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A couple of months ago on a Sunday, Stacey, Ethan (our son) and Allie (our daughter in law) left after church and drove the 31/2 hours to New Bern, NC to attend a concert. I’m not generally a big concert person, but everyone else was excited, and I wanted to go with them and be with Allie’s parents there as well, so I was excited for that. 

I didn’t know what to expect or what I was hoping to get out of it. I don’t think I even thought about what God might want to say to me that night, but He surprised me. 

It was in a song I had never heard before, mainly because it was new, freshly written and being presented to the world for one of the first times, collaborated on by Cody Carnes, Benjamin William Hastings, Brandon Lake, and Chris Davenport and led by Benjamin William Hastings that night. 

Right from the beginning it grabbed me. By the time they got to the chorus, God was speaking. He spoke of Jesus and His love for us, His sacrifice for us, all He gave up for us, willingly, completely and fully. And I heard about the only appropriate response I could have – to be completely, deeply, sold-out, sincerely abandoned to Him.

It was an anthem call to my heart. A call to be fully His – no holding back because He held nothing back and still gives all. It was a sacred moment for me there. 

Now the song is starting to come out – YouTube, radio, social media and is being introduced to the world. I am not “selling” a song but sharing my heart about Jesus and all He is and means to me. It’s all about Him and our response to Him. 

If you get a chance to hear it, give it a listen. See if God wants to speak to you as He did to me. Everyone is different, and God speaks to us in different ways. But for me, God was speaking – “Know that you are loved – deeply, completely – fully and all I want from you is that you love in return – deeply, completely – fully.” 

You can find the link to the song at the end of this post.

Here are the lyrics… 

Abandoned

Somethin' isn't adding up
This wild exchange You offer us
I gave my worst, You gave Your blood
Seems hard to believe
You're tellin' me You chose the Cross?
You're tellin' me I'm worth that much?
Well, if that's the measure of Your love
How else would I sing?

But completely, deeply, sold-out, sincerely abandoned
I'm completely, freely, hands-to-the-ceiling enamored
My one-life endeavor
To match Your surrender
To mirror not my will, but Yours
Oh, I'm completely, deeply, don't-care-who-sees-me abandoned

Oh, I surrender all

I just can't get over it
What kind of self-control is this?
When You had angels at Your fingertips
But on the Cross You remained
And I can't repay that kind of love
But I can praise with everything I've got
Since death had all of it's power robbed
Then just like the grave

I'm completely, deeply, sold-out, sincerely abandoned
I'm completely, freely, hands-to-the-ceiling enamored
Oh, my one-life endeavor
To match Your surrender
To mirror not my will, but Yours

Oh, I'm completely, deeply, don't-care-who-sees-me abandoned

Oh, I surrender all
I surrender all
I surrender all

The whole of my heart, the best of my soul
Each phase of my life, each breath in my lungs
Consider it Yours, Lord
Consider it Yours, Lord
The failures I hide, the victories I don't
The battles I fight, each crown that I hoard

Consider it Yours, Lord
Consider it Yours, Lord

All the glory forever, the grave that You won
The praise of the Heavens, the kingdom to come

Oh, consider it Yours, Lord
Consider it Yours

I'm completely, deeply, sold-out, sincerely abandoned (hey!)
I'm completely, freely, hands-to-the-ceiling enamored

Oh, my one-life endeavor
To match Your surrender
To mirror not my will, but Yours
I'm completely, deeply, don't-care-who-sees-me abandoned

Oh, I surrender all

No, You'll never leave me abandoned
I surrender all

 

Here’s what Benjamin William Hastings had to say about the song….

Abandoned” is such a special one to me. I'm honestly overwhelmed by all the excitement around this one. I pray (like it has for me) it helps you articulate words that you didn’t know you had trapped inside, and ultimately inspires worship. At first listen this song may come across like it’s about our abandon and sure, it is, but to me it’s really 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. - Benjamin William Hastings 

Thanks for reading. May God speak to your heart today and whisper to you… “I love You.” Jesus is the proof of that. 

Have a good week walking with Jesus.