Be Still, Advent Day 23: Surrender

Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” 1 Samuel 1:17

Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. Luke 1:38

Surrendering Like Hannah, Trusting Like Mary

From the expectant faces of children anticipating Christmas morning, setting out treats for Santa and his reindeer, Advent is a season pregnant with expectation. We are swept up in a race toward one specific day. Virtual and real shopping carts, oven timers that tell us when the cookies are done and calendars bursting with events. All of it pulls us further and further from stillness. The ache to do, to accomplish, to fix—it’s a kind of striving that seeps into our bones. But what if this Advent, we stopped the rushing? What if we learned to surrender and rest, like Hannah?

---

Hannah’s Story: Surrender in the Waiting

Hannah knew longing. She knew the gnawing emptiness of prayers that felt unanswered. In 1 Samuel 1, we find her heartbroken, carrying the heavy ache of childlessness. The world around her buzzed with expectation, with judgments and assumptions, but Hannah didn’t let the noise define her. Instead, she carried her raw heart to God, pouring out her tears and trust at the temple.

And here’s the most beautiful part: her rest didn’t come from the certainty of a “yes” to her prayer. Her rest came in surrender. She entrusted her deepest desire to the One who holds all things, and Scripture tells us she “went her way and ate, and her face was no longer downcast” (1 Samuel 1:18). She left her burden with God and walked away lighter.

What would it look like if we approached Advent this way? If we placed our overcrowded hearts and unmet expectations in God’s hands? Hannah’s story invites us into a posture of rest—of trusting that God is faithful, even in the waiting.

---

Mary’s Story: Trust in the Impossible

Fast forward to a young girl in Nazareth. Mary. Barely old enough to carry the weight of adulthood, let alone the weight of the world. An angel stands before her with news that will change everything: she will bear the Son of God. It’s impossible, overwhelming, and yet, her response is stunning in its simplicity. “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

Mary’s surrender echoes Hannah’s. Both women laid down their plans, their control, their comfort, and found peace in God’s promises. Their stories whisper to us this Advent: rest isn’t found in striving, but in trusting. Trusting that God is faithful to fulfill what He has spoken.

---

Rest in the Waiting

Advent is about waiting. Waiting for the arrival of the Savior, the fulfillment of promises, the light breaking into the darkness. But it’s not about passive waiting. It’s about active surrender, about laying down our striving hearts and trusting that God is working—even in the silence.

Hannah and Mary teach us that rest doesn’t come from knowing all the answers. It comes from knowing the One who holds them. Their stories invite us to exhale, to release the weight we were never meant to carry, and to find peace in His presence.

---

A Prayer for Rest

Father, as I walk through this Advent season, help me to surrender my striving and my worries to You. Like Hannah, teach me to bring my burdens to You with honesty and trust. Like Mary, help me to say, “Let it be with me according to Your word.” Give me rest—not just in my body, but in my soul, as I wait for the fulfillment of Your promises. Amen.

---