The Will of God

In college on a spring break trip with the Catholic campus ministry group, there was a prayer from Thomas Merton that we prayed every day of the trip.  It had been my first time hearing this prayer before and there was one line that stood out.  The line “the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so” had kind of scared me at the time and even now, it still does a little bit.  We are all called to do the will of God, but how do we know what that actually is?

How do we know what the will of God is?  Of course we recognize that it is through prayer that we come to know His will, but that doesn’t mean it is easy.  There are so many voices and so much noise around us that knowing what God’s will is can be really hard.  We often show up in prayer distracted, unmotivated, and feeling spiritually dry.  But, in order to know what God is asking of us, we must come to know Him and continue to deepen our relationship with Him.  So this means we must keep showing up, spending time with Him.

At times, I’ve had a fear of failing to do what God asks of me.  What if I don’t hear Him speaking to me?  What if I conflate my own will with His?  What if I interpret something incorrectly?  What if I am thinking about it too deeply or not deep enough?  Maybe you’ve had these same questions and thoughts too at one point or another.  In the prayer from Thomas Merton, there is a line that follows that gives some consolation as it says, “But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.”  I believe that half the battle is showing up with an open heart and willing spirit.  I think God recognizes our efforts and sees when we desire to love and follow Him wholeheartedly.

Doing the will of God is not a one time choice or decision.  When talking about doing the will of God, it is about each day and every moment.  Bishop Ricken has a great prayer, called “The Wyoming Prayer”, that we can pray to ask God to help us:

“Lord, help me to do your will.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Lord, help me to do your will.  Not a moment sooner.  Not a moment later.  Than you will it.”- Bishop David Ricken

Doing the will of God is about having the desire to love and serve God and about being willing to conform our own will to His.  May we ask the Lord to help us and continue to show up with a heart willing and ready to do what He asks of us!