Author: Beverly Hahn
I surrender all, I surrender all, all to Thee my Blessed Savior, I surrender all! I can’t count the times I’ve sung this song with a scrunched up face, almost in pain, struggling to mean the words. I wanted it to be heartfelt, true, and a beautiful sacrifice to Jesus. But I felt like I was lying. I really hadn’t surrendered all, and I knew it. As I looked around at others in the congregation, I saw a lot of tears, frowns, and almost fist clenching as my dear brothers and sisters try to surrender.
Could this song ever be a happy song? I mean, could we sing this song and dance and shout our declaration? I don’t know about you, but when I try to control my own life, that’s when things get stressful and bad. I was born again over 40 years ago, and I remember one time sitting in a chair after I had heard a brother had “fallen away.” My body tensed, I cried, and actually did clench my fists and said to God, “Not me! I am not EVER going to dishonor You this way, God! I love You too much!” It only took a year or two before I was in the same situation. You see, I did love God very much. But I hadn’t truly surrendered to HIS love and His care for me. I trusted in my own willpower, but not His power for me.
Although I’m not walking perfectly in this truth, during a stressful or tempting situation, I smile and say, “I surrender all…” He’s going to take care of any circumstance that comes up in my life. What a wonderful thing to be able to think and say that He will provide, heal, and deliver me better than I ever could myself. Just to take a moment and trust the all-powerful God who loves me, with my life. Knowing His plan will always take me to a good place and without any effort from me. I take my hands off and rest in His hands. To admit that I may be weak, but He’s strong, and all knowing, and all wise, omnipotent–well, you get the idea. After considering all that, I can smile when surrender is preached or sung about. I’m basically saying, “Whew! That’s a load off my shoulders.”
I surrender all, I surrender all, all to Thee my Blessed Savior, I surrender all.
