DOING GOD’S WILL

Life is incredibly challenging and it is to seek happiness in the Lord, as St Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!”, (Philippians 4:4). It is the Lord who brings hope we are desperate for. When we face tough times in our lives, we should stay close to the Lord by submitting to His will.

Often, we cry over unanswered prayers. We start blaming God and blaming everyone, including ourselves. “Why doesn't God answer my prayers?”, “Why doesn't He see my needs?” and “Why doesn't He care for me?” What is there to be perturbed about? We have no reason to feel anxiety, worry, fear or doubt. Since God is trustworthy, He will respond to our prayers with His goodness, and no matter how long it takes, we need to remain calmness, our prayers have great strength.

God wants to empower us and deepen our relationship with Him so that we may grow in our Christian maturity. Sometimes His answer is “NO” or He may choose to answer in a different way. When God doesn't grant what we ask for, then we should remember that He has a better plan for us. As we grow in our Christian maturity, by discovering and rediscovering ourselves, we may gain a better perspective of knowing His character and His promises. He is always faithful in answering according to His will, which always turns out to be the BEST.

Before His promises are fulfilled and our prayers answered, we should wait patiently for His answer. In the midst of waiting, we may tend to grow weary, discouraged, frustrated, abandoned, ignored, uncared for and impatient. This may cause tears and make us feel miserable, but It is worth not rushing ahead or forcing to make things happen. In His time, surely He will make all things beautiful when we spend time learning and discovering His will and through God’s word when He whispers to us.

God’s will is such an important concept and we strive to do His will. Most of us talk a lot about finding God’s will for our lives. We want to know which college to attend, what course to choose, who will be our life partner, what job to take, etc. Our parents would like to see the very best for their sons and daughters. They would like to see their children’s life filled with good, and not the unpleasant. It is in the same manner where the Heavenly Father wants to see His children live a happy life.

During my young adult years, after a major conversion experience in my faith life, the Lord called me to respond to the call to the priesthood. I found it hard to commit myself in responding to His invitation. I had some other plans and agendas in my life. I was demanding a crystal clear sign of His calling. There were a lot of irresistible temptations and feelings of confusion inside of me and I was afraid to commit myself to Christ and His Church. Today, I feel great, knowing that Jesus and His Church are in my life. Some of us are really afraid to surrender to God’s will because we are afraid that it be more demanding and difficult to respond to. Be assured that God’s will for us leads us to the greatest joy that we could ever imagine.

We sometimes want to see the end of God’s plan, but He is more interested in showing us the next step rather than the end. That’s the way God reveals His will to us – gradually, so that we take the next step courageously, even if we can’t see the final destination. His will never contradicts His promises, but the voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts will guide us to the final goal.