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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: What does it mean to surrender ourselves to the Lord? I am a Christian but I’m still a person with ambition and goals to attain. I doubt that the Lord expects us to give up our dreams. – S.A.

A: The hymnist J.W. Van DeVenter, who wrote “I Surrender All,” was not always a minister. His first passion was for art. Having finished college, he taught school for a while in order to finance his continued study of drawing and painting.

During an evangelistic meeting, his friends urged him to give up teaching and become an evangelist. He wavered between this challenge and his ambition to become a recognized artist.

In his own personal testimony, he said, “At last the pivotal hour of my life came and I surrendered all. A new day was ushered into my life. I became an evangelist and discovered down deep in my soul a talent unknown to me. God had hidden a song in my heart, and touching a tender chord, He caused me to sing songs I had never sung before.” Van DeVenter recalled his long struggle and finally yielded his life to God’s will.

We begin to surrender to God when we first accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The word Lord means just that – He becomes our Lord. It’s a mistake to think that we can receive Christ’s offer of forgiveness and then go out to live our lives as we please. From that moment of commitment, God has a claim on us and we must expect Him to tell us how we should live, then trust Him completely. We can hold nothing back from God. We must surrender without any conditions attached. This surrender is a definite act on our part in obedience to God, and He supplies the faith we need to believe.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2025 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c)2025 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.