
• Broadcast Date: 10/12/2015

When we look for someone to model the Christian Life, we always look to Jesus, who is the perfect model of following God and doing His will.  On one occasion Jesus gives us an example of submitting to the will of God.  Jesus had just ministered to the people in and around Capernaum.  By and large, the influential people rejected the message, but the poor and down and out responded.  Instead of being defeated and discouraged at the response, Jesus prayed, “Even so Father:  for so it seemed good in thy sight.”  (Matthew 11:26).  In other words, Jesus never doubted the outcome of His ministry, instead he submitted to the Father because His will was supreme in Jesus’ life.  So, Jesus is teaching us that, though we may not understand the why’s and the wherefore’s, we must joyfully submit to the Father’s will.  Friend, you won’t live long in this world before something happens that doesn’t make sense.  We won’t understand it at all, so we just leave it in the Father’s hand, never doubting, never questioning, just submitting.  The perfect example of that was shown in the life of a small boy who attended a school for the deaf.  One day some visitors came to the school.  They were told they could write on the black board any question they would like to ask the children.  One heartless man wrote:  “Why did God make you deaf and dumb, while He gave others hearing and speech?”  The classroom was silent as tears glistened in the eyes of some of the youngsters.  One little boy responded, took the chalk in his hand, and wrote, “Even so, Father; for it seemed good in thy sight.”  As I look back over my ministry, I can see so many dear Christian Brothers and Sisters who have displayed that same wonderful spirit of being in submission to the Father in heaven.  I can close my eyes and see a young mother with her four little children gathered around her—her pastor-husband, on a flight to a preaching mission was killed in a plane crash!  Here is a young man, dedicated to preaching the Gospel, father of four children, taken away in a moment’s time.  Now, why would God allow something like that to happen?  I can hear that widowed-mother say, in so many words:  “I know God has a purpose.  I know all things work together for good, I know I can trust God.”  In so many words, she was saying, “Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.”  My dear friend that is precisely the way we must live if we want to be like Jesus.  We must be totally submitted to God’s will.  We may not understand the reason or the purpose, but we can still submit.  But do you know what?  You cannot submit until you personally know Jesus.  That is, there must be that time when you ask Jesus to come into your heart, take away your sin,

promise to follow Him, then, only then, can we submit.  Our prayer is that you will do both right now, surrender and submit.