Joni Lamb has written an inspiring and encouraging book entitled, Surrender All (WaterBrook Press, 2008). Joni is executive producer and host of a daily talk show on Christian television network, Daystar Television, which she and her husband co-founded. This role has given her the opportunity to interview numerous guests and hear their testimonies of how God has worked in their lives. It is from these testimonies, and her own, that Joni has written this book.
Joni’s underlining theme is that by surrendering our lives to God we can live a life of peace and contentment. This is not an easy thing to do and Joni shares her own struggles as well as the struggles of others. I enjoyed Joni’s honesty and openness as she shares her own journey and hopefully this will motivate others to live a life surrendered to God.
Joni devotes a chapter to each of the areas of our lives where we are particularly reluctant to give up control: marriage, children, career, health, friendship, daily life, loss, and failure. We tend to hold tightly to the reigns of control not realizing how willing God is to take the stresses from us if we will trust him, knowing that his plans for us are good. Many of the stories Joni shares are truly amazing as we hear of God’s miraculous interventions in people’s circumstances when they were prepared to accept God’s plan for their life. Joni concludes the book with the ultimate surrender, Jesus’ death on the cross. Though, as Joni points out, Jesus’ real struggle happened in the Garden of Gethsemane as he wrestled with God’s plans and purpose. It is in response to Jesus’ sacrifice for us that we surrender all to him.
(Australian readers may struggle with the overtly American nature of this book.)
