I just finished Andrew Murray’s book, “Absolute Surrender.” It left me with a deep desire to experience just that, but without a clear path how to get there. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Surrendering means several different things in our spiritual walk and seems to come in several phases, all of which are intertwined.
Accepting His Lordship – bowing the knee in surrender gives ourself to One who is greater. We confess that He has ultimate authority and not us.
Receiving His gift of salvation – is an act of surrendering our self-sufficiency and admitting we are sinners in need of something we cannot make happen on our own. Many people, including myself, are proud. I don’t like taking help from others. But when my need is great enough, I surrender my pride and accept assistance. Accepting God’s gift of salvation is a surrendering of pride.
Relinquishing any attempt to achieve my own salvation. Yes – this is like the paragraph above. But somehow, even after receiving God’s magnificent gift, I still will sometimes try to earn my way into His favor or add to it. Total surrender reminds me that there is nothing I can do to make Him love me more. I just surrender at His feet and accept what comes from His hand.
Following His path. My current state of surrender, or lack thereof, concerns my plans. I need to allow Him to direct my path, surrendering my very good plans for His better and perfect ones. This is a walk of faith. It is not a one-time event, but a daily, hourly acknowledgement of my trust in Him. I continually surrender new things as I become aware of what I’m holding on to. It is a denial of self – my pursuits for His, my goals for His, my glory for His.
And calling the crowd to Him with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone would come after Me, let Him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. Mark 8:34
Ironically, even the act of surrendering must be surrendered to Him. I can’t do it. Maybe that is what Mr. Murray was getting at. The Spirit must do it in and through me. It is God that gives me the desire, the ability and the fulfillment of surrender. I must only be connected to Him; a branch to the Vine. Am I willing to surrender my time to be with Him and Him alone? That is my first step in my struggle to surrender.
There is a blessed peace for those that find total surrender. In giving up everything, there is abundance. There is no more struggling or striving with God for our own way. We lay it all down. There is shalom while in the world. We have nothing to lose. Nothing can be taken away. It is all God’s and we’ve given everything back to Him.
Lord, I surrender all. Help me in my surrendering. Show me how to live in total surrender to You.
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. John 6:44
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