Devotions With Corrie Ten Boom – Is Surrender Necessary?

Last week we published a first in what will be a series of posts on the subject of Surrender. To view last week’s post, go here.

I Stand At The Door And Knock is a book by Corrie Ten Boom and is filled with short messages that remind me of a devotional.  As was said last week, “we can often find it so hard to surrender. Without surrender we miss out on His peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding (Phillipians 4:7), the perfect peace He will give us when our minds are stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). We miss out on His joy, “the joy of the Lord is our strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10)  … It is easy to get depressed, despondent, emotionally distraught with all we see happening to animals along with all the other injustices happening around us and in the world at large and perhaps in our own lives. It is difficult to keep our minds on the things that are lovely, of good report; on what is true about us when we are in Christ; about the world and about God and all He is doing for us and animals; or on what is noble, whatever is right, or pure, or lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Phillipians 4:8). But He wants us to keep our minds on these things!”

In the face of the suffering of animals, we can find it difficult to experience His peace. In this post as in the last, we are asking God what it would look like to be surrendered to Him completely while also continuing to advocate for those who are treated unjustly.

Is Surrender Necessary? Chapter 10, page 55

Do we need to know what complete surrender means? Let’s listen to what the Bible tells us about it. God expects us to surrender to Him. When we look at everything God has made, we might see what could help us to understand. The sun, the stars, the flowers, the trees – they are all in His power. We ourselves own objects, which we can only use when we hold them completely in our hands. The pen with which I am writing cannot be left partly in my pocket. Could God use you and me, if He had only part of us? God is life and love and blessing and power and endless beauty. And He is happy when He is united with His children who are prepared to be in Him. We are in Him and He is in us.

You will understand that I am now talking about those who know the Lord Jesus as their Savior and Lord. The first thing we need to do is what Jesus called being born again. If you know you are a sinner and ask Jesus to forgive your sins and to enter your hearts, He will perform the miracle, which means you are born again. This is an important event. But we shouldn’t forget that birth is a beginning. And now we must grow, which brings along the need for a renewed, complete surrender.

The absence of complete surrender on our side is an obstacle to God and prevents Him from blessing us and using us. He wants to make us a channel of flowing, living water. God can use us day and night if we surrender to Him completely.

Solomon’s temple was completely – not just partly – dedicated to God. We all are a temple of the Holy Spirit, which is why we need to stop compromising, so that God can do blessed work through us. It is no longer what we can do, but what God can do. And often we experience that when we are weak, we are powerful, because we are relying on Him, on His power.

A woman in Russia, who was very ill, and who could hardly move, wrote books on an old typewriter. She could use only one finger, but with it she typed parts of the Bible, translations by Billy Graham, books by Watchman Nee, and even some writings by me. And she continued every day until she died. What was interesting was that the secret police never entered her room. They knew there was an old sick woman in there, whom they felt was of no interest to them. She was sheltered in the hiding place of the Highest of the Highest, and it was a strong castle. You see, if you belong to the Lord 100 percent, He will be accountable for you for 100 percent.

In my book The Hiding Place, I told the story of a dangerous battle during the last World War between the Germans and the Allies. It happened in the air, over Haarlem (near Amsterdam). It was the middle of the night and I was lying there, listening, and then I heard Betsie, my sister, in the kitchen. I thought, I will go down too. Maybe we could have a cup of tea together. It’s too noisy to sleep anyway.

When I came back I saw a piece of shrapnel, the splinter of a grenade, lying on my pillow. I called Betsie and said, “If I hadn’t joined you in the kitchen, I would be dead.”

But she said, “There are no ifs when God is in charge.”

That really comforted me. We are constantly under the Lord’s supervision. That’s why it is so peaceful. And that’s why it feels so good to be with Him, day and night.

An electric train is always connected to electricity. A bus is different; it continually needs to fill with fuel. If we half-heartedly give ourselves to the Lord, for Him to use us, we are like buses. We constantly run out of fuel, and need fill-ups. We need to be like electric trains: continually connected to power. Then we will continue from strength to strength. To be connected to the Lord means that we are continually in His care.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You will be with us today and tonight and forever. Will You keep us from danger and protect us against fear? And will You show us the right way and not let go when we choose the wrong way and when we are in danger? It is wonderful to know that You take hold of our hands, that you hold us tight. And when You hold us tight, You lead us on, all our life. And when You lead us on through life, there will be a day when You bring us home safely. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Amen.