Boldly Surrendered!

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We recall from old war movies, perhaps, of America’s Revolutionary War, the battles fought at close range; close enough to see the eyes of the enemy. Remember the scenes as rank after rank of soldiers, dressed in their splendid and proud colors, would step forward and fire against the other. As some men fell another rank stepped forward and fired, as still more men fell in battle. Then, amid the smoke and the carnage, when one side could fight no longer, either by the lack of standing men or perceiving the insurmountable odds against them, there would be raised a trembling white flag, frantically declaring the surrender of the defeated.

To the victors went the spoils of war. To the victor’s went the cause for celebration for their cause had proven itself worthy of the fight. But, for the defeated, the ragged few yet standing on the battlefield littered with the dead and the dying, there is only shame, the shame of having surrendered. Once so sure of the rightness of their cause, they are defeated, and worse still they must endure the shame of surrender.

However, let us consider a different view of surrender. Let us consider that surrendering can be the boldest and by far the wisest decision; knowing when the evidence and the odds are so clearly set against us, it is time to wave the white flag of surrender. There is a time to wave the flag, not in shame, but in bold surrender.

What can possibly be bold or wise about giving up the fight which you believe so strongly is right. When you are certain you are right, how can surrendering not be shameful?
Studying at Acts 4, consider the wisdom of boldly surrendering our will to the greater will and power of God arrayed against us. Consider the attitudes of the high priests who, when the evidence of God’s power was so clearly before them, would not surrender. The evidence before them was convincing them, but not converting them.

From the examples of great spiritual soldiers like Peter and John we learn the worth of surrender. The boldly-surrendered hearts of godly men caused them to speak the word of God with great boldness (4:31). The results of that bold surrender came with its rewards, for it resulted in “great power… and abundant grace upon them all” (4:33). Through spiritual soldiers like Peter and John we, indeed, can see that when we have boldly surrendered our lives to God, there is no cause for shame, for God blesses us with power and abundant grace when we have boldly surrendered our lives to Christ. The white flag of spiritual surrender then becomes the boldest banner of victory.