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Into Your Hands, Father: Abandoning Ourselves to the God Who Loves Us
In the spiritual life, we need a central something so basic and comprehensive that it encompasses everything else. According to Carmelite Father Wilfrid Stinissen, surrender to God, abandonment to the One who loves us completely, is that central reality. The life of Jesus shows us the centrality of abandonment, for it is truly the beginning and the end of his mission on earth. In this simple but profound book, Father Stinissen distinguishes three degrees or stages in abandonment. The first stage consists of accepting and assenting to God's will as it manifests itself in all circumstances of life. The second is actively doing God's will at every moment of one's life. In the third stage, abandonment to God is so complete that one has become a tool in God's hands. At this stage it is no longer I who do God's will, but God who accomplishes his will through me.
105 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
March 3, 2023
The Spirit is prepared to lead us at all times. The question is: are we prepared to let ourselves be led?
May 31, 2026
One of my FAVORITE spiritual reads. Everyone needs to read it!!!
September 17, 2017
Wish I could give it 6 stars!!!!!
February 16, 2022
Let go and let God lead us in everything is the main theme. A classic for sure that is a great read - over and over. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
March 5, 2012
The beauty of this book is not in the fact that it is profound or gives amazing advice about abandonment to God, although it does. What is most beautiful is it's simplicity. It reveals to you things that you then realize that you already knew, deep inside. But, as soon as you are done, there is a longing to turn back to the first page and read it again.
I think this is going to be a great book to keep coming back to, especially at different times during the ebb and flow of our life of faith. The best part for me was the last section, where he described a level of abandonment where God works through you, instead of you trying to attain to God.
My natural disposition is to want to skip to the end, to overachieve, to jump right into the heart of the matter... But he tells us that this is not the way to do it. If we truly want to do well, we need to go through each stage of development.
After all, having God is not an event, but a life lived with Him eternally.
I think this is going to be a great book to keep coming back to, especially at different times during the ebb and flow of our life of faith. The best part for me was the last section, where he described a level of abandonment where God works through you, instead of you trying to attain to God.
My natural disposition is to want to skip to the end, to overachieve, to jump right into the heart of the matter... But he tells us that this is not the way to do it. If we truly want to do well, we need to go through each stage of development.
After all, having God is not an event, but a life lived with Him eternally.
November 26, 2024
I slowed it down probably 3/4 of the way into this book… I think I just lost focus. I really loved it and was eating it up until that point so I think a part of my 4 star review was that— I didn’t LOVE it right to the end. But fantastic fantastic stuff in this book— talks about many different phases of surrender and gave me a lot of pray with and think about!
September 19, 2026
Absolutely fantastic read. As far as spiritual reading goes, surrendering ourselves to God is probably my favorite topic and this is a wonderful resource for just that. Easily recommended for anyone looking to deepen their relationship with God.
October 30, 2025
Read this first year in seminary and will probably return to it soon. In short, Jesus wants to share his dad with us. Pretty cool, huh?
July 26, 2026
Phenomenal read. Perfect for the Camino.
February 14, 2026
Probably my favorite book ever on surrender.
February 16, 2017
Main point of this book: the key principle of Christian living is surrender to God's will. This is a respectable thesis, and is basically the theme of the spiritual classic "Abandonment to Divine Providence" (De Caussade).
I gave the book 3 stars not because I think it is a bad book. The author is Catholic and there is nothing that struck me as contrary to the Faith. Rather, I simply found the book's approach not to be particularly helpful for me. But I know at least one very wise and holy priest who loved this book, so don't let me stop you from reading it.
A good Jesuit friend critiqued the book's attempt to combine Jesuit (Caussade) and Carmelite (Teresa, John of the Cross) spiritualities, when they are fundamentally different approaches. In Jesuit spirituality, the world is one's "cell" (i.e. monastic place of prayer) -- in other words, one is meant to sanctify one's work in the world, making it a prayer to God. Whereas in Carmelite spirituality, one's cell contains the world -- that is, the Carmelite devotes him-/herself to prayer in the monastery/ convent and thus implores God's grace upon world.
I gave the book 3 stars not because I think it is a bad book. The author is Catholic and there is nothing that struck me as contrary to the Faith. Rather, I simply found the book's approach not to be particularly helpful for me. But I know at least one very wise and holy priest who loved this book, so don't let me stop you from reading it.
A good Jesuit friend critiqued the book's attempt to combine Jesuit (Caussade) and Carmelite (Teresa, John of the Cross) spiritualities, when they are fundamentally different approaches. In Jesuit spirituality, the world is one's "cell" (i.e. monastic place of prayer) -- in other words, one is meant to sanctify one's work in the world, making it a prayer to God. Whereas in Carmelite spirituality, one's cell contains the world -- that is, the Carmelite devotes him-/herself to prayer in the monastery/ convent and thus implores God's grace upon world.
January 1, 2020
“How can you know that you are living in God’s will? This is the sign: If you are troubled about anything, that means you are not completely abandoned to God’s will.
—
“If we ask a mature Christian to speak about his journey to God, it will always be a story of obedience, though the word itself may not be mentioned.
—
“Her gaze was one single question: ‘What would you have me do?’
—
“There is not a moment in life when we can say: this is an instant God has forgotten, an empty moment.”
—
“If we ask a mature Christian to speak about his journey to God, it will always be a story of obedience, though the word itself may not be mentioned.
—
“Her gaze was one single question: ‘What would you have me do?’
—
“There is not a moment in life when we can say: this is an instant God has forgotten, an empty moment.”
April 13, 2014
great reminders of how to surrender.
December 21, 2014
Outstanding spiritual classic. The Caussade of the 21st century.
January 7, 2025
Recommended by Fr. John Horn as one of his most important reads.
Read
September 3, 2026So peaceful and hopeful and good. Saying yes to God is always a full life.
"To let something happen is also a decision of God."
"The freedom from cares that the Gospel speaks is not the same as indifference."
"Those who trust that God is guiding everything can never be frustrated. If they do not get a certain thing, they know that they do not need it. If something they have waited for does not happen, they conclude that it is not meant for them. They are not disappointed, because everything is just as it should be."
"If we feel a deeper peace after responding to an inner prompting, we can believe that we have said Yes to God. We often know beforehand if a certain action will bring us peace or unrest. We begin to develop an ability to discern, which makes it all the easier to recognize God."
"Let your whole life rest in His powerful yet tender hand."
"True growth consists in placing oneself, without reserve, at the disposal of the Lord's will, which is still unknown."
"As soon as we give up all of our own desires, we begin to have a share in the boundlessness of God."
"It is in the very smallest things that I meet the very greatest."
"Every person comes into the world with a dream of doing something great with his life, something that will make an imprint and bear fruit. God himself inspires this dream. He is, of course, the one who makes the human person great. If only we could understand that we can only realize our dream by being totally present to the little and insignificant things we have to do at each moment. We encounter the infinity of God only in the present moment."
"When we are fully synchronized with God, we never lose out on anything. We receive exactly what he wants to give us, and always in full measure."
"God does not need to look for extraordinary tasks in order to make each person a unique being. It is by fulfilling the most ordinary duties that a person is original. Everyone who honestly tries to live in obedience to the Spirit's inspiration knows that a life that from the outside looks monotonous and dull can be very adventurous and exciting."
"True love inevitably leads to total surrender."
"We hinder God when we do not want to respond to his total surrender with our total surrender."
"He leads you through dark valleys, and your heart can only come to the place for which it longs through dark valleys."
"To let something happen is also a decision of God."
"The freedom from cares that the Gospel speaks is not the same as indifference."
"Those who trust that God is guiding everything can never be frustrated. If they do not get a certain thing, they know that they do not need it. If something they have waited for does not happen, they conclude that it is not meant for them. They are not disappointed, because everything is just as it should be."
"If we feel a deeper peace after responding to an inner prompting, we can believe that we have said Yes to God. We often know beforehand if a certain action will bring us peace or unrest. We begin to develop an ability to discern, which makes it all the easier to recognize God."
"Let your whole life rest in His powerful yet tender hand."
"True growth consists in placing oneself, without reserve, at the disposal of the Lord's will, which is still unknown."
"As soon as we give up all of our own desires, we begin to have a share in the boundlessness of God."
"It is in the very smallest things that I meet the very greatest."
"Every person comes into the world with a dream of doing something great with his life, something that will make an imprint and bear fruit. God himself inspires this dream. He is, of course, the one who makes the human person great. If only we could understand that we can only realize our dream by being totally present to the little and insignificant things we have to do at each moment. We encounter the infinity of God only in the present moment."
"When we are fully synchronized with God, we never lose out on anything. We receive exactly what he wants to give us, and always in full measure."
"God does not need to look for extraordinary tasks in order to make each person a unique being. It is by fulfilling the most ordinary duties that a person is original. Everyone who honestly tries to live in obedience to the Spirit's inspiration knows that a life that from the outside looks monotonous and dull can be very adventurous and exciting."
"True love inevitably leads to total surrender."
"We hinder God when we do not want to respond to his total surrender with our total surrender."
"He leads you through dark valleys, and your heart can only come to the place for which it longs through dark valleys."
June 12, 2022
Love, love love this book. Can't wait to get my hands on other books by this author. He goes deep into what abandon looks like in daily life. And he beautifully couches the difficult imperative of abandon with love. Super helpful that he walks us through different stages of abandon, the importance of the RIGHT spiritual director for discernment, and how there might even be possible premature abandon (I forget how he phrases it). I treat this book almost like a one to one discussion on Fr Cassaude's book.
By the way, I love love love spiritual books written by authors who seem to have a deep interior life. That's pretty much all I read when I can find time. They're so much more inspirational than books that are intellectual heady. That might just be what my soul needs right now however. Just my personal take really. Enjoy!
By the way, I love love love spiritual books written by authors who seem to have a deep interior life. That's pretty much all I read when I can find time. They're so much more inspirational than books that are intellectual heady. That might just be what my soul needs right now however. Just my personal take really. Enjoy!
January 2, 2026
I liked a lot of the points in the book like how God is in the present and permissive will and active will are the same but it’s abstract and not very practical. Overall good book I just didn’t enjoy reading it
March 25, 2026
This was really good. Will definitely need to reread again sometime. Just so much depth put so simply it just hits ya between the eyeballs. A must read for any fan of Father Jacques Philippe - same vibes.
September 9, 2018
‘Learning to let go’ is the central theme. And Stinissen maintains that once you learn it, it becomes as easy as breathing.
August 5, 2026
Truly excellent
October 31, 2026
2nd time with this one, and still so so good
December 26, 2025
Beautiful book about surrender. Lots of inspirational quotes within the book that created peace.
April 9, 2024
A fantastic book. If you've ever read Abandonment to Divine Providence, you will find many themes in this book to be very familiar. Indeed, Stinissen quotes de Caussade at length. While it may seem to be a small book, don't expect this to be a quick read. Each page is packed with deep spiritual nuggets that need to be slowly digested.
April 10, 2025
I’m sure this book deserves 5 stars, but *I* have so much of the work to do. I will definitely come back again and again to this little gem.
December 8, 2025
Definitely went over my head towards the end. The first half, though, put into words so many of my own thoughts on my spiritual life at this stage. That’s my favorite thing about reading, finding the words I’ve been fumbling for. Therefore I give this four stars. Nice 👍
May 5, 2023
I've probably read this book five times and I will probably read it several more. Powerful book.
March 10, 2017
Short but excellent book on doing and accepting God's will in all aspects of our life. I found myself highlighting and bookmarking a lot of quotes and sections from the book. Some good insights about how everything that happens is God's will, whether it be his direct will or his permissive will. Some quotes from St. Augustine sum it up well, "Nothing happens that the Almighty does not will should happen, either by permitting it or by himself doing it" and "God is so good that in his hand, even evil brings about good. He would never have permitted evil to occur if he had not, thanks to his perfect goodness, been able to use it."
Another good insight is how God's will is always in the present moment and how we shouldn't be concerned with past events or worry about future events. We can get so preoccupied by the past and future that we have "neither energy or openness left for the present moment." Another point related to this is how we truly live in God's will when we do the little things right in front of us. "I live much more in God’s will when I do the little, ordinary work he gives me to do right now. Yes, the more consciously I live and the more concentrated I am in the moment, the more I am one with God’s will. It is in the very smallest things that I meet the very greatest."
And another great quote, "The infinity of God comes to us through a funnel. It becomes so little and so narrow that it is difficult for us to recognize it. It comes only drop by drop through the small opening. The funnel is the present moment. When I put my mouth to the funnel, I am nourished by infinity. Even this is something we can experience. The more concentrated we are and the more we live from moment to moment, the more space opens up to us and we feel we are living in a kind of boundlessness. The present moment is the incarnation of God’s eternity. Those who live in the present moment drink unceasingly of eternity."
I would highly recommend this book to any Christian seeking to do God's will more perfectly in their life. I definitely plan to read this again, probably multiple times, since there are so many great insights and since it's very applicable to our everyday lives.
Another good insight is how God's will is always in the present moment and how we shouldn't be concerned with past events or worry about future events. We can get so preoccupied by the past and future that we have "neither energy or openness left for the present moment." Another point related to this is how we truly live in God's will when we do the little things right in front of us. "I live much more in God’s will when I do the little, ordinary work he gives me to do right now. Yes, the more consciously I live and the more concentrated I am in the moment, the more I am one with God’s will. It is in the very smallest things that I meet the very greatest."
And another great quote, "The infinity of God comes to us through a funnel. It becomes so little and so narrow that it is difficult for us to recognize it. It comes only drop by drop through the small opening. The funnel is the present moment. When I put my mouth to the funnel, I am nourished by infinity. Even this is something we can experience. The more concentrated we are and the more we live from moment to moment, the more space opens up to us and we feel we are living in a kind of boundlessness. The present moment is the incarnation of God’s eternity. Those who live in the present moment drink unceasingly of eternity."
I would highly recommend this book to any Christian seeking to do God's will more perfectly in their life. I definitely plan to read this again, probably multiple times, since there are so many great insights and since it's very applicable to our everyday lives.
September 1, 2011
Do not be taken back by the small size of this book, although small the quality of the reading is high. In fact I will probably need to read this over again just to be sure I have grasped certain concepts. This book shows 3 Stages in Surrendering to God: Accepting, Following, and Becoming; with each section given sufficient treatment on the matter. I thought this book was so good that I actually bought it for a friend as well who was interested in learning more about the Concept of Surrendering to the Divine. The book does come with footnotes and Biblical passages as well to further compliment the authors writing and insights, I would think the footnote sources are the recommended reading but it would have been nice to have a recommended reading section to the book and an index as well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews