Andrew Murray: Two Sides

First, to do what God wants you to do.

Give up yourselves absolutely to the will of God. You know something of that will; not enough, far from all. But say absolutely to the Lord God: “By Thy grace I desire to do Thy will in everything, every moment of every day.” Say: “Lord God, not a word upon my tongue but for Thy glory, not a movement of my temper but for Thy glory, not an affection of love or hate in my heart but for Thy glory, and according to Thy blessed will.”

Someone says: “Do you think that possible?”

I ask, What has God promised you, and what can God do to fill a vessel absolutely surrendered to Him? Oh, God wants to bless you in a way beyond what you expect. From the beginning, ear hath not heard, neither hath the eye seen, what God hath prepared for them that wait for Him. God has prepared unheard-of things, blessings much more wonderful than you can imagine, more mighty than you can conceive. They are divine blessings. Oh, say now: “I give myself absolutely to God, to His will, to do only what God wants.”

It is God who will enable you to carry out the surrender.

And, on the other side, come and say: “I give myself absolutely to God, to let Him work in me to will and to do of His good pleasure, as He has promised to do.”

Yes, the living God wants to work in His children in a way that we cannot understand, but that God’s Word has revealed, and He wants to work in us every moment of the day. God is willing to maintain our life. Only let our absolute surrender be one of simple, childlike, and unbounded trust. 

God blesses when you surrender.”

Andrew Murray (1828-1917) in Absolute Surrender (Chicago: Moody Press, 1895) 6-7. Download this classic work in PDF form freely here. 

This is the third of seven posts from this book at this time. Each day I will conclude with the Surrender Novena (in bold italics). Pray it daily. See what happens.

What God has prepared for us is good beyond imagination. But to get there, we must choose the path of absolute surrender.

Here we learn the two sides to absolute surrender. 

First, we set aside our desires, our agenda, and what we want to do. Instead we do the work that God wants us to do. 

Make it personal. What does God want you to do? The answer is different for each of us and yet aligns with God's heart.

But don’t stop there. You see, God needs to do work in you to make you the kind of person ready to do what God wants you to do. That’s the flip side.

Second, we get to let God do the work that He wants to do in us.

This requires a level of humility that is hard for all of us. We have to deal with uncomfortable stuff. And while uncomfortable, God wants to do it because He wants more for us.

At this point you might wonder how this life is possible. Thankfully Murray adds this profound idea: “It is God who will enable you to carry out the surrender.”

Let go of your agenda today. Do what God wants you to do. And let God have His way in you to do work He wants you to do.

Remember, God blesses you when you surrender. 

Think of this as God preparing you—your being, knowing, and doing—for deeper communion, greater wisdom, and the next assignment He has for you. 

Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything. Amen.