Prayer as Surrender
by Monica Pugh | February 21, 2025
There is no single way to pray but all prayer requires the will, or desire, to pray. When we pray we speak to God calling on the Holy Spirit for guidance asking everything in Jesus’ name. Prayer asks us to surrender our whole heart to God because prayer comes from our hearts.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux says, “For me, prayer is a burst from my heart, it is a simple glance thrown toward heaven, a cry of thanksgiving and love in times of trial as well as in times of joy.” St. Thérèse teaches us about prayer and reveals the deep hidden emotions of her heart and soul in this short sentence. She looks to heaven and hints at her words as she cries to God in times of joy and suffering. Her prayers use her mind, body, and soul to surrender her will to be in communion with God’s will.
Surrendering our whole heart requires humility. In Romans 8:26 we read, “We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." The foundation of prayer is humility as we are beggars before God. My prayers often begged God to do as I asked but not necessarily as a humble beggar seeking his will. I just wanted my prayers to be answered the way I thought was best for me. When I come in humility seeking his will, he shows me my trials are times of growth and can be filled with thanksgiving.
The Catholic dinner prayer, “Bless us, O Lord”, is a prayer we all know and say in thanksgiving for our food. As someone begins the familiar words, we quickly join so we can eat or pause if we’ve already taken a bite. But a closer look shows us the prayer is full of humility by asking for God’s blessings, giving praise, and expressing gratitude.
This prayer is found in a book dating back to the eighth century called the Gelasian Sacramentary linked to Pope Gelasius I. Praying before meals or asking for blessings over food was well documented in the Jewish faith and early Christian traditions. We ask God to bless the food and the people present for having received them giving praise to God through Jesus Christ. This prayer shows we depend on God for our lives and every gift given to us as we ask for his blessing on the food and people present. This prayer is acknowledgment of God’s grace given through the cross. That is why we call it grace. But, I have often prayed it with speed and little humility.
As we say grace, think of St. Thérèse’s words and humbly bow your head before you pray, “Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.” Recite each word from your heart in surrender to God and hope for his blessings. Receive this beautiful gift of God’s grace with humble posture and feel his mercy wash over you.