One of the definitions of surrender is "to give up, relinquish or abandon." As I've been thinking about surrender tonight, I thought about how we view surrender as such a negative thing. Gary and I just recently had a conversation about how no guy likes the word "surrender." It is simply not something a guy wants to do, generally. He wants to stand up, defend, fight, win. Not surrender. I dont know many girls who like the idea of surrendering, either. Its because we are ingrained to look out for ourselves. Surrender goes against our very nature.
But the more I think about it, the more I realize how much we miss because we are not willing to surrender to our God. While, yes, part of surrender is giving up every part of ourselves for Him to do with what He will, the other part of surrender is abandoning ourselves to His love. To give up, relinquish, and abandon the pursuit of earning His love. We can't earn it. Ever. No matter what. All we can do is surrender to it.
Surrender to it in such a way that we are completely enveloped in it. Like a man in a canoe is powerless to do anything against the raging rapids - he is surrendered to the ride - so we, too, must sit in our canoe and let God's love take us wherever He wants. It may be over a waterfall we would call suicide. It may be down a tiny stream we would call simplistic. It may be in waters raging so hard we would call it uncontrollable. But that's the point, isnt it? If we are still in control, we havent surrendered yet, have we?
John Mark McMillan's song, "How He Loves" is a perfect picture of this.
But the more I think about it, the more I realize how much we miss because we are not willing to surrender to our God. While, yes, part of surrender is giving up every part of ourselves for Him to do with what He will, the other part of surrender is abandoning ourselves to His love. To give up, relinquish, and abandon the pursuit of earning His love. We can't earn it. Ever. No matter what. All we can do is surrender to it.
Surrender to it in such a way that we are completely enveloped in it. Like a man in a canoe is powerless to do anything against the raging rapids - he is surrendered to the ride - so we, too, must sit in our canoe and let God's love take us wherever He wants. It may be over a waterfall we would call suicide. It may be down a tiny stream we would call simplistic. It may be in waters raging so hard we would call it uncontrollable. But that's the point, isnt it? If we are still in control, we havent surrendered yet, have we?
John Mark McMillan's song, "How He Loves" is a perfect picture of this.
He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight
of His wind and mercy...
He loves us, Oh how he loves us
Surrendering to his love means we are going to have to bend. Like a tree in a hurricane.
And all of the sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions
eclisped by glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are
And how great your affections
are for me...
He loves us, Oh how he loves us
But oh, to realize how great his affections are for us. The prize of His love is so worth the surrender.
We are his portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If his grace is an ocean
We're all sinking
We are his portion and He is our prize. He is our prize. He is our prize. I dont think we can ever fully understand the weight of that. For if we did, we would be falling at his feet and surrender wouldnt be the struggle it so often is. He is our prize.
And heaven meets earth in an unforeseen kiss
And my heart turns violently inside my chest
I dont have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way...
Oh, how he loves us all
Oh, how he loves us...
There is no reason to maintain the regrets we have when we realize His blood and His love cover all. Oh, how we loves us so.
Praise God for the opportunity to surrender.
...
Lesson for Today: Playing Cedric over Ray is the way to go in Fantasy Football...
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