Lent, the 40-day liturgical season that brings us to Jesus’s Cross, is a powerful time to learn how to surrender to God. We often have a hard time resigning everything into God’s hands, but Jesus gave us a powerful example of how to do this when he suffered and died for us. He showed surrender at his agony in the garden and every step of the way along his passion until he offered his very last breath: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). 

During Lent, we’re invited to follow his example by entrusting everything to God: our joys and struggles, successes and sorrows. It’s easier to say “I trust you, Lord” when the stakes feel small. But surrender becomes harder when it involves our health, relationships, or the well-being of our children. Still, true surrender brings lasting peace, even when the path is difficult. Here are 5 Ascension Presents videos to encourage you in the virtue of surrender!

1. “Why Surrender is Actually So Difficult” with Mari Pablo

“Where’s the balance…? Do I give it all to Jesus? Or do I have my five-year-plan, my ten-year-plan, figure out when I’m gonna get married, have kids, and do everything right now?” In this video, Catholic speaker Mari Pablo puts words to the tug-of-war we all experience in our hearts when we are called to give everything to the Lord. And yet, our lives can completely turn around when we just “stop fighting and surrender.” Watch the full video for an honest chat about surrender, practical ways to practice this disposition, and Mari’s pro-tip for moments of anxiety.

2. ”Surrender: The Strength of the Spiritual Life” with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames

Sometimes we are too centered on our own strengths, and this makes growth difficult. Fr. Mark-Mary reminds us that to truly become strong, we must first face our weaknesses and turn to the Lord. It does not all depend on us: God knows that we are not strong, and he wants to show us what he can do for us. The first step towards surrender is asking him to help us with a prayer like the one Fr. Mark-Mary suggests in this video: “God, I give you permission to take what I’m not strong enough to give.”

3. "When You LOVE Control But God Wants Surrender 🤲🏻" with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames

Sometimes, our sense of confidence becomes a desire to control things a bit too much. It’s good and important to tell ourselves, “I’ve got this,” but we must steer away from trying to direct everything. There are many things in the spiritual life that we need, but that we can only get from God by learning to depend on him. Watch this video to learn from Fr. Mark-Mary about how to pray for surrender when the desire for control becomes crippling.

4. "The Secret to Surrendering to God’s Will (The Agony in the Garden)" with Dr. Edward Sri 

What’s going on for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane? How is he opening his heart to us amid his most intense moment of prayer and total surrender? In this video, Dr. Edward Sri shares a few nuggets of Scripture and theology to walk us through Christ’s agony in the garden in a new and insightful way. Like Jesus, we should bring our emotions and fears to God so they do not prevent us from taking the next step in his will. God uses trials and suffering to call us to spend more time with him in prayer so that our human wills can be united to his.   

5. What Does It Cost to Trust God? (+ Surrender Prayer) with Stacey Sumereau

Scripture says that God gives and takes away (see Job 1:21b) –– if he asks us to hand our plans over to him, and things turn out differently than we expect, will he give us other good things again? Writer and speaker Stacey Sumereau has words of encouragement for the moments when we wrestle with this question. She shares her own experience of so-called “sticker shock” at the price of a down payment of trust in God for her life and introduces us to a life-changing prayer for surrender that you won’t want to miss.