Surrendering Just as I am

by David Wright

My love of music began as a youngster. Dad was a huge fan of southern gospel music. My younger brother and I would wake to the amazing harmonies of the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen Quartet, The Chuckwagon Gang, or the Happy Goodman Family most mornings. I must admit, it was an inspiring way to start our days. It seemed as though the playing of inspirational music was our dad’s way of saying “Charge!” into each day’s dawning.  

Dad was a businessman and a preacher. Our home seemed to always be open to Bible studies, missionaries passing through, elder meetings, church members desiring prayer or with a challenging concern. Often, these gatherings along with other family get-togethers would include a hymn or two (okay maybe 3 or 4) sung a capella. Not every voice was in tune, but every heart certainly seemed to be. The messages presented, the lessons taught, the prayers lifted, and the songs sung all seemed to result in each participant surrendering to the love of Jesus. What a blessed way to grow up! 

I could rattle off dozens of hymns that we would regularly sing but there are three that usually still bring tears to my eyes. They are Victory in Jesus, Just As I Am, and I Surrender All. I can’t sing Victory in Jesus without hearing my Dad’s voice belt it out as he would clap his hands in time. Makes me smile and tear up even as I write this.  

In our inner-city church, Just as I Am and I Surrender All were sung as individuals gave their testimonies and confessions of faith immediately followed by their immersion in the baptistry. As they would rise from the water, they would be greeted with the congregation singing Victory in Jesus!  

At some point later in my life, I came to appreciate those moments as convicted and lost people waving a symbolic white flag and exclaiming, “I surrender, I can’t do this life on my own. I need a Savior. And His name is Jesus.” And a new life is born and a cloud of witnesses in heaven rejoice with friends, family, and even strangers in the congregation at that moment.  

Our culture has a different view of surrender. Far too often our mindset is to win, to win at all costs. Our success is measured by “wins” along life’s journey. Surrender is not a part of a winning process. Life’s victories involve battles where there will be winners and losers. Our goal is to be on the winning side. 

Perhaps a “mind shift” is in order. Yes, we want to succeed, we want to make progress. But success that can be sustained eternally must involve daily death to self, a surrender! Jesus instructs us, “ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25). 

It is true that with every contest there will be a loser and there will be a winner. When we surrender our lives to Jesus there is truly only one loser, he is the evil one. But the winners include the one surrendering and other winners as well! They are: 

The Church, the families, the communities that a surrendered soul will influence on behalf of a savior whose surrender at the cross and victory over death three days later gave losing and winning different meanings eternally. 

The third verse of Just As I Am provides a wakeup call to us. No matter where we are or what we have done, Jesus invites us to Him.   

Just as I am, Thou will receive, 
Will welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; 
Because Your promise I believe, 
O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 

As one comes to and accepts Jesus as Savior, we make a promise to daily surrender to Him as Lord:  

All to Jesus I surrender, 
All to Him I freely give; 
I will ever love and trust Him, 
In His presence daily live.  

The lost now found, our surrender takes place. We die to self and in that moment, we rejoice and declare with the saints that because of Jesus’s surrender we, along with Him, have... 

Victory In Jesus:  

I heard an old, old story 
How a Savior came from glory 
How He gave His life on Calvary 
To save a wretch like me 
And I heard about His groaning 
Of His precious blood's atoning 
Then I repented of my sins 
And won the victory 

O victory in Jesus 
My Savior, forever 
He sought me and He bought me 
With His redeeming blood 
He loved me ere I knew Him 
And all my love is due Him 
He plunged me to victory 
Beneath the cleansing flood 

Surrender to Jesus. What a wonderful way to wake up. What a blessed way to live. And there can be no better way to die.