Centralia Church of Christ

Songs of the Church Hymn Study

I Surrender All (#10)
 

But now, O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand. (Isaiah 64:8)

Judson Wheeler Van De Venter grew up in a small farm outside of the newly incorporated village of Dundee, Michigan, southwest of Detroit. Despite growing up as a farmer’s son in the Civil War era, his passion was in his artistic pursuits. After graduating college, he became a high school art teacher and began to save his money to tour Europe where he visited art galleries and museums while studying painting and vocal music.

After his return from Europe and the strong development of his musical and artistic abilities. He started diving more and more into evangelism, becoming more active in a church he was baptized into at 17. Seeing his passion for the Lord, his friends and family strongly encouraged him to leave the public school system and to pursue a life as a full-time evangelist for the local church. Leaving teaching was a difficult decision for him, and he dropped to his knees one day praying, “Lord, if you want me to give my full time to Thy work, I’ll do it. I surrender all to Thee.” In 1896, engaged in meetings in East Palestine, Ohio, Judson was reflecting on these words he had spoken years prior and wrote the words to I Surrender All.

Moving to Tampa in 1923, Judson returned to teaching hymnology at Florida Bible Institute and was written fondly about as an early inspiration by one of his frequent lecture attendees, Billy Graham. He passed in 1939 and is buried in Dundee.

I Surrender All

1. All to Jesus, I surrender,

            All to Him I freely give;

      I will ever love and trust him,

            In his presence daily live.

2. All to Jesus I surrender,

            Humbly at his feet I bow,

      Worldly pleasures all forsaken,

            Take me, Jesus, take me now.

3. All to Jesus I surrender,

            Make me, Savior wholly thine;

      Let me feel the Holy Spirit,

            Truly know that thou art mine.

4. All to Jesus, I surrender,

            Lord, I give myself to thee,

      Fill me with thy love and power,

            Let thy blessing fall on me.

5. All to Jesus I surrender,

            Now I feel the sacred flame;

      The joy of full salvation!

            Glory, glory to His name!