I Surrender All

Have you ever wondered whether you really surrendered your will to Christ? Has the "accuser of our brothers and sisters" been at work accusing you of faking it? From time to time, I find myself in this position and begin to doubt my intentions. When the lyrics to I Surrender All are flashed on the overhead during worship — a flash of doubt may accompany it. While reading Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard recently, I ran across his description of the steps involved in transforming the mind in Christ-likeness.

In the progression toward complete identification of our will with God's there are distinctions to be noted. First there is surrender. When we surrender our will to God we consent to his supremacy in all things. Perhaps we do so grudgingly. We recognize his supremacy intellectually, and we concede to it in practice — though we still may not like it, and parts of us may still resist it.

We may not be able to do his will, but we are willing to will it. In this condition there is still much grumbling and complaining about our life and about God. ... Still, this is an important move forward. The center of the self, the heart or spirit, is now willing for God to be God — even if with little hope or enthusiasm. Perhaps it is only willing to be made willing. But it is for lack of this minimal identification with God's will that multitudes of people are unable to understand the truth of Jesus (John 7:17). Such persons are not willing to do his will, and hence God does not open their understanding, and they cannot do so. They are left to struggle in the darkness, which they in fact desire. And they will certainly reproach God for not giving them more light, though they are unwilling to act on the light they have.

He continues with a discussion on the next steps — abandonment, contentment, and finally participation, but we will dwell on surrender for now. I have to admit that I had never quite viewed surrender in this way before, but the more I entertained it in my mind, the more it resonated until I realized that my doubts about surrender had more to do with a lack of understanding than a lack of surrender.

Consider the act of surrender from an armed combatants view. An honorable soldier forced to surrender may grudgingly concede the current advantage to the adversary, but is still looking for a way of escape. In fact, Article III of the Code of Conduct for members of the Armed Forces compels the service member to "continue to resist by all means available." Every part of our being screams out this same chorus with respect to our surrender to God. Our carnal members desire freedom, yet they are blind to the path of true freedom for His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:9).

Another view on surrender comes from the insurance field. When someone cancels a policy before the death of the insured person, they are said to have surrendered the policy and may be eligible to receive the surrender value of the policy. Without stretching the analogy too far, we can choose to cancel the whole life policy we received at birth (by repenting of our sins and believing in Jesus) and we are eligible for a new policy that offers so much more.

I absolutely delight in the way the Lord opens my eyes!

The best part of this new (for me) insight, is that future forays into abandonment, contentment, and full participation with God can begin in an unshakeable footing that the accuser cannot deny. Too often before, as I would begin a fresh decision to more fully give myself over to God, I found myself slipping backwards rather than going forwards. Now, rooted in confidence, I have already experienced fresh joy, peace, and contentment in the arms of a loving God and next time the lyrics of I Surrender All are flashed on the overhead I will have confidence in my position before the throne and I will worship Him in full surrender. Praise God!