TOTAL SURRENDER

 TOTAL SURRENDER

WHEN GOD CALLED OUT, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” (6:8), Isaiah had a clear choice to make. Would he remain committed to his own petty concerns, or would he submit himself totally to his Lord? The prophet made his choice when he replied, “Here am I! Send me.

Isaiah understood that God was the master and he was the servant. He knew that situation called for total surrender, without reservation. While many see this type of service as lowly-and it is humbling-we should consider it a privilege to serve such a loving Lord in every area of our lives… including our marriages.

In 1972, the first year of our marriage, barbara and I decided that before we would give anything to each other, we would surrender our lives, totally and completely, in writing, to Jesus christ. We gave Him everything we ever dreamed of having. We offered it all up and handed over to Him the title deed to our lives. Today those two title deeds are among the most important papers we have.

That first Christmas together, Barbara sat down in our kitchen, and I went to our sparsely furnished living room and took a seat on the hand-me-down sofa. There we sat contemplating giving God all that we had and everything we hoped to have as a couple and as a family. She made her list, I made mine.

What we gave God was what we felt was most important on that day. I gave Him my desires for a successful ministry, nice furniture and things, plenty of money, staying healthy, and some nice ski equipment Barbara’s list was similar-a house with a fireplace and a bay window, children (at least one boy and one girl) who would honor God, her rights to be settled and stable.

Looking back, what we signed over to God on that day seems so trivial now compared to what He has given us. In many instances what He gave us was far more than we ever dreamed or imagined. I see that we gave Him what was already His: our lives. In return, He has given us “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). As human beings we mistakenly think that surrendering our lives to the God of the universe is the loss of our lives. In reality, total surrender to God brings not total defeat, but total victory!

NOTE:  This article is from the book Family Life and Marriage Bible by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.

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