I must admit, surrender is not an easy thing for me. In fact, when I read verses like Isaiah 64.8 ‘Yet, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our Potter, and we all are the work of Your hand’ and Jeremiah 18.6 ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? says the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand,’ I would cringe deep inside.
My mental images tended toward torture and crushing me to smithereens. Smithereens is a funny word – ‘broken into small bits or pieces.’ It all had to do with my concept of God. I did not see Him working on my heart to my benefit and I never saw Him as liking who I was and ‘changing’ me meant I was defective – the way I was afraid I was. All this twisted thinking did a real number on my ability to surrender to the Living God and truly trust Him and love Him. I would think ‘do anything but hurt me please.’
Well, it has been many years of patience on the part of the Living God to help me to surrender and help me to trust. In fact, one author helped me see that God really does like the ‘me’ He created and wants me to be that ‘me.’ Surrender means that more I abandon the clamor of self-will, the more I become that ‘me’ He created as I surrender to Him.
One of my favorite parts o the Bible is Deuteronomy 15.12- 17. While I do not understand all the customs of other cultures or long ago, sometimes it seemed safer and wiser to be under someone’s umbrella of protection, but it meant being a ‘servant.’ Deuteronomy talks about what to do with those who have been in this position.
‘If any of your people … sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.’ It touches my heart how God commands for generosity and supply to those less fortunate.
But, the next part is especially touching – ‘But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life.’
I have come to the place in life, by the grace of God, that I do not want to leave Him, I love Him and I want Him to
Pierce my ear, O Lord my God
Lead me to Your door this day
I will serve no other gods
Lord, I’m here to stay
For You have paid the price for me
With Your blood, You ransomed me
I will serve you eternally
A free man I’ll never be.
I will be a willing bond servant to Jesus forever.
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