“Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together: thirty-two kings were with him, with horses, and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it. Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, ‘Thus says Ben-Hadad: “Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.”’ And the king of Israel answered and said, ‘My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.’” –1 Kings 20:1-4, NKJV. 

What Ben Hadad asked for was absolute surrender; and what Ahab gave was what was asked of him—absolute surrender. I want to use these words: “My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have,” as the words of absolute surrender with which every child of God ought to yield himself to his Father. We have heard it before, but we need to hear it very definitely—the condition of God’s blessing is absolute surrender of all into His hands. Praise God! If our hearts are willing for that, there is no end to what God will do for us, and to the blessing God will bestow. 

Absolute surrender—let me tell you where I got those words. I used them myself often, and you have heard them numberless times. But in Scotland once, I was in a company where we were talking about the condition of Christ’s church, and what the great need of the church and of believers is. And there was in our company a godly worker who has much to do in training workers, and I asked him what he would say was the great need of the church, and the message that ought to be preached. He answered very quietly and simply and determinedly: 

“Absolute surrender to God is the one thing.”

The words struck me as never before. And that man began to tell how, in the workers with whom he had to deal, he finds that if they are sound on that point, even though they be backward, they are willing to be taught and helped. And they always improve, whereas others who are not sound very often go back and leave the work. The condition for obtaining God’s full blessing is absolute surrender to Him. 

And now, I desire by God’s grace to give to you this message—that your God in Heaven answers the prayers which you have offered for blessing on yourselves and for blessing on those around you by this one demand: Are you willing to surrender yourselves absolutely into His hands?

Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was a prolific South African writer, teacher and pastor who championed Gospel missions as the chief work of the church.

Adapted from an address titled “Absolute Surrender,” by Andrew Murray. The address was first published in 1895, and is in the public domain.

Photo: Yuri Arcurs / Alamy Stock Photo