Hallow app team reveals why surrendering to God's will 'can feel scary' when we 'want to be strong'

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During the season of Lent, some people find it helpful to pray the Surrender Novena as a way to strengthen their relationship with Jesus and fully place their lives in His hands. 

A novena is a prayer that is said repeatedly over nine — or a multiple of nine — days or weeks. In Latin, "novem" means "nine." 

The Surrender Novena, composed by Servant of God Don Dolindo Ruotolo, is "a powerful prayer that invites us to let go and give everything over to Jesus," Ashley Lenz, a content lead at the Christian prayer app Hallow, which is headquartered in Chicago, told Fox News Digital. 

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Surrendering to God's will "can feel scary," said Lenz. Humans "are creatures who like to be in control — or, at least, who like to pretend that we are in control of our lives."

The fear associated with "surrender" is twofold, Lenz said. 

The Surrender Novena, prayed over a nine-day period, is "a powerful prayer that invites us to let go and give everything over to Jesus."  (iStock)

"First, it means coming to understand the depths of our own poverty," she said. 

Before people can surrender to God, they must "come face to face with their own lack of power," and their inability to transform the world to their desires. 

"That’s not how most of us want to see ourselves. I want to be strong. I want to be someone who can effect change," said Lenz. 

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"But any true surrender to God has to begin with recognizing that we are creatures, wholly dependent on our Creator." 

Secondly, people often face difficulty with fully trusting God to lead their lives, Lenz told Fox News Digital.  

Surrendering one's life to God may be frightening for a multitude of reasons. (iStock)

"What if I surrender my will to God and He leads me to a place of suffering? What if I give God control and my life goes downhill? What if following God is too hard or what if God doesn’t really have my best interest in mind? All of those fears are echoes of the same lie the serpent sold Adam and Eve in the Garden," she said. 

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A Christian, said Lenz, should not give into that lie. 

Instead, Christians should remember that "the whole of salvation history is the story of God’s steadfast love for us, a resounding rebuttal to the serpent’s claims."

Surrendering to the will of God may seem terrifying, but Christians can be assured that "He will not abandon us" nor "lead us to despair."   (iStock)

"We worship a God who bent down to earth, taking on flesh and dying for us. We worship our Father, a loving God who claims us as His children. The Good Shepherd," said Lenz. 

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Whatever God has in store for the lives of humanity, people should take comfort in the fact that "He will not abandon us. He will not leave us to despair," she said. 

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"When we surrender to His will — we are surrendering to perfect love."

Mark Wahlberg, above left, and Jonathan Roumie, right, shared Hallow app prayer messages recently on "Fox & Friends" on Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.  ("Fox & Friends" screengrab)

Recently, the prayer and meditation app known as Hallow moved to the top spot on Apple's App Store. 

It continued to see a surge in downloads after the airing of its Super Bowl ad and the beginning of Lent. 

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