Learning to Surrender: How I Found God in My Darkest Moments

There comes a moment in life when you realize you are no longer in control. For me, that moment came when I walked through the doors of a federal prison, leaving behind the life I had built, the reputation I had worked for, and the identity I thought defined me. I had invested nearly two decades believing that my strength came from the fruit of my labor, the contacts in my network, and the ability to navigate any challenge. But in the quiet isolation of a prison cell, I was finally compelled to face the truth I had long ignored: that real strength comes by surrendering to God. I remember the night I fully let go.

I lay in my bunk. The weight of shame, regret, and uncertainty pressed down on me. I whispered a simple prayer: *”God, I can’t do this alone. If You’re here, if You still have a plan for me, I need You now.”* In that instant, something shifted—not the circumstances, but my spirit. The same God who had been with me in my success was with me in my suffering. Surrendering didn’t mean giving up; it meant trusting that God was still in control, even when I wasn’t. It meant releasing the need to explain, justify, or understand everything. It meant leaning into faith when fear threatened to consume me. God met me in all my brokenness and through him found healing. Surrender was not a sign of weakness but finding strength to let go and let God lead.

So, no matter where you come from, what you are going through, know one thing: when you surrender unto God, you will find peace, purpose, and strength to rise again.