Wow!
Wow was the only word I could grasp to describe what I witnessed when I visited the Great Wall of China one summer during college. After climbing 1,000 steps, we reached the top of this wonder of the world. The magnificence of this human creation from hundreds of years ago washed over our group with a sense of awe and wonder. We’d had a similar sentiment when we walked out of a yurt in Northern China earlier that month. Looking up at the stars, it felt like the night sky had never shined so bright.
You could probably describe a moment when we were overwhelmed with the beauty of God’s creation. David's words in Psalm 8 might describe your feelings at that moment. “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”
In addition to a sense of wonder at the creation, many of us who are followers of Jesus can also describe moments where we were speechless as we considered the gift God gave us when He sent Jesus into the world to take the penalty that was ours. God's grace is truly awesome!
With a similar sense of reverence, Benjamin William Hastings wrote his new song, “Abandoned”. The song was a collaboration with two other popular Air1 artists, Cody Carnes and Brandon Lake.
RELATED CONTENT: Air1 Premiere "Abandoned feat. Brandon Lake" Benjamin William Hastings
Near the opening of the song, Hastings sings, “You’re telling me You chose the cross? You’re telling me I’m worth that much? If that’s the measure of Your love, how else would I sing?"
In an interview with Jublieecast, Hastings revealed that "This is a surrender song… It's coming from the perspective of everything God has done for us and the ways in which He surrendered and modeled that for us. How would we not do the same?"
Hastings’ perspective here reflects the words Jesus spoke to his disciples in John 13, as he got up from washing their feet during the Last Supper. “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master.”
“Abandoned” invites us to walk in the way of Jesus, surrendering and laying down our lives just as Jesus did for us. In the bridge of the song, Hastings sings, "The failures I hide, the victories I don’t, the battles I fight, each crown that I hoard, consider it yours.”
If you’ve had one of those moments of surrender, then you know how life-altering it can be. Whether it was the moment you put your faith in Christ and surrender your life to Him or a time when you let go of a concern that produced tremendous anxiety in your heart, surrender changes us and our situations. Yet, our lives are to be more than moments of surrender; Christ calls us to sustained surrender.
In the same interview with Jublieecast mentioned earlier, Hastings noted, "At first listen, this song may come across like it's about our abandon and sure, it is, but to me, it's more about His. He who not only chose the cross but had 'angels at His fingertips' and chose to remain. Every second, deciding again not to give up but to persevere. To repeatedly pursue surrender, even at the hour of greatest agony. I can't think of a more inspiring sentiment than this, and I guess that brings me back to why it may sound like a song about our abandon; Maybe that's the only way to respond to His."
RELATED CONTENT: ‘Gratitude’ Co-Writers Benjamin William Hastings & Brandon Lake Reunite For ‘Abandoned’
We abandon ourselves to Jesus because He abandoned His life for us. In Matthew 16, we read a similar sentiment about the role of self-denial in following Jesus. Jesus told his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
The concept of self-denial and giving up your way seems crazy to our culture and the people around us. However, if those who term this way "crazy" had comprehended how Jesus repeatedly pursued surrender, even at the hour of his greatest agony (as Hastings described), the concept of "taking up your cross" wouldn’t seem so ludicrous.
After all, it was Paul who echoed the words of Hastings two thousand years ago as he opened Romans chapter 12. “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
When our hearts are overwhelmed with the awesomeness of Christ’s surrender for humanity, our lives will be “completely, deeply, sold-out, sincerely abandoned.” As you meditate on the sacrifice and surrender of Jesus today, you may be like me - listening to “Abandoned” on repeat and laying down what once was inside your clenched fists.
Scott Savage is a pastor, author, and speaker with the best last name in the world. Scott’s writing helps you laugh, challenges you to think, and invites you to grow. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona, and watches lots of football with his wife and three kids. You can learn more about Scott’s new free resource, The Gratitude Muscle Challenge, at scottsavagelive.com.
