This past week I had the privilege of leading worship at a Life Teen camp in Medina, Texas. It was a beautiful week! Besides being saturated in the theme of Mary’s fiat—reflecting on her openness to the will of God—we spent a significant amount of time talking about what it looks like to surrender, because a fiat to God, like Mary’s, must always lead us to let go and let God in.
The host priest for the week led us all through many prayers of deep surrender, but God went beyond what I have become accustomed to. For most of my life, I thought surrendering to God meant letting go of all the bad: my sin, my mistrust, my fears and anxieties, my pride. But that doesn’t even scratch the surface of true surrender. He reminded me that to surrender to Christ means more than just giving up the bad in our hearts that needs to be transformed. It means giving God everything we are—including the good—and watching that transform as well. That means letting go of our plans for the future, our hopes and dreams, and even the people we love the most; yes, even the good.
Out of Control
Surrender means giving up control to submit ourselves to the perfect will of God. This is my absolute downfall. I love being in control, I hate the feeling of being pushed out of the driver’s seat of my own life, I always think I know what’s best, and I think I’m the only one capable of achieving my own happiness, so I try to do everything myself.
To my embarrassment, this spills over into my relationship with God. So often I push him away because I’m afraid to give it all over to him, but then I end up falling flat on my face anyway. Ultimately, I forget how God designed every part of me. He knows every hair on my head, knows me better than I know myself, sees beyond what I see. He is God, not me.
Letting go and giving him control of my life is what will fulfill me the most and ultimately, what will lead me to heaven. This doesn’t mean my life will be easy, because God never promised us an easy life. The fact is, God’s ways are not our ways. God wants us to surrender to him, not because he’s this narcissist or a domineering person, but because he knows what is best for us! To surrender, we need to come to grips with a few things:
1. Believing that God is Good
He is so, so good! God is not a tyrant as some people suggest. If we ever had a doubt about who God is, Jesus revealed him to us:
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).
Love is good. Love is pursuing us and desperately trying to win us over! We need to believe in his goodness and mercy.
2. Trusting that He Has a Good Plan for You
Trusting what we can’t always see is so hard. We like to have plans for our future and want to be successful with our gifts. We want to do the will of God—but to do his will, we have to let go of our plans to accept his—which are much better than our own.
3. Realizing that You are Not Self-Sufficient
God gives us the freedom to control our own lives. He does not force us to let him into the driver’s seat, but he says, “Trust me. I know what is best for you.” The more we grasp at happiness and try to achieve things without Christ, the more we will be let down. We were not made to do it by ourselves and cannot do it by ourselves, no matter how hard we try. We were made for him and need to embrace the truth that we are not, no matter how hard we try, self-sufficient.
All this to say, if we believe these things, which many of us verbally say we do, then we need to let go of control and surrender ourselves to God.
To make a first step toward this, I’ve started the “Surrender Novena”. This novena was written by a holy Italian priest, Fr. Don Dolindo, most well-known for his spirituality of surrender. He is currently up for canonization! He was very aware of the depth of human weakness and neediness, and saw this as a way of fostering continual union with God.
In this novena, he wrote what Our Lord revealed to him about divine abandonment from the perspective of Jesus addressing the soul. If God is calling you to a deeper surrender of whatever it is you’re holding onto, I would love for you to join me in praying this beautiful prayer of surrender. Together we can become more fully conformed to the will of Christ and allow him to transform our lives into vessels of his love.
Read these words and pray the prayer on the designated day of the novena.
Day 1
Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult situations.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 2
Surrender to me does not mean to fret, to be upset, or to lose hope, nor does it mean offering to me a worried prayer asking me to follow you and change your worry into prayer. It is against this surrender, deeply against it, to worry, to be nervous and to desire to think about the consequences of anything. It is like the confusion that children feel when they ask their mother to see to their needs, and then try to take care of those needs for themselves so that their childlike efforts get in their mother’s way.
Surrender means to placidly close the eyes of the soul, to turn away from thoughts of tribulation and to put yourself in my care, so that only I act, saying “You take care of it.”
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 3
How many things I do when the soul, in so much spiritual and material need, turns to me, looks at me and says to me, “You take care of it”, then closes its eyes and rests. In pain you pray for me to act, but that I act in the way you want. You do not turn to me, instead, you want me to adapt your ideas. You are not sick people who ask the doctor to cure you, but rather sick people who tell the doctor how to.
So do not act this way, but pray as I taught you in the our Father: “Hallowed be thy Name”, that is, be glorified in my need.“Thy kingdom come”, that is, let all that is in us and in the world be in accord with your kingdom. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, that is, in our need, decide as you see fit for our temporal and eternal life. If you say to me truly: “Thy will be done”, which is the same as saying: “You take care of it”, I will intervene with all my omnipotence, and I will resolve the most difficult situations.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 4
You see evil growing instead of weakening? Do not worry. Close your eyes and say to me with faith: “Thy will be done. You take care of it”. I say to you that I will take care of it, and that I will intervene as does a doctor and I will accomplish miracles when they are needed. Do you see that the sick person is getting worse? Do not be upset, but close your eyes and say, “You take care of it.” I say to you that I will take care of it, and that there is no medicine more powerful than my loving intervention. By my love, I promise this to you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 5
And when I must lead you on a path different from the one you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in my arms; I will let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep in their mother’s arms, on the other bank of the river. What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, your thoughts and worry, and your desire at all costs to deal with what afflicts you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 6
You are sleepless; you want to judge everything, direct everything and see to everything and you surrender to human strength, or worse—to men themselves, trusting in their intervention—this is what hinders my words and my views. Oh how much I wish from you this surrender, to help you; and how I suffer when I see you so agitated! Satan tries to do exactly this: to agitate you and to remove you from my protection and to throw you into the jaws of human initiative. So, trust only in me, rest in me, surrender to me in everything.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 7
I perform miracles in proportion to your full surrender to me and to your not thinking of yourselves. I sow treasure troves of graces when you are in the deepest poverty. No person of reason, no thinker, has ever performed miracles, not even among the saints. He does divine works whosoever surrenders to God. So don’t think about it any more, because your mind is acute and for you it is very hard to see evil and to trust in me and to not think of yourself. Do this for all your needs, do this all of you and you will see great continual silent miracles. I will take care of things, I promise this to you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 8
Close your eyes and let yourself be carried away on the flowing current of my grace; close your eyes and do not think of the present, turning your thoughts away from the future just as you would from temptation. Repose in me, believing in my goodness, and I promise you by my love that if you say “You take care of it” I will take care of it all; I will console you, liberate you and guide you.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! (10 times)
Day 9
Pray always in readiness to surrender, and you will receive from it great peace and great rewards, even when I confer on you the grace of immolation, of repentance, and of love. Then what does suffering matter? It seems impossible to you? Close your eyes and say with all your soul, “Jesus, you take care of it.” Do not be afraid, I will take care of things and you will bless my name by humbling yourself. A thousand prayers cannot equal one single act of surrender, remember this well. There is no novena more effective than this.
O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything!
Mother, I am yours now and forever.
Through you and with you
I always want to belong
completely to Jesus.
These words come from the living experience of the presence of Jesus in the prayer life of Father Dolindo Ruotolo and you are invited to make them your own as you pray the novena.
Is there a part of your life that you need to surrender more completely to God? Pray this novena and let us know what happens in the comments at the bottom of the page.
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About Taylor Tripodi
Taylor Tripodi is a twenty-something cradle Catholic from Cleveland, Ohio aspiring for sainthood. She graduated from Franciscan University, majoring in theology and catechetics and is now a full-time musician, traveling all over and spreading God’s unfailing love through word and song. In her spare time she enjoys making scented candles, seeking adventure, and being present to her large, crazy, Italian family. Want to hear her sing? Check outwww.taylortripodi.com.
Featured photo byPriscilla Du PreezonUnsplash
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FAQs
What are the words of the surrender novena? ›
So, trust only in me, rest in me, surrender to me in everything. I perform miracles in proportion to your full surrender to me and to your not thinking of yourselves. I sow treasure troves of graces when you are in the deepest poverty.
What is the Catholic prayer of surrender? ›“In you, my God, my body will rest in hope.” I surrender to God's tender care for my body, my mind, my soul, and my whole life by relinquishing worry over things I cannot control. “Because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption, Israel indeed he will redeem from all its iniquity.”
Do novenas get answered? ›Remember, novenas aren't magic. If you come to the end of your novena and your prayers appear to be unanswered, know that God hears your prayers and loves you. And often, our prayers are not answered in the way we hoped. Ask for God's help in trusting in Him and in desiring that His will be done.
Why do you confuse yourself by worrying? ›Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care of your affairs to Me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to Me pr...
How do I pray a novena? ›The most traditional way to pray a novena is to recite it at least once a day over the course of 9 days. Choose a time of day to recite your novena prayer. You should pray your novena during the same time each day. For example, if you pray at 9 am the first day, you should pray at 9 am the remaining days.
Where did surrender novena come from? ›This novena is based on private revelations from Servant of God Don Dolindo Ruotolo. It is a very simple prayer with a short text, the words of Jesus as told to Fr. Dolindo, and then the repetition of the phrase “Oh Jesus, I surrender myself to you.
What does it mean to surrender in prayer? ›To surrender in spirituality and religion means that a believer completely gives up his own will and subjects his thoughts, ideas, and deeds to the will and teachings of a higher power. It may also be contrasted with Submission.
What scripture says about surrender? ›“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
How powerful is the novena prayer? ›Novena prayers are known for being very powerful in helping with specific problems. If you are seeking urgent help in your life, recite one of these Novenas for special favors to help you. Glory be to the Father, who created me in the image and likeness of God.
How do you pray the novena for the impossible request? ›To thee do I cry, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen. Blessed and praised be the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, in Heaven, on earth, and everywhere.
Why novena is 9 days? ›
The word Novena is rooted in the Latin word for nine. The practice of the novena is based in early Christianity, where Masses were held for nine days with devotional prayers for someone who has died.
How do I stop overthinking and stressing? ›- Pay attention to your thoughts. ...
- Focus on what you can control. ...
- Question your thoughts. ...
- Take time to reflect. ...
- Write it down. ...
- Try mindfulness.
- Distract yourself. ...
- Plan to take action. ...
- Take action. ...
- Question your thoughts. ...
- Readjust your life's goals. ...
- Work on enhancing your self-esteem. ...
- Try meditation. ...
- Understand your triggers.
- Accept where you are. Accept the fog, accept the confusion and accept the feelings of “stuckness.” Sometimes you get stuck because you are meant to be stuck. ...
- Take a deep breath. ...
- Focus on what you know. ...
- Be patient.
Table of Contents. novena, in Christianity, a term designating a spiritual devotion consisting of the recitation of a set form of prayer for nine consecutive days, in petition for a divine favour or in preparation for a liturgical feast or as participation in an important event such as a Year of Jubilee.
Which novena is for finding a job? ›Joseph novena for employment is a miraculous prayer that can help a job seeker get meaningful work and job. St. Joseph is a powerful and highly venerated patron of job seekers.
Can you pray the Divine Mercy anytime? ›According to Roman Catholic tradition, the chaplet may be said at any time, but it is said especially on Divine Mercy Sunday and Fridays at 3:00 PM. The chaplet is prayed daily at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
How many novena prayers are there? ›A novena means praying 9 days in a row, so the 54 Day Novena is, in essence, 6 novenas: the first 3 novenas over the first 27 days are said in petition – asking Mary for her prayers for a particular intention.
What is the prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel? ›"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen."
How do you pray the Rosary of abandonment? ›Jesus, You take over! Surrender Rosary | Rosary of Abandonment
Why is it important to surrender to God? ›
Being dedicated followers of Jesus Christ takes strength and wisdom but, more importantly, it requires us to surrender control of lives once and for all to him, the Lord of all creation, for he is the source of such strength and wisdom. Will you deny yourself, take up his cross, and follow him?
Why is it hard to surrender to God? ›Surrender also goes deeper than that. It's not merely a posture we take during praise and worship; it's a posture of the heart. To be in complete surrender before God requires our utmost. That everything we are—and aren't—every good and terrible part of us, every inch of our being lay vulnerable before Him.
How do I surrender to the universe? ›- Embrace Helplessness. ...
- Tune Into Love. ...
- Release What You Cannot Hold. ...
- Observe Nature. ...
- Show Gratitude. ...
- Increase Self-Awareness. ...
- Listen to Your Intuition. ...
- Acknowledge Life's Grace.
Surrender, at its core, is the willingness to meet life as it is, to stop fighting with or trying to change what is so, right now.
What does surrender to the Divine mean? ›This means that you should perform your duties in life rather than sitting ideally and thinking as you have surrendered to the supreme, he'll take care of everything. You must perform your obligatory duties, you must give your best in everything, and then surrender the results to God.
Does surrender mean giving up? ›Surrender involves continuing to take action steps when appropriate, while giving up means shifting all your energy elsewhere.
What does it mean to submit yourself to God? ›Submission to God's authority brings freedom. It sets order and direction in our everyday lives for those found in Christ. And what is to follow is unimaginable blessing for those who are obedient.
What does it mean to take up your cross? ›It means to lay our "ego strength" aside. Taking up our cross means, instead, picking up those weaknesses that we so often try to run away from in life. Taking up our cross means carrying around those places where we are vulnerable, places where we are maybe even exposed to embarrassment and shame.
What does the Bible say about giving your problems to God? ›We are doing what Philippians 4:6 instructs us to do which is to, “Not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” And when we do this, (present our requests to Him), we feel an overwhelming peace knowing that it is in His hands, which is what ...
How many novena prayers are there? ›A novena means praying 9 days in a row, so the 54 Day Novena is, in essence, 6 novenas: the first 3 novenas over the first 27 days are said in petition – asking Mary for her prayers for a particular intention.
How do you pray the three Hail Mary novena? ›
Three Hail Mary Novena | Powerful Novena !! - YouTube
What do you pray to St Rita for? ›Prayer To St Rita for Impossible Cases & Special Needs - YouTube
What it means to surrender to God? ›To surrender in spirituality and religion means that a believer completely gives up his own will and subjects his thoughts, ideas, and deeds to the will and teachings of a higher power. It may also be contrasted with Submission. Surrender is willful acceptance and yielding to a dominating force and their will.
How do you surrender all to Jesus? ›...
Should I Surrender?
- Be open to surrender.
- Deny yourself.
- Take up his cross.
- Follow him.
Novenas Work
They flow from faith, and God always attends to the prayers of His faithful. We may or may not get what we want. But as we pray novenas, we are praising, preparing, waiting and trusting. And we will be rewarded, just as Christ's first disciples were, in whatever way God sees fit.
Novena prayers are known for being very powerful in helping with specific problems. If you are seeking urgent help in your life, recite one of these Novenas for special favors to help you. Glory be to the Father, who created me in the image and likeness of God.
Why novena is 9 days? ›The word Novena is rooted in the Latin word for nine. The practice of the novena is based in early Christianity, where Masses were held for nine days with devotional prayers for someone who has died.
What is the most powerful Catholic prayer? ›Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Hail Mary, full of grace.
How do you pray for instant miracle? ›Prayer For Instant Miracle | Powerful Prayer for a Miracle Today - YouTube
Why do we say 3 Hail Marys? ›It is known as the "Three Hail Mary Devotion," and consists of saying three times each day the Hail Mary with the invocation "O my Mother, preserve me this day (or night) from mortal sin." The prayer is said three times to honor the Most Blessed Trinity, Who is the source of all of Our Lady's greatness.
What is the most powerful prayer for a miracle? ›
My Lord, you know the peril I am in. I give my condition to you, knowing that your ability to grant a miracle is far beyond anything I can conceive, and your grace is limitless. I thank you that even though this is impossible with man, with you, all things are possible. Amen.
What is the most powerful prayer to say to Saint Anthony? ›O Holy St Anthony, the gentlest and kindest of Saints, your burning love of God, your exalted virtue, and your great charity towards your fellow creatures, made you worthy, when on earth to possess miraculous powers such as were given to no other saint.
How do you pray for impossible things? ›For even the winds and waves obey your command. When I feel weak and limited, I will put my trust in you and remember that your power is limitless. When my problems feel impossible, I will hand them over to you, for whom all things are possible. Amen.