#26: Yield

You naturally yield to those things that are bigger or those things with more authority. You are driving down the road, and you yield to the semi that is in your lane. Your Toyota will not stand up to the 18-wheeler! It is much bigger than you so you let it go before you. You yield to the direction of your supervisor and defer to her direction. You yield to the authority of law enforcement and obey the laws. We naturally attribute respect and preference to those that we assume to be “bigger” than us. Consider the things to which you will yield. What causes you to yield? Is it size, authority, or something else?

Your universe is large, and your God is even bigger! When you contemplate the magnitude of your Lord doesn’t it make you stand in awe? The God of this universe is HUGE!

Proverbs 26:10 The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors.

When we consider the enormousness, love, presence, knowledge, and authority of God, we would assume that yielding to Him would be easy and intuitive. However, that is not the case. I know in many instances in my life, I have not yielded to God despite His size and authority. Why is this?

Far too often His magnificence is trivialized when my way becomes bigger than God. I want to do something that I feel is justified, and thus I will not yield to any other input of information. Size and authority have nothing to do with my decision to yield. I will force my way past the Lord declaring, “My agenda! My idea! Me first!” When I take on this disposition, God’s presence, magnificence, and authority no longer play into my motivation to yeild.

In the Bible reading in Genesis, Joseph was proceeding forward with his plan based on tradition. Joseph wanted to have his sons blessed by his father and so he placed his firstborn in the position to receive the blessing. But God needed him to yield to Him. The Lord had chosen the younger son to be the leader and it was not the first born as Joseph believed. Joseph protested when his father, following the direction from the Lord, started to bless the younger son instead of the elder.

Genesis 48:19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

Our ability and willingness to yield should not be conditional on our ability to understand the situation; it can be based on trust. God can break tradition. God can do things His way, and we can decide to trust that He knows what He is doing. We don’t have to understand to yield.

God will call and direct individuals into positions in which they are uniquely qualified. In Mark, the Lord Jesus is having a meeting up on a mountain.

Mark 3:13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

Some people were called and some were not; some were left behind. Do you feel left behind because God has not “called” you to do something you thought was yours to do? Yield. He has something else for you to do.

Psalms 23:1-3 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

In this beautiful Psalm, you are reminded that He is your loving shepherd. He will lead you, and he will restore you. He cannot lead if you will not yield. Don’t let your lack of understanding, your agenda, or tradition get in the way of your willingness to follow the Lord. It is not His size nor His authority that makes you yield. It is your willingness. It is a decision to seek His direction, step out of the way, and yield.

Genesis 48
Psalms 23
Proverbs 26
Mark 3

Have a face to face conversation with your Lord:

Lord, do I yield to you?

Lord, what areas of my life have I not yielded to you?

Lord, what hinders me from yielding to you?

Lord, I want to fully trust you and fully yield to you. Please keep showing me areas of my life where I have not yielded to you.

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