Prayer of Total Abandonment

An appeal for total self‑surrender, asking God to provide what the heart cannot even ask for.

O Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of Thee. Thou only knowest what I need. Thou lovest me better than I can love myself. O Father, give to Thy child that which he knows not how to ask. I smite my breast; I open my heart to Thee. Strip me of my self-will, and fashion me according to Thy pleasure.

Written by François Fénelon

surrender · adoration · grace