JOYFULLY AND WILLINGLY
“We joyfully and willingly submit to Your leadership, Yeshua, today and forever, amen.”
Declared aloud daily by our community after worship, this phrase is simple yet powerful. I find it gives me vision and focus for my day.
As I consider the elements in the prayer, three words especially speak to me. They are “submit,” “joyfully” and “willingly.”
“Submitting” is a strong concept, by definition it means to allow another person or group to have authority or control over you. Another version even says that to submit is to give power over a person or group to someone. Yet this is what Yeshua asks of His followers. In Luke chapter 9, verses 23 and 24, Yeshua said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” He continued, ”For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”
From this I understand that I must give all the strength I have in my life to Yeshua in order to follow Him the way He requires. At times this scares me, because I often think I know the best plan for my life, or even just the day ahead, but I am growing to trust that His ways are far better than I could ever think or imagine.
This leads to the next key word for me, “joyfully.”
I can submit to Yeshua joyfully! His love for me is beyond my comprehension yet somehow I grasp it a little bit, and this little bit fills my heart with joy. 1. John 3:16 says “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.” Yeshua loved me knowing all the mistakes I would make and sins I would commit in my lifetime. His choosing to endure the cross and bear my sins to reconcile me to my Father in heaven is so humbling and beautiful. To paraphrase another verse, I love Him because He first loved me (1. John 4,19).
The third word that I often consider in this prayerful declaration is “willingly.”
It’s defined as doing something quickly, immediately and enthusiastically. Yeshua’s love and His example elicits in me a response to submit and follow Him willingly. This word speaks to an attitude like joyfully did. While I may feel that I have little to give at times, I want to give everything to the Lord quickly, immediately and enthusiastically. This is actually the least I can do. While Yeshua walked the earth, He showed us how to have willing obedience to the Lord through the Holy Spirit.
In summary, I have the privilege at this time in my life to walk with a community who chooses to submit to Yeshua every day, in word and deed. The submission involves giving up control and allowing Him to guide daily, weekly, and lifelong decisions. Submitting joyfully and willingly both refer to heart positioning, the choice of attitude while in submission. As I continue to declare this every day, I ask the Lord to help me mean it more and more each time. Yeshua is worthy of it all!
“We joyfully and willingly submit to Your leadership, Yeshua, today and forever, Amen.”
by Rachel Williams