I surrender all. Or do I?
A few days after this title came to me, I had a flashback of myself as a little girl, bellowing the lyrics of the ancient hymn initially written by Judson W. Van DeVenter, and I realised how much I did not know what surrender meant then as I do now.
When I think of surrender, I think of Esther, about to defy rules and tradition, declaring loudly “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16). I think of the three Hebrew boys – Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, faced with the chance of being tossed into the fiery furnace, but trusting that God will deliver them, and even if He didn’t… (Daniel 3:18). I think of Jeremiah, seeing his youth as a hindrance to the huge task ahead of him (Jeremiah 1:6-8) but doing it anyway.
I think of Moses, with his speech impediment, agreeing to go to Pharoah just because God asked him to (Exodus 4:10-14). I think of Hosea, laden with an unfaithful wife, forced to love her as a depiction of God’s love for the Israelites (Hosea 1:2). I think of Jesus, anxious and seeking for the cup to pass over him but praying in the garden regardless, asking for God’s will to be done (Luke 22:42).
Pledging to surrender is more than a song. It is death to self-reliance. It is the very antithesis of independence. It is total submission to God’s will, even when you do not see the full picture.
As we discuss surrender, we need to ask ourselves. How often have we acknowledged God as our Saviour, but never as our Lord? How often have we asked Him to bless plans, plans that He had no hand in making? How many times have we invited Him into one aspect of our lives and kept Him out of others? How many times have we handed the wheel over to Him and taken it right back?
I hear you ponder, your heart beating vigorously. “What if it doesn’t work out? I need to be in control. I need to know what is happening.”, you say.
My answer is this. Whatever your thoughts, dreams, and visions are, they are nothing compared to God’s for you. A pen never knows what it will write; neither does clay know what it will become, nor does a door know whose house or what room it will end up.
God is your creator, the One who weaves every thread of your life into a beautiful tapestry. You can never love yourself more than He loves you. He wants what is best for you, even if you must navigate crooked paths to get there. Sometimes, He shows you the promise; sometimes, He needs you to trust and go with Him every step of the way, revealing more and more as you mature in your journey.
Isaiah 26:3 (The Amplified Classic version) puts it beautifully.
“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.”
Surrender is jumping headfirst off a metaphorical cliff, as long as you know God is holding your hands.
Surrender is resting in Him and with Him.
Surrender is an act of faith. It is unbridled trust.
Surrender is choosing to do what God wants when and how He wants it, despite our preferences.
Surrender is “nevertheless, not my will but yours be done”.
Surrender is not easy, yet surrender is bliss.
Maybe you have read this and wonder what it feels like to trust. Maybe you are extremely independent and do not know any other way. Maybe the thought of relinquishing control scares you to no end. You are in great company. We have all struggled with surrender, some in more ways than others. The first step is to know that you are not alone; the second is that God has been waiting for you to hand it over to Him and discover the peace that awaits you when you do. This is your reminder. Let go. Let God.
We love you.
Talk soon.
“Those who know you, Lord, will trust you; you do not abandon anyone who comes to you.” Psalm 9.10 (GNT)