An Advent Journey for the Discerning Heart:
Prepare your heart for Christ through Scripture, the saints, and the gentle practice of daily listening.
Week Two: Following the Voice of Christ
DAY 13 – Surrender
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3.5 to 6 RSV
Surrender is the quiet, interior movement that releases control and entrusts everything to God. It is not resignation. It is not passivity. True surrender is an act of love. It opens the heart so God can work in ways we cannot manage or foresee.
In the spiritual life, surrender is never one single moment. It unfolds slowly, often through repeated invitations. God does not force surrender. He gently asks for it. Advent teaches this rhythm. God approaches, and the heart responds. The heart loosens its grip again and again as trust deepens.
Surrender is not a feeling. It is a decision. It says, “Lord, You know what I cannot see. You lead, I follow.” Surrender frees the heart from fear, softens resistance, and clears space for grace to move. In surrender, the listening heart learns to recognize Christ’s voice with greater clarity.
Journey with the Saints –
St. Charles de Foucauld
“Father, I abandon myself into Your hands. Do with me what You will. Whatever You may do, I thank You.”
St. Charles de Foucauld, Prayer of Abandonment
St. Charles de Foucauld lived surrender as the center of his spiritual life. His entire mission began not with clarity or certainty, but with a willingness to entrust everything to God. His famous Prayer of Abandonment reveals a heart that desired nothing but God’s will, carried in absolute trust.
For St. Charles, surrender was the path to intimacy with Christ. He believed God could work most freely in a heart that held nothing back. His surrender was not dramatic. It was steady, simple, and offered in love. He accepted obscurity, hiddenness, and daily poverty as places where Christ wished to dwell with him.
St. Charles de Foucauld teaches that surrender is not weakness. It is confidence in God’s goodness. It is the interior posture that allows grace to guide what we cannot control. His life shows that surrender opens a space where Christ can make His home.
Reflection for the Listening Heart
Today invites you to notice what you are holding tightly. Where are you grasping for control. Where do you fear what you cannot predict or understand. These places point to the invitation to surrender.
Surrender is not giving up responsibility. It is giving God permission to lead. It allows the heart to rest without demanding answers first. When surrender grows, the voice of Christ becomes easier to hear. Pressure softens. Anxiety loosens. Grace becomes visible.
Ask yourself:
What am I carrying that I cannot carry alone?
What would it look like to place this in God’s hands today?
A Simple Practice for Today
Hold your hands open in prayer and quietly say, “Father, I entrust this to You.” Name one burden, fear, or desire. Later in the day, repeat the gesture briefly as a reminder that God carries what you release to Him.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, teach my heart to surrender. Help me let go of what
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