The Surrender Novena: A 9-day journey to abandonment to God

Right at the core, faith is all about trusting God, his words, and his actions. Yet, our lives are surrounded by uncertainties all around. Whether it’s concerning your financial goals, the health of your loved ones, or your career, a big question mark lingers on every aspect. Amidst all these, it’s natural that every heart succumbs to the clutches of stress and anxiety. 

Now enters the Surrender Novena- a different path where radicalism and abandonment to God’s providence make all the differences. It lays the cornerstone for a nine-day long devotional period that reminds the heart that peace can never be defined with control but rather letting go. With this being said,
A. T. Merhaut in this blog, gives a detailed guide to illustrate what each day of devotion looks like and how the Surrender Novena can transform your spiritual journey.

The structure of the 9-day journey

The Surrender Novena is a nine-day long devotional journey. Each day will offer you a reflection about Jesus’s words and voice reassuring the troubled and anxious souls. All these reflections that you will gather throughout the journey put emphasis on three core concepts- rest, trust, and surrender. At the end of every day, you need to conclude your reflection by repeating a prayer for ten times:

“O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything”

One thing to note here that the Surrender Novena transcends the petitions for specific favors associated with other Novenas. It focuses on a much deeper thought- the grace to stop clinging to your anxieties and worries and letting God act in your lives. 

Key themes defining the Surrender Novena

Trust beyond understanding

The Surrender Novena acts as a constant reminder that God can see what our human eyes cannot. Our natural instincts push us to solve every problem we encounter in the journey of life. However, with this devotional journey, you can understand the true essence of resting in Him and believing that His plans are far greater than what we have set for ourselves. 

Letting go of anxiety

Our mind and heart get anxious as a result of the fruit of the urge to control everything, especially those that are uncontrollable. With the Surrender Novena, you will learn the ways to place these anxieties in Jesus’s hands, recognizing that He always works through circumstances that often seem to be hopeless. 

God’s timing and providence

There’s no doubt that patience is one of the hardest aspects of trust that humans are yet to achieve. That’s why the Surrender Novena emphasizes that God will always act at the right time. in other words, it teaches us that surrender means letting go of our desires or demands to see immediate results of any action or decision. 

Abandonment as love 

Many would consider abandoning oneself to God as a form of passive resignation. However, that’s not the case. The Novena teaches us otherwise- it is an active choice of trust and love. By surrendering yourself to Christ, you can declare: “Jesus, I believe in Your love more than my fears”. 

Walking through the 9 days

Although the reflections offered by the Surrender Novena are short, they carry a unique purpose or invitation. Here’s how. 

Day 1: Stop worrying and trust that God is aware of your needs. 

Day 2: The more you surrender yourself, the more God will act. 

Day 3: Don’t look for solutions with your human mind- rather towards God. 

Day 4: Worrying will always delay God’s work; surrender, on the other hand, accelerates it. 

Day 5: Complete trust in God’s actions and words can move mountains.

Day 6: Trust brings serenity, even if you face trials and tough circumstances.

Day 7: God’s power will work only through your surrender.

Day 8: Rest in Jesus as He will carry your burdens without complains. 

Day 9: The more your surrender, the greater will be the miracles. 

Transformations through the Novena

The Surrender Novena can bring unimaginable transformations, provided you acknowledge the reflections from the depth of your heart and align yourself with Christ’s will. Here’s how. 

1. It brings calm to the anxious souls.

2. For the grieving hearts, it helps making them comfortable and eases the pain.

3. For the doubtful minds, the Novena brings the benefits of renewed faith. 

4. It also brings liberation and inner freedom for controlling behaviors. 

Final thoughts 

Truth be told, abandonment doesn’t come naturally. The human brain and heart are conditioned to strive, plan, and control. Even during prayers, we have a tendency to cling to outcomes, requesting God to align with our will rather than aligning with His. This is where the Surrender Novena comes into play, disrupting this continuous cycle and asking us to go against our instincts.