The Prayer of Abandonment: Surrender to God

Heinrich Hofmann painting of Jesus kneeling in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, gazing toward heavenly light.
Christ in Gethsemane, Heinrich Hofmann (1886). Public domain.

When we can no longer carry our worries, we can place ourselves entirely into the hands of God. This Prayer of Abandonment, beloved across the world, is a prayer of total surrender and boundless trust in the Father who loves us.

The Prayer of Abandonment

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.

Many also make a short act of surrender through the day, entrusting every care to the Lord: O Jesus, I surrender myself to you; take care of everything.

When to Pray This Prayer

In anxiety, fear, illness, or grief, and any time you must let go and trust God with what you cannot control.

About This Prayer

This prayer was composed by Blessed Charles de Foucauld, drawn from the last words of Jesus on the Cross: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. It has become one of the most loved prayers of surrender in the Church.

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Text: the Prayer of Abandonment, Blessed Charles de Foucauld (public domain).

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