Full Surrender   

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Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

 

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

 

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

 

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.  For with God nothing will be impossible.”

 

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.  -  Luke 1:26-38

 

Marty Robinson was a tattooed, bearded punk rocker in Australia who “came to the end of his tether” due to alcohol addiction. Today he’s serving Christ with the Salvation Army as a prison chaplain, and his ministry is changing lives every day. He surrenders himself to Christ each day by beginning every day saying to Jesus, “Use me however you want.”*

 

That’s essentially what Mary said when Gabriel told her she would give birth to the Messiah. The J. B. Phillips rendering of Luke 1:38 says, “I belong to the Lord, body and soul…let it happen as you say.”

 

The world around us doesn’t grasp the idea of full surrender to the will of God, but only full surrender brings full victory. God’s wisdom is greater than ours. His plans are better. His guidance is perfect. Even when the pathway seems hard or the task uncertain, we can say, as Mary did, “I belong to the Lord, body and soul. I am willing. Let it be to me according to Your Word.”

 

Hymnwriter Judson W. Van DeVenter said it best: All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live.

 

 

*Lauren Martin, “‘Full Surrender’ Sends Marty to Prison to Serve as a Chaplain,” Salvos Online, August 13, 2024.

 

 

 

Today’s devotional message, “Full Surrender”, was written by Dr. David Jeremiah and was taken from the website, www.davidjeremiah.org, December 4, 2025.  Today's devotion was provided by Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah. For more daily inspiration, visit their website at DavidJeremiah.org.