Absolute Surrender

If I am honest, when it comes to surrender, something inside of me begins to cringe. I wonder if it is the same for you? I wonder if it is the same for all humanity. Could it be that we, human beings, like to be in control? We like to have the last say, find our own way. For the Christian, who believes in Jesus and His Words, we must understand that there is no other way. The only way to the Father is through the Son, who carried us to the cross and bore our sin once and for all, that we might become the righteousness of God.

As I was helping load up the kids this morning for a "field trip" with my wife to the art museum, I couldn't help be drawn to the little book my two year old daughter was carrying with her. This book stood out from the other kids books that she so enthusiastically carried with her as I buckled her in the car seat. The title of this small, seemingly insignificant book is "Absolute Surrender," by Andrew Murray.

Here is what jumped out of the page at me this morning, as I was struggling to find the Lord.

"Oh, I want to encourage you, and I want you to cast away every fear. Come with that feeble desire. If there is fear which says, 'Oh, my desire is not strong enough. I am not willing for everything that may come, and I do not feel bold enough to say I can conquer everything' - I implore you, learn to know and trust your God now. Say: 'My God, I am willing that You should make me willing.' If there is anything holding you back, or any sacrifice you are afraid of making, come to God now and prove how gracious your God is. Do not be afraid that He will command from you what He will not bestow. God comes and offers to work this absolute surrender in you. All these searchings and hungerings and longings that are in your heart, I tell you, they are the drawings of the divine magnet, Christ Jesus. He lived a life of absolute surrender. He has possession of you; He is living in your heart by His Holy Spirit. You have hindered and hindered Him terribly, but He desires to help you to get a hold of Him entirely. And He comes and draws you now by His message and words. Will you not come and trust God to work in you that absolute surrender to Himself? Yes, blessed be God! He can do it, and He will do it." Andrew Murray.

It doesn't depend entirely on my effort, my goodness, my ability to seek Him! It does not mean that I have to have every area of my heart right before I can surrender. It is the opposite, and yet sometimes we think that God will only accept us if we have our stuff together. I am often times not hungering totally after God. I am many days struggling to hear His voice, to find Him. You and I are not different, we are made out of the same cookie dough. The good news is that we can truly say, "God, I am willing that You should make me willing!"

And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Luke 9"23-24