The Surrender Novena Reveals Why You Can’t Hear God’s Voice

Denise Jelinek explains how, in the Surrender Novena, Jesus directs us to avoid what keeps us from hearing His voice.

If you’ve ever prayed and felt like you couldn’t hear God’s voice, then I invite you to read the Surrender Novena.

In this nine-day prayer, the Lord reveals what can “hinder” us from hearing His voice and guidance.

The name of the Surrender Novena immediately intrigued me when I heard about it over a year ago. The Lord kept putting it in my life, through conversations with other people, until I finally added it to my prayer routine.

I had previously finished novenas on Day 9 and then moved on. But over the past nine months, I’ve been redoing the Surrender Novena after each time I complete it.

I shared some of what I’ve learned in another article I wrote: “What God Wants to Teach You in the Surrender Novena.”

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Now, I’m continuing that theme by sharing the five things Jesus reveals in the Surrender Novena that hinder us from hearing His voice and guidance.

Judging everything

Often, we want to look at the world and categorize everything as good/bad or right/wrong, rather than simply accepting circumstances and people (and their behavior) as part of God’s world.

Without a doubt, there are actions that the Lord loves and hates, but He says if we focus on judging people and only find peace when things are “good” or become unsettled when things are “bad,” then we’re distracted from hearing His voice.

Our job is to keep our focus on what He wants for our lives and leave the judging of the world to Him.

Directing everything

This is the belief that we know how life should go by putting ourselves in charge of everything. We wrongly believe it’s up to us to make the “right” outcome happen.

Here, The Lord provides a not-so-gentle reminder that we don’t know what is best. Only God does. As long as we’re attached to an outcome, we haven’t surrendered to God’s will and we won’t hear His voice.

Seeing to everything

This is believing that “it’s all up to me” or else things will fall apart. This places an unnecessary burden on ourselves. Yes, The Lord asks us to work and tend to things, but the work He has for us is what He tells us, not what we think is best.

Surrendering to human strength

God wants to give us all of His strength, but this can only happen when we humble ourselves and surrender our wills. If we want to do things on our own, then we’re not willing to be led and we won’t hear His voice.

O worse, surrendering to men themselves, trusting in their intervention

The Lord cautions us not to prioritize the world’s values (or even a friend’s opinion) over His. This can happen when you justify going against what God wants because you see other people doing it, too.

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5 things Jesus reveals in the Surrender Novena that hinder us from hearing His voice and guidance. #CatholicMom

Reread these five areas. What did the Lord reveal may be holding you back from hearing His words? He loves you so much and wants to be fully integrated into every area of your life!

Through your consistent practice of praying the Surrender Novena, the Lord will transform your life! You can get a free pdf at clallamcatholic.org.

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