This nugget is one you’re all probably sick and tired of me going on about. I have probably blogged on the topic of surrender more than any other subject (see below). However, I’ve found over the years that whilst it’s easy enough to understand what is meant by surrender, it’s difficult to actually do this day-in, day-out.
Blog references to ‘surrender’
29 September 2013
21 July 2013
2 June 2013
14 February 2013
10 February 2013
11 January 2013
23 December 2012
29 April 2012
5 January 2012
21 December 2011
25 October 2011
27 February 2011
C.S. Lewis says, ‘As Christians, we try too hard. In fact, we fail as Christians whenever we attempt to do something under our own power and strength. It is the human condition, yet it is odd. We have available to us the power and strength from the Creator of all, yet we try and do things under our own strength. I am no different. I struggle with this daily. There is a paradox here, however, because just when you think you have successfully mastered the art of relying on God, you have fallen back into the trap. This is why Jesus said that we need to die to self daily. We must be constantly vigilant, but in being vigilant, we fall back into the trap of self-reliance again.’
We all have a tendency to want to run the show, ‘the show’ in this case being our lives. We find it hard to ‘let go and let God’. Paradox and surrender are closely linked; certainly, the key thing is that we cannot reason our way into victorious Christian living. We have to be prepared to risk it all and lose it all before we can gain anything at all.
Surrender is closely linked to paradox. Surrender is, above all, a choice we make, and one we have to make daily. The songs below reflect the ongoing importance of surrender in our worship and in our everyday, daily lives. As we surrender to God, we are effectively allowing His will to be done in our lives and are thus participating in the arrival of His kingdom on earth (Matt 6:10 TNIV).
‘Lay Me Down’, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman
‘White Flag’, Chris Tomlin
‘Live To Lose’, Aaron Shust
‘Takeover’, Aaron Shust
‘Giving You All Control’, Jeremy Camp
‘Surrender’, Jeremy Camp
‘I Surrender’, Hillsong
’Magnificent Defeat’, Wes King