I SURRENDER ... I THINK

As I was taking time to worship on my own, I found myself singing a few songs that all had the same message: surrendering to Christ ... giving ourselves completely to Christ. If we actually think about how many songs we sing as a congregation that emphasize this deeply powerful theme, it is quite shocking — and yet, it seems so easy and natural to sing these types of lyrics. We have been doing so for years. The more I think through this, the more I feel the need to increase my awareness and application of surrendering completely to God.

Luke 9:57-62 

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”   

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”  

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”  

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:57-62 is a pretty accurate picture of what true surrender looks like when following Jesus — no turning back. We often think that true surrender to God is meant for the sole purpose of blessing or benefiting us as Christ followers. Though we do see blessings that take place in our life, surrender to God is ultimately for the purpose of advancing his kingdom, which can result in us giving up relationships, family, comfort and security (or best ... all of the above).  

We sing phrases such as, “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders” and “like a mighty wind, Jesus breathe within, Lord have your way in me” without thinking about what we are really asking God to do in our lives.  Being led to a place where trust is all that I have sounds terrifying.  The imagery of these phrases depicts the seriousness of what we are declaring to our God.  Are we really asking for God to lead us to a place that is unknown, a place that could be unfamiliar, frightening, lonely, even painful?  Christ never said that following him would be easy.  He never said that complete surrender meant benefiting ourselves while simultaneously advancing the kingdom of God.  

My own life is a prime example of this. At times, I have allowed surrender to be motivated by personal gain.  It is very easy to give ourselves to God purely because we want to be delivered from sin, or to be made holy in exchange. While being made holy is a good thing to strive for, allowing all of our motivation for surrender to focus on how can this benefit me? causes us to miss the point.

I have allowed myself to reflect on this concept of true surrender for the last week or so, and have come to the conclusion that...

wait for it...

IT’S HARD.  

Striving for a new level of depth in my worship, my desire is to sing these songs with a conviction that goes far beneath the surface level — to meditate on the words I sing and how the message applies to my life. My prayer is that this same conviction would not only stir the team I have the privilege of leading with, but would also manifest in a larger church community that offers itself wholly to advance the kingdom of God. Though it could mean difficult roads ahead, I truly believe that God will do amazing things through those who fully surrender.

Ryan
rpickrel@b4church.org