Surrender

I love hymns. That makes me in a minority these days. Choruses are fine, some really good even. Hymns, though, are what move my soul to worship more deeply.

Since I have been reading Surrender: The Heart God Controls, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, the hymn “I Surrender All” has been on my heart.

I Surrender All

1. All to Jesus I surrender;
   All to Him I freely give;
   I will ever love and trust Him,
   In His presence daily live.
   • Refrain:
     I surrender all,
     I surrender all;
     All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
     I surrender all.
2. All to Jesus I surrender;
   Humbly at His feet I bow,
   Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
   Take me, Jesus, take me now.
3. All to Jesus I surrender;
   Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
   Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
   Truly know that Thou art mine.
4. All to Jesus I surrender;
   Lord, I give myself to Thee;
   Fill me with Thy love and power;
   Let Thy blessing fall on me.
5. All to Jesus I surrender;
   Now I feel the sacred flame.
   Oh, the joy of full salvation!
   Glory, glory, to His Name!

Great hymn. It is very familiar to me and I love it.  I wonder, as I read the words, if I truly sing it honestly.

“All to Him I freely give.” Do I really? Truthfully, no. There are many areas of my life that I try to control even though I really want to submit them to Jesus.

“Worldly pleasures all forsaken.” Uh, no! I love my life and there are a lot of worldly pleasures that are too important to me.

In the introduction of her book, Miss DeMoss asks some  uncomfortable questions. “If I surrender my family to the Lord, what will happen to them?”, “If I surrender my finances, will my needs be met?”, and “What about the stuff I watch on movies and TV?”

I could quickly answer those questions with, “I gave all those areas of my life to the Lord years ago.”  When I am completely honest, which I need to be because God knows my heart, I have to admit that I take back the control of those areas regularly. Even though I don’t want to do that.

My favorite Psalm is  Psalm 139

The last 2 verses are “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

I have many wicked ways, sins that I struggle with.  I truly desire to submit them completely to God’s control, to walk in his ways. That is my prayer today.