Surrender to God means giving our entire self, our will, and our life over to Him, trusting completely in His divine plan and guidance. It’s a profound act of love and faith, recognizing that God alone is our ultimate good and source of happiness.
Here are some key aspects of what surrender to God entails:
- Total and Unreserved Giving: It means holding nothing back from God. We are called to give Him our whole self, not just parts we deem “religious” or convenient. This involves surrendering our desires, plans, fears, and even our understanding of what is best for us, allowing His will to take precedence over our own. As St. Paul reminds us, “Now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2), urging us to make this surrender in the present moment.
- Aligning Our Will with God’s: At its heart, surrender is about uniting our will with God’s. It’s a conscious choice to say, “Thy will be done,” not just with our words, but with our actions and intentions. This doesn’t mean we lose our individuality, but rather that our will becomes absorbed and merged in God’s Providence, much like a child’s will is naturally united with its mother’s. This union is considered the highest perfection a human will can attain.
- Detachment from Created Things: To truly surrender to God, we must cultivate a spirit of detachment from worldly possessions, ambitions, and even our own comforts. This means using created things only insofar as they bring us closer to God, and detaching from them if they turn us away from Him (CCC 226). When we are deeply in love with God, anything that hinders our union with Him is gladly surrendered.
- Unwavering Trust in All Circumstances: Surrender requires profound trust in God’s goodness and wisdom, even when facing adversity or when His presence feels distant. It’s about believing that God is always with us, holding us up, even when we only have faith to rely on, not feeling or experience. As St. Teresa of Avila beautifully expressed, “Let nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you Everything passes / God never changes Patience / Obtains all Whoever has God / Wants for nothing God alone is enough” (CCC 227).
- A Continuous Act: Surrender is not a one-time event but a daily, even moment-by-moment, renewal. We constantly need to renew our renunciation of our own will and seek what God desires. This ongoing sacrifice, when made without reserve and with constancy, helps to quiet our passions and inordinate affections, bringing inner peace and freedom from struggle.
Ultimately, surrender to God is the path to true freedom and happiness, as it allows us to live fully in His loving embrace and to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. It is a fundamental way we respond to His divine mercy, by offering our lives back to Him in gratitude and trust.
Surrendering to God is a deeply personal and ongoing journey, but there are concrete ways we can cultivate this disposition of heart and mind. It’s about actively choosing to let go of our own control and embrace God’s loving will for us.
Here are some ways to practice surrendering to God:
- Cultivate a Spirit of Trust: At the core of surrender is trust. We often fear giving up control because we doubt what might happen next. However, God’s love and wisdom are perfect. As we heard in our previous discussion, a deep-seated fear can make us hesitant to abandon ourselves totally into God’s hands, fearing He won’t catch us. Overcoming this requires a conscious act of faith, believing that God desires only our good and will sustain us in every moment. It’s like accepting a marriage proposal from God, based on trust in Him as a real person, not just a set of ideas.
- Engage in Daily Prayer and Reflection: Make time each day to communicate with God. In prayer, we can explicitly offer our will, our plans, and our concerns to Him. A simple prayer like “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10) can be profoundly powerful when prayed with sincerity. Reflect on the Scriptures, especially passages that speak of God’s providence and care, or the Passion of Christ, which demonstrates His ultimate surrender and love. Hallow offers guided prayers and meditations that can help you develop this consistent habit.
- Receive the Sacraments Frequently: The Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, are powerful channels of grace that strengthen our ability to surrender. In the Eucharist, we receive Christ Himself, who perfectly surrendered to the Father’s will. In Reconciliation, we experience God’s boundless mercy, which helps us to let go of our sins and trust in His forgiveness, renewing our commitment to His path.
- Practice Detachment: Surrender often involves letting go of things we cling to: material possessions, certain outcomes, our reputation, or even our own ideas of how our life “should” be. This doesn’t mean we don’t strive or plan, but that we hold these things lightly, ready to release them if God calls us to a different path. It’s about using created things only as they lead us closer to God, and being willing to detach from anything that hinders that relationship.
- Embrace Repentance and Allow God’s Grace to Transform You: Surrender is closely linked to repentance. It’s not about trying to reform our lives first to earn God’s favor. Instead, it’s about surrendering to God’s love and grace, which then motivates and enables us to reform our lives and do good works. God initiates this process, offering His love and salvation, and our “yes” to Him includes repentance, faith, and works of love.
- Accept God’s Providence in Difficulties: It’s easy to surrender when things are going well. True surrender is tested and deepened when we face challenges, suffering, or uncertainty. In these moments, we are called to trust that God is still at work, even if we don’t understand His plan. This constant, unreserved sacrifice of our will, even in adversity, helps to quiet our inner struggles and brings a profound peace.
Surrender to God is not a passive resignation but an active, loving choice to align ourselves with the One who knows us best and loves us most. It’s a continuous act, renewed day by day, as we seek to do nothing but what He wills.
Does this help clarify how you might begin or deepen your journey of surrender, especially during this Lenten season?