An awareness of God’s will, and a sincere and earnest desire to serve that will, is a gift of infinite value!
I don’t think we usually see it that way, though. Even I didn’t fully understand that until very recently. I said in a post on StE that for most of my life, I couldn’t bring myself to say, ‘What is your will, Lord? Tell me, and I will do it!’ The closest I could get was, ‘What is your will, Lord? Tell me, and I’ll consider it.’
For most of my life, I approached God’s will like a bad swimmer afraid of deep water. If invited to swim, I’d first want to test the water and see if it was too cold, too choppy; see if it was too deep, and whether there was anything to grab onto if my swimming failed me and I started to be overcome by the water. I didn’t trust myself (still don’t!), and I didn’t truly trust what God might ask me to do.”
That only changed over the past few months, and I thank St. Joseph and St. Anthony of Padua, because their intercession helped to acquire that grace for me. Where I am today is nothing short of a small miracle.
With that in mind, I want to share a reflection with you from Psalm 143, verse 10. It’s a short little piece of the psalm, and you may be surprised just how much wisdom is in it.
This is going to be the first part of my reflection. The rest of it—the full reflection—will be published to Stoking the Embers (StE) when I have it finished.
“Teach me to do your will. For you are my God”
Let’s start with just the first two words—
“Teach me…”
We acknowledge teachers as having both authority and power. Not “power” in the modern understanding of the word—a force of some kind—but power in the classical sense; having a potency to manifest the good outside of itself.
@realtjhaines If we wait until we consider ourselves qualified before we say yes to God’s will, we will never serve him. We will become like the poor se... See more
Teachers have authority to teach, because of their power to teach because of their power to teach. And so and they have knowledge and wisdom to share, that can better us, if we are humble and obedient students. The first act of humility from a willing student is his presence in the classroom, in the lecture hall, or at the feet of his master in asking “Teach me…”
In the same way, by asking God to teach us we acknowledge His glory and power, as the psalmist says,
So I gaze upon you in the sanctuary to behold your power and your glory.
So we start in the right place by asking God to teach us. We acknowledge our lowliness—our “smallness”—before God. We tell Him, “You are the master of my being, and I come to you now so that I can learn from you, so that I might be who you intended when you created me.”
Teach me to do your will…
I see two prayers in that second part of the phrase. But that will come later, in the full reflection.
This piece will be published to Stoking the Embers when it’s complete, because it’s more suited to what I’m doing there than here. I just wanted to give you a suitable little “preview” for your reflection, ahead of the piece’s publication. Until then, I invite you to reflect and meditate on that line from Psalm 143:10. There’s much more in there than meets the eye.
God bless you, my brethren!
-T.J.