I Surrender All

As I sat to put into words what has been on my heart today, the hymn ‘I Surrender All’ came to my mind, and I believe it is a wonderful way to begin. The words written by Judson W. Van DeVenter in 1896, are beautiful yet challenging at the same time.

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Saviour,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His feet I bow;
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

All to Jesus I surrender,
Now I feel the sacred flame;
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!

So often, I have wanted to surrender all, I have thought I have surrendered all, and put my full trust in my creator, yet once again, without even realising, slipped back into the desire to want to take control of everything myself. As humans we DO have a desire to take control, to want to be self-sufficient, and perhaps for a time we feel that we are succeeding in this way, we are ‘on to a winner’, we’ve found our ‘perfect rhythm’. However, the reality is that eventually something changes that rhythm, knocks us off guard, and we realise that we’re not in control after all. As a mother, this can produce feeling of frustration, stress and anxiety, which is not what God desires for me as a mother or as a His child.  

The words of the hymn, ‘I Surrender All’, were put to music by Winfield S. Weeden, and bring about a sense of our frailty and vulnerability in life. Through both the musical texture and words the hymn reveals our need for the one who is in control if we’d just allow Him to be, and that is our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who is the glorious bridge between us and God, allowing us, in all our frailty and vulnerability to be in relationship with Him and surrender all to Him.

Entering His presence in our weaknesses, during times of trials and difficulties in our lives allows us to be humble before God, accepting our weaknesses and letting His peace wash over us, stripping us of our pride, confessing that we are not in control and that we truly need the salvation that Jesus Christ has given to all who believe and all who surrender to Him. The blessing given to us through the blood that has been shed on the cross through the death of Jesus. Jesus is now risen and His spirit lives in us to continue the blessing of His love and power that reveals His glory through those willing to trust and commit their lives to Him.

This afternoon I have been reminded of a little book given to my son by his uncle for his baptism gift. It’s called KEPT FOR THE MASTER’S USE, written by the English poet and hymnwriter Frances Ridley Havergal. The book was printed in 1897. The chapters reflect on the verses taken from her consecration hymn. The author is a testimony of a life of wholehearted surrender to Jesus, with all her imperfections. It is a book that will challenge you with its ‘no beating around the bush’ reflections, but contrasted with rich, spirit filled encouragement.

Reading chapter 6 in John’s gospel over the last couple of days shone a light over the passages that God wanted to reveal to my heart. The power in His word opened my eyes once again to the word surrender. It was through the word believe and other passages that followed, that the Holy Spirit peeled back the layers of his word and graciously gave me knowledge that the word surrender was my teaching for this time.

It was through John 6:28-29. When Jesus is teaching the disciples, they ask Him, ‘what must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus responds by saying, ‘The work of God is this, to believe in the one He has sent.’ It makes sense that we must believe to allow our faith to flow from who and what we believe in. This must also be cushioned in trust in who and what we believe in, and it is this trust that will lead us to being able to fully surrender to who and what we believe in. According to the Blue Letter Bible, the word believe occurs in 149 verses, in the NIV addition. Through chapter 6 in John’s gospel, the bible reads,

‘No one can come to me unless the Father who send me draws them, and I will raise them up in the last day.’ John 6:44, Jesus mentions this again in verse 65.

It’s when Jesus says, ‘unless the Father’, that was when it really struck me, the reality of His control in every situation in our lives. We can convince ourselves that we can go about resolving all our problems by ourselves, but, this is where those three words come in, ‘unless the Father’, we can try and direct our children in the right way towards the right friends, the right school or the right job that we think is best for them, but, ‘unless the Father’, we can invite others to church and tell friends and family about Jesus, but ‘unless the Father’, I think you can see where I am going with this.

The story of Hannah in 1 Samuel, is one that I’ve been reflecting and meditating on this evening. Her name, meaning ‘Grace’ speaks loudly in her faithful walk with God, and what follows through her perseverance and earnest prayer for a child. She prayed with so much anguish and grief, pouring out her soul to the Lord, that Eli the priest thought she was drunk. She couldn’t have children, but after making a promise to God that if she became pregnant, she would give him back to God, Samual arrives, and as Hannah promised, she dedicates Samuel to the Lord, saying, in 1 Samuel v 28:

‘So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.’

Little did she know how significant her faith, persistence in prayer, and testimony of godly motherhood would become!

Hannah’s radical faith is such an encouragement and reminds me that I too should surrender and keep surrendering my children to God and hold onto the knowledge that he is in control. When I am worried about a situation in their lives or their future, it reminds me to keep trusting in Him, and His love for them. By completely surrendering every part of my life to God, I can fully rejoice in His salvation, hold onto his promises and replace my fears with His peace. My faithful steps then become Christ-centred as opposed to being centred around my own thoughts and feelings about what might become of my children and family.

My children and my husband don’t always want to go along with my ideals, but they are my ideals, and when things don’t fall into place in the way I hope, I must remember that it is God who is in control, He knows the plans for my future and my families, and He knows the right path for us all, and unless I surrender to Him, unless I seek him and pray and leave my requests with Him and wait expectantly (Psalm 5:3), unless the Father is at the centre, the root, the foundation of my life, I will continue to be frustrated, stressed and anxious, I will lose all peace from my Father, I will no longer appreciate the full salvation I have through Jesus Christ.

As Frances Ridley Havergal writes in her hymn:

Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord to Thee.

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet, and let them be

Swift and ‘beautiful’ for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King.

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.