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Sweet Surrender
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“Uncle”
When I was a kid, we enjoyed wrestling with each other. The goal was to get the other person to say
“uncle.” I’m not sure why “uncle” was the code word; I guess it sounded better than “I surrender.”
But, surrender was the object. As we got a little older and stronger it came down to how much pain we
could endure. We tried to get each other into a hold that produced pain and then the other person had
to say “uncle” to spare themselves more pain.
It was always humiliating to get pinned – to have to say “uncle.” The winner would always poke fun at
the loser. It was always bruising to the ego. I know, because I had to say it often.
Right across the street from our house in Massachusetts was a tennis court. In the winter they would
take down the nets and flood it to make a skating rink. We had lots of fun over there.
One day when I was there by myself practicing some hockey moves, a classmate of mine – Eddie – came
in and made a bee-line towards me. I tried to get away, but he caught me, punched me, and threw me
to the ice and then proceeded to put me in a choke hold. I had no choice but to say “uncle.”
When I did, he stood up and raise his arms in victory shouting to someone across the field, “I did it, I
beat him up!” How humiliating!
Growing up, losing and surrender were the same thing. This, of course, spilled over into everything we
did. We had elaborate battles with army figures. We played Life, Monopoly, and Chess. We all became
conditioned to believe that surrender was the same as losing. It was never something we did willingly.
Ben-hadad & Ahab
During the time when Ahab was king of Israel, Ben-hadad, the king of Damascus, along with a bunch of
other rulers set out to take Samaria, Ahab’s capital city. They devastated the country-side just
scavenging for food and stuff. After a while, Ben-hadad sent this message to Ahab:
“This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and so are your wives and the best
of your children!’”
This was not a good place to be in. Weighing the possible consequences of fighting, Ahab sent this
message back.
“All right, my lord the king,” Israel’s king replied. “All that I have is yours!” (1 Kings 20:2-4, NLT)
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For Israel, this was not a good thing. But it did allow them to survive. It was surrender or get wiped out.
It was not a “sweet” experience for the Israelites. It was an act of hopeless desperation, a last-ditch
effort to escape being destroyed.
It was total surrender – because there were no other good alternatives.
Historical Perspective
It has always been the same – losing and surrender have been linked hand in hand. We see it many
times throughout the Bible. We have seen it over and over throughout history.
General Lee surrendered to General Grant at the end of the Civil War. While there were some who
wanted to repair the damage, the idea of punishing the south prevailed leading to many attitudes and
struggles that continue even to today.
World War I ended when Germany surrendered to the allies. The conditions of surrender set up World
War II. Then Germany had to surrender again. It was surrender or get wiped out. Japan was also faced
with the same choice – surrender or get blown away. They chose the bitterness of surrender in order to
survive.
Personal Perspective
On a personal level, giving in and surrender usually feels like failure.
If I give into peer pressure, I feel like I have become a disgrace and have compromised my
beliefs.
If I give in to what I want to eat when I want to eat it – which I am struggling with at the current
time – my health and my self-esteem suffer.
If I give in to purchasing what I want using my credit card when I don’t have enough cash, I get
deeper into debt which eventually begins to feel like a hopeless hole.
If I give up my dreams, I lose respect for myself and am made to feel like I am settling for 2nd
best.
From our human viewpoint surrender – losing and giving in – is linked with pain, uncertainty, suffering,
desperation, and loss. From our perspective, surrender is anything but sweet – it is a bitter,
disappointing event.
Jesus & Surrender
As usual, Jesus turns our human thinking upside down. Reading from Matthew 5:
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“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is
theirs.
The world tends to look down on the poor.
“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
The world tends to avoid those who are mourning, they make us uncomfortable.
“God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
The world tries to walk over those who are humble, aggression and control are more commonly
emulated.
“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
The world often ignores justice.
“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
The world often sees mercy as a sign of weakness.
“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
Purity is not high on most people’s radar.
“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”
(Matthew 5:3-10, NLT)
God thinks of things differently – His ways often seem upside down to us. A little later in that same
chapter, Jesus said:
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love
your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:43-44, NLT)
We are more likely to try to make our enemy pay. We look for revenge. If someone hurts us, we want to
hurt them more, and it can become a vicious cycle. In John 12, Jesus said:
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But
its death will produce many new kernels – a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their
life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for
eternity.” (John 12:24-25, NLT)
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Talk about turning our thinking upside down! In Matthew 20, Jesus said:
“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their
authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a
leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become
your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life
as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28, NLT)
In God’s way we win by losing – we gain through surrender. This is not the way the world works. In
James 4, it says:
Submit yourselves, then, to God …
Submit means to surrender – to give God control.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you …
This will only happen if we have submitted to God. We are not strong enough to resist the devil apart
from God!
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God
and he will come near to you … Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
(James 4:7-10, NIV)
When we surrender, we win! When we let go of our own agendas and allow God to control us, we
succeed. You see, we are not giving in to a cruel dictator who is looking to use and abuse us.
We are yielding to Someone Who demonstrated love for us through His own sacrificial death –
He only wants the best for us. He loves us more than He loved His own life.
We are yielding to Someone Who will provide us freedom from the tyranny of sin and eternal
destruction.
We are yielding to Someone Who Is preparing an eternal home for us free from pain, sorrow,
disappointment, and death.
We are yielding to Someone Who has the power to make things happen!
Surrendering to God is not losing. It is giving up trying to control something we have very little control
over in the first place. It is giving control to someone who is smart enough and strong enough to handle
our lives in such a way that we gain eternity.
Surrendering to God gives us security in a way that trying to manage ourselves will never accomplish.
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Dads
When I was around five years old, I would often walk by myself to meet my dad as he was coming home
from work.
As I turned the corner from our small side-street onto a larger one, a man in a car across the street
yelled over to me: “Hey kid, come here, I have a question for you.”
I ignored him and kept walking. He got out of his car and started walking after me saying: “Hey, stop! I
need to ask you a question.”
I started running and he started running after me. As I came around a corner with this man not too far
behind me, I ran right into my dad. I was really glad to see him!
I took my dad’s hand and turned to bravely face the man who was chasing me. It seemed he no longer
had a question because he stopped and hurried back to his car and took off.
I could face anything when I was with my dad, not because I was so strong, but because he loved me, he
was strong, and he would always try to protect me.
Surrendering to Jesus is sweet, because He has the love and the power to take care of us!
One of my favorite promises is found in Isaiah 41 – notice this is quoting God; these are His words, not
someone else trying to give His message to us:
“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong,
as I protect you with my arm and give you victories …
“I am the LORD your God. I am holding your hand, so don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.”
(Isaiah 41:10 & 13, CEV)
In Corrie ten Boom’s book, I Stand at the Door and Knock, she shares this in chapters 9:
I read a story about a little boy who was going to cross a long bridge with his father. A bridge
without parapets*. The little boy said, “Daddy, I am so frightened; just look at the high waves
below us.”
His father said, “Hold my hand, and nothing will happen to you.” The boy laid his hand in his
father's strong hand and his fear left him.
In the evening they had to return. Once again they had to cross that bridge on their own, but it
was pitch black. “Daddy, I'm scared again. Can't you hear the water below us? It's so dark. You
can hear those waves down there.”
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The father picked up his little boy in his arms and carried him to the other side, and the little boy
fell asleep and didn't wake up until the next morning in his own bed.
(* a low protective wall along the edge of a roof, bridge, or balcony.)
Sweet Surrender
Surrendering to our Heavenly Father is sweet! It is simply trusting and resting in His love, wisdom, and
strength! It’s sweet because it puts control in the hands of One Who can handle it. It’s not something to
fear, but to embrace!!
Satan would have us look at surrender to God in the same way we have been conditioned by the world
to view losing and surrender – something to avoid if at all possible!
Surrendering to God is not losing – it is gaining everything that we don’t have the power to get on our
own. In Matthew 11, Jesus said:
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-30, NLT)
The writer of Hebrews extends this same invitation. He says this about Jesus, the One who loved us so
much He died for us; the One who has the power to make a difference in our lives!
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do,
yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive
his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:15-16, NLT)
This is “Sweet Surrender”! This will change your life in ways you can hardly imagine and will allow you to
live through-out eternity (a long, long time!) in a place free of all the things that bring you pain and
heartache here.
There is nothing to fear in submitting to God. There is an eternity to gain. Don’t put it off. Don’t miss out
on the victory and joy you will experience as sin loses its hold on you.
Submitting to God – giving in to Him – truly is “Sweet Surrender”!
_______________
Note: Most everything you find in this color is a hyperlink that will lead you to more complete references,
different translations, or pertinent websites.
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Scripture References
1 Kings 20:1-4 (NLT): About that time King Ben-hadad of Aram mobilized his army, supported by the
chariots and horses of thirty-two allied kings. They went to besiege Samaria, the capital of Israel,
and launched attacks against it. 2 Ben-hadad sent messengers into the city to relay this message
to King Ahab of Israel: “This is what Ben-hadad says: 3 ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and so are
your wives and the best of your children!’”
4 “All right, my lord the king,” Israel’s king replied. “All that I have is yours!” (1 Kings 20:1-4, NLT)
2 Chronicles 30:6-9 (NLT): At the king’s command, runners were sent throughout Israel and Judah. They
carried letters that said:
“O people of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that he will
return to the few of us who have survived the conquest of the Assyrian kings. 7 Do not be like
your ancestors and relatives who abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and became
an object of derision, as you yourselves can see. 8 Do not be stubborn, as they were, but submit
yourselves to the LORD. Come to his Temple, which he has set apart as holy forever. Worship the
LORD your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.
9 “For if you return to the LORD, your relatives and your children will be treated mercifully by their
captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and
merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you.”
(2 Chronicles 30:6-9, NLT)
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV): Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)
Proverbs 19:16 (NLT): Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising them leads to death.
(Proverbs 19:16, NLT)
Isaiah 41:10-13 (CEV): “Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will
make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories. 11 Everyone who hates
you will be terribly disgraced; those who attack will vanish into thin air. 12 You will look
around for those brutal enemies, but you won’t find them because they will be gone.
13 I am the LORD your God. I am holding your hand, so don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.”
(Isaiah 41:10-13, CEV)
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Jeremiah 4:3-9 (NLT): This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
“Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns. 4 O people
of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the LORD, or
my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.
5 “Shout to Judah, and broadcast to Jerusalem! Tell them to sound the alarm throughout the
land: ‘Run for your lives! Flee to the fortified cities!’ 6 Raise a signal flag as a warning for
Jerusalem: ‘Flee now! Do not delay!’ For I am bringing terrible destruction upon you from the
north.” (Jeremiah 4:3-6, NLT)
Ezekiel 44:9 (NLT): “So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: No foreigners, including those who live
among the people of Israel, will enter my sanctuary if they have not been circumcised and have
not surrendered themselves to the LORD.” (Ezekiel 44:9, NLT)
Matthew 5:1-11 (NLT): One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and
sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them.
3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied. 7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy. 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts
of evil things against you because you are my followers.” (Matthew 5:1-11, NLT)
Matthew 5:43-44 (NLT): “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:43-44, NLT)
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Matthew 10:28-39 (NLT): “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your
soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 What is the price of two
sparrows – one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father
knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are
more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my
Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father
in heaven.
34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. 35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-
in-law against her mother-in-law. 36Your enemies will be right in your own household!’
(Micah 7:6)
37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or
if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse
to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life,
you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. (Matthew 10:28-39, NLT)
Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT): Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy
burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am
humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear,
and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, NLT)
Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT): But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this
world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But
among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man
came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Matthew 20:25-28, NLT)
Matthew 23:11-12 (NLT): “The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves
will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:11-12, NLT)
Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT): Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven
and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the
commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the
age.” (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT)
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Mark 8:34-38 (NLT): Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my
follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang
on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the
Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your
own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my
message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person
when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38, NLT)
Mark 9:14-28 (NLT): When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding
them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 When the crowd saw Jesus,
they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him.
16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked.
17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal
him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes
him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and
becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”
19 Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put
up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent
convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water,
trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”
23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.”
24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen,
you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out
of this child and never enter him again!”
26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The
boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 27 But
Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up.
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28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t
we cast out that evil spirit?” (Mark 9:14-28, NLT)
Mark 10:42-45 (NLT): So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord
it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you
it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and
whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of
Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Mark 10:42-45, NLT)
Luke 9:23-26 (NLT): Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up
your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you
will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if
you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and
my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in
the glory of the Father and the holy angels. (Luke 9:23-26, NLT)
Luke 22:24-27 (NLT): Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest
among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people,
yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the
greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who
is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the
table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:24-27, NLT)
John 3:1-21 (NLT): There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God
has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of
God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s
womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water
and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual
life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it
wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so
you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
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9 “How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.
10 Jesus replied, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our
testimony. 12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you
possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and
returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze
snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who
believes in him will have eternal life.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge
the world, but to save the world through him.
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in
him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is
based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the
light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear
their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see
that they are doing what God wants.” (John 3:1-21, NLT)
John 12:24-25 (NLT): “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it
remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels – a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this
world will keep it for eternity.” (John 12:24-25, NLT)
Romans 5:1-10 (NLT): Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace
with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has
brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and
joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us
develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens
our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know
how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now,
most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps
be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by
sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in
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God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since
our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we
will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. (Romans 5:1-10, NLT)
Romans 6:19-23 (NLT): Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of
slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and
lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to
righteous living so that you will become holy.
20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was
the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those
things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free
gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:19-23, NLT)
Romans 10:1-4 (NLT): Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that
they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is
not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to
establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the
law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. (Romans 10:1-4, NIV)
Romans 12:1-2 (NLT): And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God
because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find
acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this
world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will
learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2, NLT)
Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT): Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that
you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank
him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can
understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:4-7, NLT)
Colossians 2:1-10 (NLT): I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at
Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. 2 I want them to be
encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence
that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. 3 In him lie hidden all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
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4 I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. 5 For though I am
far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that
your faith in Christ is strong.
6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let
your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow
strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come
from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in
Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your
union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. (Colossians 2:1-10, NLT)
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT): So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our
weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come
boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace
to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:14-16, NLT)
Hebrews 8:10-12 (NLT): But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,
says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be
their God, and they will be my people. 11 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will
they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the
least to the greatest, will know me already. 12 And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never
again remember their sins.” (Hebrews 8:10-12, NLT – quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34)
Hebrews 9:7-9 (NLT): As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own
children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t
discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really
his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we
submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
(Hebrews 9:7-9, NLT)
James 4:7-10 (NIV): Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come
near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts,
you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to
gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:7-10, NIV)
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Corrie ten Boom, I Stand at the Door and Knock, Zondervan Chapters 9-14
To purchase a paperback copy of this book, click here; click here for an iBook version; click here
for a Kindle version; and click here for a Nook version.
Other books by Corrie ten Boom:
The Hiding Place: To purchase a paper copy, click here; click here for an iBook version;
click here for a Kindle version: and click here for a Nook version
Tramp for the Lord: To purchase a paper copy, click here; click here for an iBook version;
click here for a Kindle version; and click here for a Nook version
COMPLETE SURRENDER. CHAPTER 9
I want to tell you what I learned about complete surrender. At one time surrendering was a great
problem for me. Do you know the feeling? I simply didn't understand what it was and how to go
about it. I then read a book by Andrew Murray, and it helped me greatly. It was a short book in
which he wrote about a number of things, but there were a couple of chapters about complete
surrender.
First I had to understand what it meant. So I read 1 Kings 20:1–4. Read it for yourself. Ben-
hadad, the king of Aram, took an army consisting of soldiers from as many as thirty-two allied
countries and advanced to Samaria, the capital of Israel. Then he sent a message to King Ahab.
And he said, “Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine” (1
Kings 20:3). Ahab answered, “I and all I have are yours” (1 Kings 20:4). Well, wasn't that
complete surrender?
I have experienced surrender. When many years ago I was Adolf Hitler's prisoner, I had to
surrender completely against my will. I was expected to obey. Ahab said to the conquering Ben-
hadad, “Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours” (1 Kings 20:4). That was
complete surrender.
And now we are dealing with somebody else. It is God, who is love. He isn't a dictator. He is a
loving Father. There is no end to what He would like to do for us. There is no end to His blessings.
Provided we surrender to Him.
I read a story about a little boy who was going to cross a long bridge with his father. A bridge
without parapets. The little boy said, “Daddy, I am so frightened; just look at the high waves
below us.”
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His father said, “Hold my hand, and nothing will happen to you.” The boy laid his hand in his
father's strong hand and his fear left him.
In the evening they had to return. Once again they had to cross that bridge on their own, but it
was pitch black. “Daddy, I'm scared again. Can't you hear the water below us? It's so dark. You
can hear those waves down there.”
The father picked up his little boy in his arms and carried him to the other side, and the little boy
fell asleep and didn't wake up until the next morning in his own bed.
You see, this surrender to God is quite different from Ahab's to Ben-Hadad. And from my
surrender to Adolf Hitler. This is the kind of surrender God expects from us. And He gives you
great peace.
As a child I used to enjoy singing, “Safe in Jesus' arms and safe in Jesus' heart.” The Lord Jesus did
not only die on the cross for your sins and mine, He is alive, and He said, “And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Don't worry – lay your hand in His
hand. You will be safe, even if life today feels like crossing a bridge without parapets over wild
rushing water. Jesus is the Conqueror. Entrust yourself to Him.
IS SURRENDER NECESSARY? CHAPTER 10
Do we need to know what complete surrender means? Let's listen to what the Bible tells us
about it. God expects us to surrender to Him. When we look at everything God has made, we
might see what could help us to understand. The sun, the stars, the flowers, the trees – they are
all in His power. We ourselves own objects, which we can only use when we hold them
completely in our hands. The pen with which I am writing cannot be left partly in my pocket.
Could God use you and me, if He had only part of us? God is life and love and blessing and power
and endless beauty. And He is happy when He is united with His children who are prepared to be
in Him. We are in Him and He is in us.
You will understand that I am now talking about those who know the Lord Jesus as their Savior
and Lord. The first thing we need to do is what Jesus called being born again. If you know you are
a sinner and ask Jesus to forgive your sins and to enter your heart, He will perform the miracle,
which means you are born again. This is an important event. But we shouldn't forget that birth is
a beginning. And now we must grow, which brings along the need for a renewed, complete
surrender.
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The absence of complete surrender on our side is an obstacle to God and prevents Him from
blessing us and using us. He wants to make us a channel of flowing, living water. God can use us
day and night if we surrender to Him completely.
Solomon's temple was completely – not just partly – dedicated to God. We all are a temple of the
Holy Spirit, which is why we need to stop compromising, so that God can do blessed work
through us. It is no longer what we can do, but what God can do. And often we experience that
when we are weak, we are powerful, because we are relying on Him, on His power.
A woman in Russia, who was very ill, and who could hardly move, wrote books on an old
typewriter. She could use only one finger, but with it she “typed parts of the Bible, translations by
Billy Graham, books by Watchman Nee, and even some writings by me. And she continued every
day until she died. What was interesting was that the secret police never entered her room. They
knew there was an old sick woman in there, whom they felt was of no interest to them. She was
sheltered in the hiding place of the Highest of the Highest, and it was a strong castle. You see, if
you belong to the Lord 100 percent, He will be accountable for you for 100 percent.
In my book The Hiding Place, I told the story of a dangerous battle during the last World War
between the Germans and the Allies. It happened in the air, over Haarlem (near Amsterdam). It
was the middle of the night and I was lying there, listening, and then I heard Betsie, my sister, in
the kitchen. I thought, I will go down too. Maybe we could have a cup of tea together. It's too
noisy to sleep anyway.
When I came back I saw a piece of shrapnel, the splinter of a grenade, lying on my pillow. I called
Betsie and said, “If I hadn't joined you in the kitchen, I would be dead.”
But she said, “There are no ifs when God is in charge.”
That really comforted me. We are constantly under the Lord's supervision. That's why it is so
peaceful. And that's why it feels so good to be with Him, day and night.
An electric train is always connected to electricity. A bus is different; it continually needs to fill
with fuel. If we half-heartedly give ourselves to the Lord, for Him to use us, we are like buses. We
constantly run out of fuel, and need fill-ups. We need to be like electric trains: continually
connected to power. Then we will continue from strength to strength. To be connected to the
Lord means that we are continually in His care.
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ARE YOU AFRAID OF SURRENDER? CHAPTER 11
I would like to tell you what I have learned about complete surrender. Are you afraid of complete
surrender? I would like to say a few things again about this subject: the surrender to our Savior,
the Lord Jesus.
There was a time when I was afraid of it. “I can't really deal with it,” I said. “You never know the
consequences. I can't do it, nor do I know how I will manage. How will I be brave enough?” It is
terrible to think in such a way about the Lord that we are afraid of consequences. I learned
something which I will tell you now. To you who are afraid too, and don't know how to
surrender.
You don't have to surrender on your own steam, or by your own willpower. God wants to work in
us with regard to both willpower and completion. The start is what we call conversion, turning
back to the Lord Jesus. It's as if you're living with your back turned to God. And you now need to
turn 180 degrees towards Him. That is the wonderful first step. That is when Jesus makes you a
child of God.
But now that child of God needs to grow. And once again, it means placing your weak hand in
Jesus' strong hand, who wants to go with us and who wants to lead us. He is with us in our
circumstances, our family, our worries, our work, our problems, even our suffering. We need to
find the answer in serious prayer.
God, who is so powerful, and so full of love, wants to work in us to take away anything that is
wrong, so that we surrender to Him what is wrong in our thoughts and actions. How did God use
Abraham? God Himself turned him into a tool for His glory. And so you pray, “God, help me to be
willing to be made willing.”
I heard that prayer for the first time when I was in New Zealand. A theological student, Chris
Lethbridge, had had an accident while swimming and had broken his neck. He was completely
paralyzed from the neck down. He was very intelligent. He helped me correct a book which I had
written in English. One evening, we talked about his terrible experience, and that no matter how
terrible it was, he needed to surrender it. I told him that Betsie had said to me in a concentration
camp, “We should not talk about our lives as they used to be, or what they may be like later
when we are free. We need to be like prisoners, and surrender completely to the Lord. Then we
will be able to accept.”
At night I heard Chris pray, “Lord, make me willing to be made willing to surrender my life and
everything, even my paralysis, to you.” The next morning, his face shone with peace and joy.
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If there's something you can't do and you don't dare to surrender, then pray that prayer: “Lord,
make me willing to be made willing to surrender all.” When you pray those words, our loving
Savior will do so in you. Jesus led a life of complete surrender. He paid a high price for you. He
lives in your heart with His Holy Spirit. You have hindered Him by your fear and your lack of
willingness. He longs to help you. Trust Him by surrendering yourself to Him completely.
The Germans sing a song called “Casting Myself into an Ocean of Love.” Yes, that is surrender to
the Lord. There is no better way. No longer the ego-centered I, but the He. He in me, me in Him.
When you throw an empty bottle in an ocean, it will immediately fill with and be surrounded by
ocean water. If you throw yourself in Jesus' arms in complete surrender, you will be filled and
surrounded by an ocean of God's love.
THE LORD HELPS US SURRENDER. CHAPTER 12
When it comes to surrender, it's not us who do it – it's the Lord.
It is the Lord who wants to help us surrender completely. The Holy Spirit tells us that we can
submit ourselves to Him. But even if we do so, very often doubt arises in our hearts. “Did it really
happen? Was the surrender complete?” you might ask yourself.
There is a wonderful text in the Bible which helped me greatly. A father came to Jesus for help for
his son, who was possessed by a devil. “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us,” he
pleaded with Jesus (Mark 9:21).
“If you can?” Jesus repeated. “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23).
The man cried out, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).
We might say that this was an example of small faith. But meanwhile, it triumphed over the
Devil! And the bad demon was cast out.
Go to the Lord and say, “Lord, I commit myself in complete surrender to you.” Maybe you said it
with a trembling heart; possibly you don't feel any strength, any certainty, but you will succeed.
Don't be afraid; just come the way you are, and the power of the Holy Spirit will work in you.
I think of the Lord Jesus in Gethsemane. The Holy Spirit empowered Him to surrender completely,
but still an incredible sense of despair, a fear, came over Him. If you happen to feel weakness
and trembling, then simply trust God's Spirit working in you and surrender. And trust that God
will accept you.
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Just look at Him. Sometimes we are so occupied with ourselves, while we need to be occupied
with God. Simply say, “Lord, I don't quite understand, but I will accept your conditions, and then I
can and must surrender completely. Then you will bless me and turn me into a blessing.”
When you say those words softly, and possibly with fear and trembling, but you still dare to
speak them, be assured that God will take notice. He listens; He writes them in His book. And
that is when He takes possession of you entirely. You might not feel it, you might not realize it,
but you belong to Him completely.
Isn't it wonderful that we can discuss anything with Him? Anything! Do tell Him, tell Him
anything. When you are in doubt, when you don't understand, no matter what you will still hear
from Him. So don't only speak to Him, but listen to His voice.
The old story of the lost brooch really helped me. A lady lost a valuable brooch at the theater.
She noticed it was missing when she arrived home. Early the next day she rang the caretaker of
the theater and asked if he had found the brooch.
“No,” he said, “but where was your seat? I will go and have a look if it is under your seat.”
“My seat was on the fifth row, number two.”
The man went to have a look and found the brooch. He went to the telephone and said, “Yes, I
am pleased to tell you I found your brooch. Hello? Hello?”
There was no reply; she had impatiently hung up the phone. She will never know that her brooch
was found.
The Holy Spirit teaches us to have great expectations for the Lord. Listen to the Lord. If you don't
hear His voice immediately, wait patiently. Waiting for the Lord is a blessing too. He is a good
Shepherd. And a good Shepherd speaks to His sheep. Don't put the receiver down too quickly. He
loves you and has so much to say to you.”
SURRENDERING TO THE FATHER. CHAPTER 13
Once again I'm going to talk about how a child of God should and may surrender to his heavenly
father. It starts with being born as a child of God. The Lord Jesus calls it being “born again” (John
3:7). The Bible says, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him”
(Colossians 2:6).
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Somebody once said to me, “Several times I have surrendered to the Lord, in fact, only recently at
a conference. And I felt so happy, but it only lasted a couple of weeks, and then I'd lost
everything.”
Well, if that is your experience, there needs to be a change in your direction of focus. You relied
on yourself. And you couldn't manage by yourself. Now look up at Him, to whom you have
surrendered. When God has started the job of your complete surrender, and when God has
accepted your surrender, He will want to care for you and keep you. Do you believe it?
In this story of complete surrender, it is about two people: God and you. You are nothing; God is
the eternal and almighty Lord. Are you afraid of entrusting yourself to that mighty Savior?
God is waiting for you. Don't you think that He can hold you, keep you day by day, minute by
minute? Isn't it God who sees to it that the sun always shines, even though sometimes it may be
behind the clouds? Don't you think that God can let His light shine on you and me, day by day,
minute by minute, without a break? Why didn't you experience that? Because you haven't
trusted Him.
A life of surrender might entail some difficulties. Not only is it difficult, it is impossible for us to
keep it up. But by God's grace, by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, that is exactly the
life to which we have been called. Praise the Lord, He can and wants us to continue.
Have you ever heard of George Müeller? On his ninetieth birthday he was asked about the secret
that made him happy and joyful at all times. He said, “There are two reasons. The first is that
through God's grace I have always had a clear conscience, every day.” The other one was that he
loved God's Word, the Bible, so dearly. It is a beautiful description of a surrendered life: a clear
conscience as a result of obedience to the Lord, every day, in His power and grace and in
communion with the Lord; and by reading the Bible and praying.
First of all, you are prepared to do and work in the way God asks you to. On the other hand, you
allow God to do what He wants to do. Surrender yourself to God's will. You don't always know
what it is, but just say to yourself, “It is by Your grace, that I want to do Your will, in everything,
every moment of every day.” Just say, “Father God, I will not say one word without
acknowledging Your glory. No activity without Your glory, everything according to Your blessed
will.”
Is that possible? What has God promised us? What the ear hasn't heard, what the eye hasn't
seen, and what the human heart doesn't know – that is what God has prepared for those who
love Him. You just can't imagine such blessings. They are divine riches.
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I am now going to invite you to say something and to do something. Please say, “I surrender
entirely to the Lord, to His will, to do only what He desires.” God will enable you to work out your
surrender. And now say, “I commit myself entirely to the Lord, so that He will work in me, so that
I will live, according to His will and to please Him, as He has promised.”
Yes, God wants to work in His children in a way we cannot comprehend. And He wants to do so
every day, every moment. We need to give ourselves to Him in a childlike way. In complete
trust.”
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR SURRENDER? CHAPTER 14
Who is responsible for our surrender? Let us talk and think again about the importance and
beauty of the word surrender.
Ahab said to his enemy Ben-Hadad, “Just as you say, my lord the king. I and all I have are yours”
(1 Kings 20:4). You see, when we say that to God, He blesses us. If you say that to Him, He will
accept you and you will begin to learn what it means. To pour out tea, you take an empty cup. If
you fill it first with ink or vinegar, you can't use the cup. God wants to fill us and bless us, when
we have surrendered to Him completely, and when we have emptied ourselves.
A little while ago I was confronted by so many commitments that it almost frightened me. So
many meetings, so much traveling, and more and more different kinds of work. I simply told the
Lord about it. Isn't it wonderful that He understands you better than you understand yourself?
And then the Lord asked me, “Have you given yourself to Me in complete surrender?”
“I could reply, “Yes, Lord, for the full 100 percent.”
“Then do you realize that you no longer have any possessions? You now are only the steward of
what you possess. And that also means that you have no more responsibilities. They are Mine.
You now need to follow Me obediently, and I will be your victory, your power, your everything.”
I understood what God meant.
I remember being on my own in a prison cell. All I had were the clothes I was wearing. Life had
been difficult before I entered the prison. We were responsible for hundreds of Jews who were in
hiding, and many families. We provided food, took them to the hospital, arranged funerals, and
hundreds of other responsibilities. When I arrived on my own in the cell there was a moment
when I thought: I've lost everything, I can't do anything, but I no longer have any responsibilities
either.
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Other resistance workers had the same experience during the war. It would happen when they
were “alone in a cell after doing exciting and dangerous but often very successful work like
rescuing children and adult Jews. And then suddenly they couldn't do anything. There was no
safety, and they were there involuntarily. Just like Ahab, who was subjected to Ben-Hadad's
power. But I now understood the concept: without possessions, and without responsibilities.
When the Lord asked me if I had surrendered everything to Him, it was quite different. It was a
blessing, a complete wonderful surrender into His loving arms. And the fact that I now knew that
not I, but He had complete responsibility, gave me such peace and rest. I suddenly saw how
dynamic surrender to the Lord can be. His ability, His power, His complete understanding and
perception, His love are far more than what I had considered to be my duty. In my short-
sightedness, I thought I had to do everything with my own power, according to my abilities. But
everything depends on His ability, His power.
“Suddenly I saw Gideon, who was so weak and so scared. But the angel said to him, “The Lord is
with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). Because the Lord was with him, he was a mighty
warrior.
I was so delighted about this conversation with the Lord that I said, “Oh, Lord, I would love to see
You.”
“Look at your left hand,” said the Lord.
And I saw that my hand was resting in another hand. And that hand was pierced. Jesus' pierced
hand. I felt so safe. I was no longer alone, but He was in me. Jesus, crucified, but also the risen
Lord. And glorified. He was in me; I was in Him.
It doesn't matter if we can't understand. It is impossible to understand, but it is so secure: hand
in hand with Jesus. Quietly walking with Him. He is the Conqueror, and He wants to turn you and
me into more than a conqueror, says the Bible. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
