…but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:18-21 (ESV)
I was in a situation recently in which I struggled to bend my will to the will of someone else. Not in any serious way but just in accommodating “doing it their way” instead of “doing it my way.” What made the experience meaningful was I deliberately used it as a test case.
Yielding is submitting to a superior force or to the will of another person. We all have someone or something that holds a measure of authority over our lives. It may be parents, employers, teachers, or governing boards—there are all kinds of wills floating around!
But it is something else altogether to bend my will solely out of reverence for Jesus Christ, as stated in the verse above. As a believer in Jesus, submitting to one another can be good practice for learning how to bend my will to God—and enjoy the blessing of being filled with the Holy Spirit as a result of my obedience.
Submitting has blessings even beyond obedience. I can spend my life carrying out my own will and what I think I want—and never find my heart’s desires. The Bible speaks to asking amiss and getting leanness of soul—when my soul feels empty—because I have filled my heart and hands with things that never satisfy. Or I can willingly submit to God’s will and discover what I desire most—unexpected sparks of joy at fulfilling my heart’s ultimate desires—because that is how it works in God’s spiritually challenging world.
So, what happened in my test case? I noticed when I yielded that God expanded my mind with an abundance of creative ideas—and He helped me know which selfless yieldings would be received as most valuable—and even cherished by my “someone else.”
O Lord, hear my prayer! You give the best gifts! Reveal the deep mystery of what will fulfill my heart’s desires. Help me quickly yield to others when I feel directed by Your Holy Spirit—so I will be quicker still to yield to You. Not my will—but Thy will—be done.