Total Surrender Equals God’s Peace
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (ESV)
A few months ago, a member of our congregation sadly passed away. He had lost the valiant battle with cancer, which he had fought for the past two years. A few weeks before his death, he recorded a poignant video that touched our hearts and inspired us to live our lives fully yielded to God. He spoke about his emergency admission to the ICU and how God used his time there to testify at a meeting to over 100 healthcare workers about God’s goodness, grace, and mercy. He spoke about how God used specific praise and worship songs to encourage him while he was in the ICU. God also graciously gave him spiritual revelation. This is what he said: “Surrender yourself wholly and completely to Him. God wants complete surrender. We often hear this preached, but being in the ICU gave me a greater sense of revelation. God wants complete surrender. When we do surrender, we experience a peace that surpasses human understanding.” He said he came up with a simple formula: Total surrender equals God’s peace.
Gaining Christ
Total surrender to God should be the mark of every follower of Jesus Christ. It is the first step we take on our journey to finding true satisfaction in Him and Him alone. This journey will cost us. It will cost us our lives. Lives that we have placed on the altar of self - selfish desires and self-sufficiency.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:7-8 (ESV)
Paul understood that the things we worship at the altar of self are worthless when compared to the infinite value of knowing Jesus. The infinite value of total surrender to Christ and worshipping at His altar. Total surrender is our true worship to God when we bow down in humility and yield to His will for our lives. When we humble ourselves in worship and total surrender to Him, Christ will exalt us (James 4:10). When we count everything as loss, as worthless, we gain something of eternal worth - satisfaction in Jesus Christ. This is the wonderful dichotomy, the wonderful upside-down world we traverse in our walk with Christ.
Total surrender is a daily worship at the altar stained with the crimson blood of Jesus. Covered with His all-sufficient grace and love. Saturated with His peace that transcends our fears, anxieties and hopelessness. A peace that testifies to the only One who can satisfy our souls’ deepest desires when we surrender ourselves completely to Him.
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. John Piper
Reflection:
Are you worshipping at the altar of self, or are you bowing at the altar stained with the blood of Jesus?
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, forgive me for worshipping at the altar of self. I acknowledge that my life is not my own. I lay it at the altar stained with Your precious blood. I bow down in surrender to You. Fill me with Your peace that transcends my understanding. In Jesus’ name, amen.
