My Life

Surrender

When I sing the hymn, “Take My Life,” the words echo in my soul for days afterwards, stirring a cry of my heart.

Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise

I read the story behind the hymn, and admire the passionate purpose behind the touching words. The devotion behind the lyrics by Francis Havergal, whose main desire was to surrender all of her possessions and being to the Lord for His purpose, resonates deeply. In her short life, she had but one purpose: to surrender her life to God. 

 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me,” (Galatians 2:20).

It’s when the "going gets tough" and the "tough gets going" that I should fall to my knees in surrender. It’s when I want to give up, fall down, sink in, or let go, and instead I need to rejoice that I’ve got a Holy Power living in me, and I just need to stop trying.

Surrendering is dropping agendas and plans, and embracing the unthinkable, knowing that it’s a far better plan to surrender. When I don’t get to do what I want to do, but instead I meet a friend and listen to her pour out her heart, I thank God for making me surrender to His agenda. It’s when I/you/we surrender our *precious* minutes, hours, days, months, years (a.k.a LIFE) in order to embrace Him.

It’s when I, finally, get through my stubborn cranium that surrendering to His will is best, but oh, so hard.

Take my hands, and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love;

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee,

Swift and beautiful for Thee

Surrender is when we give Him our hands and feet, to take us and make us, not what we want, but what He desires.

Take my voice, and let me sing

Always, only, for my King;

Take my lips, and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee,

Filled with messages from Thee.

When we lay down our words, our voice, our praise, to Him—that’s surrender. 

Take my silver and my gold;

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect, and use

Every power as Thou shalt choose,

Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Surrender, is when we give our most prized material possessions, our entire being, our everything, and give it all to Him, to make and mold what He will. Surrender is the story of the missionary couple who sold all of their belongings, left their loved ones, and traveled to Africa to shout out His Name to others. That's surrender.

Take my will, and make it Thine;

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart; it is Thine own;

It shall be Thy royal throne,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

Surrender, sweet surrender, is when I lay down my will, and make it His and when I give Him my heart, and it becomes His.

I’m a flawed human being, I need Him.