I Surrender All - Essentials in Spiritual Formation

There is an old hymn the Baptist like to sing during what is called the Invitation (also known as the Response Time). The title of the hymn is I Surrender All. To me, this song encapsulates the major theme of The Essentials in Spiritual Formation class. In order to grow deeper spiritually, one must surrender self. Dan described it as a journey "from the image of God, into the likeness of Christ." The thought of self-surrender was especially prevalent in the readings from the book Devotional Classics. Thomas Kelly eloquently states, "How, then, shall we lay hold of that Life and Power and live the life of prayer without ceasing? By quiet, persistent practice in turning all of our being, day and night, in prayer and inward worship and surrender, toward him who calls in the deeps of our souls." (emphasis mine)

Each of the four elements (earth, wind, fire, water) that Dan presents is well represented in the verses of this old hymn except for the water element. I took the liberty of writing a simple verse (Verse 6) to incorporate the water element. I especially like how the songwriters, J.W. Van De Venter and W.S. Weeden, start each new verse with the words "All to Jesus I surrender" because as we walk through our spiritual journey we have to repeatedly call ourselves to surrender.

I am including a recording of the first verse. All the verses are sung the same. In writing the additional verse, I tried to remain true to the original song and its rhyming pattern.