I’ve been teaching myself old hymns on the guitar lately, so this was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the Illustration Friday prompt “surrender”. And this is actually the second verse as it fit the over-all concept.
I found it of interest, when I looked up the author of the hymn (Judson Van DeVenter, 1855-1939), that he was an artist/art teacher, desiring to be a recognized for his artistic talents. But he also seemed to have a gifting as an evangelist. After wrestling with which to be for five years, he finally surrendered to the ministry. And out of that surrendering, the lyrics to this song was birthed.
I wonder what his art work looked like and if he continued to do it on the side or as a hobby. And I wonder why he couldn’t do both. I guess we’ll never know the full story.