Surrender.
What a word. It seems innocent at first but once you start really thinking about what it means… daunting. The song “I Surrender” has been on repeat for me for the last few weeks.
It’s not like I’ve only just discovered it or anything, in fact quite the opposite. It’s always been a song I’ve loved, I’ve just never really paid much attention to the lyrics. I’ve always thought of it as ‘just a nice sounding song with some cool guitar lead’. However, God has recently been challenging me to actually listen to the lyrics of the song and really think about what they mean. And geez, some of the lyrics hit ya hard when you properly think about them:
“Here I am, down on my knees again, surrendering all, surrendering all.”
“With arms stretched wide, I know You hear my cry.”
“Speak to me now, Speak to me now.”
“I surrender, I surrender. I wanna know You more, I wanna know You more.”
“Like a mighty storm, Stir within my soul. Lord have Your way, Lord have Your way in me.”
And those are just some of the lyrics.
God has been challenging me recently because I have grown quite comfortable on the fence. Not necessarily all the time, but in some situations I think I choose the fence rather than fully committing. He’s been challenging me lately to give it all to him and surrender, which isn’t the easiest for someone who is a bit of a control freak.
Nonetheless it is a challenge I’m willing to accept.
I’m realising it’s not going to be easy but it’s a journey God and I will go on. I’m all for giving him parts of my life but surrendering all to him… That’s a lot. Like, Everything. I’m not 100% sure what that would/should look like but he’s slowly revealing to me what it will look like. Thankfully he is aware that it’s not the easiest thing for me and he has been patient with me.
So, I challenge you – What do you think about when you hear the word “Surrender”?
“My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways”
Proverbs 23:26
Jackson Strong
(reprinted with permission)