Surrender is one of the major keys of answered prayer. This truth shows up all over the place. It’s a phenomenon that couples who struggle to conceive will often do so only after they have surrendered to their inability and begin the process of adoption. Surrender opens more doors, and even wombs, than we can imagine. It is a powerful, life-changing, life-giving force. 

Surrender allows us to dramatically reduce and even reverse the adverse physical, emotional and spiritual effects in our lives caused by anxiety, doubt, worry and fear. Surrender is necessary to give birth to faith in the areas of our greatest desires.

Yet it is also counter-intuitive to how we are challenged to live our lives. “Never give up, never surrender!” is the clarion call we hear on television, in films, sports and in history books. Refuse to surrender—our presidents, war heroes, activists and athletes urge us. 

However, Christ modeled and spoke the opposite all the time praying, “Not my will, but Thy will be done.” (Mark 14:36). 

God challenges us to be “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1), to “submit” ourselves to Him (James 4:7), and to consider ourselves with no more rights than a “slave” (Philippians 2:5–8). We are to “deny” ourselves—to the point of even taking up our own cross and following after Jesus (Luke 9:23–24) bearing His yoke in true surrender (Mathew 11:29). We are to develop and live out the mindset given in Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

We are to surrender all. 

Even that thing we desire most. And when we do finally give it up, let it go, trust God with it—fully, in our soul; that's when we open ourselves to pray with a pure faith. That's when we realize and see for ourselves that God truly does answer our prayers, even those ones we (at one point) wanted the most. 

You can explore more on this topic with this helpful, short book "Wish List: Unlocking the Secret to Answered Prayer." Just follow this link.