25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Now here is a man living in an almost egoless state of surrender. John has completely surrendered his life and mission and reputation to the will of God. Even when others try to induce him to greater ego satisfaction John refuses. John's purpose was to introduce the Christ. Having been the one chosen to introduce the Christ to the world, John refuses the temptation to be more. He is content to be what God has given him to be and he is not envious or want to do more. Jesus will now draw the crowds; John will go to prison. John is at peace with this.
How does a person get to such a place of surrender? A lifetime of prayer and fasting and daily surrender allows now John to make one final and dramatic act of surrender. John got to this moment of ultimate surrender by a thousand or hundred thousand acts of surrender along the way.
My friend and mentor Ted Dotts prayed John Wesley's Covenant Prayer every morning of his life for many, many years. In the prayer there is a line which says, "Let me be employed for Thee or laid aside for Thee, exalted for Thee or brought low for Thee." It is a prayer of surrender, and if you pray it daily for 30 or so years you end up being like my friend Ted, who at the end of his life had become the most humble and egoless man I've ever known.
How do we get there? How do we become like Ted or like John? How do we get to the point of egoless surrender at the end of our lives? We get there by taking a step now, by surrendering in some small way today.
Here's Wesley's prayer to help us get started:
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.
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