When we read or hear the lives of the saints, some seemed to be so certain throughout their lives of their faith and direction in life. Others had to struggle to hear and answer the call of the Lord to whatever their vocation was. Perhaps we all feel a bit lost from time to time in understanding ourselves and where we are heading.
We reprint here a well-known prayer by the great modern spiritual writer Thomas Merton. We included it before some while ago, and many people responded to it, so it seems worthwhile to repeat it. It is a prayer of trust and surrender, expressing a profound sense of unknowing about the path ahead. Yet it trusts that God will guide the way, if the sincere desire to please Him is present. Our perception of following God’s will may not be accurate, yet the desire itself is pleasing to God. The prayer concludes with a powerful affirmation of faith, stating that the speaker will not fear the unknown or even death, because God is always present.
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Amen.
Thomas Merton from “Thoughts in Solitude” (1958)