Prayer of Reliquishment

     After reading a recent article called, "The Prayer of Relinquishment," by Catherine Marshall in the January 2015 edition of the Guideposts, I began to question how much of my life was truly given totally over to God. Marshall, who had been suffering for six months with a lung infection, read about a missionary who had been an invalid for eight years and finally worn out prayed, "All right. I give up. If you want me to be an invalid, that's your business. Anyway, I want you even more than I want health. You decide." According to the article about the missionary, within two weeks she "was out of bed and completely well." She called her request the, "Prayer of Relinquishment."

     Marshall goes on to write, "…I came to the same point of abject acceptance. I'm tired of asking, was the burden of my prayer. I'm beaten. God, you decide what you want for me." She later writes, "From that moment my recovery began…Gradually, I saw that a demanding spirit, with self-will as its rudder, blocks prayer…In the Garden, Christ had plenty of time to flee, but he used his free will to leave the decision up to his Father." 

     I must remind myself daily that, trust in God and fear or worry of what's to come, cannot co-exist. I either trust God to deal with the things of this world, that have the potential to cause me fear or worry, or I do not trust God. I must daily relinquish these fears, worries, and concerns that keep me from walking in peace with God's will for my life or I will lose faith in the One that is ultimately in control of the evil one who is setting this earth spinning out of control. 

     The classic hymn, I Surrender All, by Judson W. Van DeVenter in 1896 speaks to this issue of complete relinquishment: 

1. All to Jesus I surrender;
   All to Him I freely give;
   I will ever love and trust Him,
   In His presence daily live.
   • Refrain:
     I surrender all,
     I surrender all;
     All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
     I surrender all.
2. All to Jesus I surrender;
   Humbly at His feet I bow,
   Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
   Take me, Jesus, take me now.
3. All to Jesus I surrender;
   Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
   Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
   Truly know that Thou art mine.
4. All to Jesus I surrender;
   Lord, I give myself to Thee;
   Fill me with Thy love and power;
   Let Thy blessing fall on me.
5. All to Jesus I surrender;
   Now I feel the sacred flame.
   Oh, the joy of full salvation!
   Glory, glory, to His Name!