Surrendering All

Surrender your whole self to God,

because you have been brought from death to life.

Romans 6:13 (NLT)

A memory stirred as a guitar strummed the melody of a classic hymn, “I Surrender All*.” Sunday morning worship at my childhood church often concluded with this hymn. I remember feeling guilty for singing words I did not mean. At that time, I lacked confidence in God’s plans for my “all.”

Today, because of a lifetime of observing God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness, I come before Him with shards of a life fractured by narcissism. I eagerly surrender these shards, my whole self, to Him because He has brought me from death to life. God not only provided the gift of salvation, but also the gift of rescue, restoration of identity, and emotional freedom.

A phrase in John Eldredge’s “Daily Prayer**” expands “my all.” He prays, “I surrender every aspect and dimension of my life to You…. I give You my spirit, soul, and body—heart, mind, and will.”

Today, I willingly embrace the hymn’s chorus with confidence in God’s faithfulness:

I surrender all.

I surrender all.

All to Thee, my blessed Savior.

I surrender all.

Father, thank You for bringing my heart to confident trust as I surrender to Your sovereignty and love. Thank You for Judson DeVenter, the one who wrote this worship song. May my life also bear the fruit of surrender for Your glory. In the name of Your Son who surrendered all for me, I pray, amen.

*Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896

**John Eldredge, https://wildatheart.org/prayer/daily-prayer-john/

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