The Path

   I often wonder if I am truly on the path God has chosen for me.  I believe that I am following His will yet there is still uncertainty.  I read of those whose calling has been crystal clear, the word of God showing them the way.  I wish I was one of them at times, but I’m not.  I don’t hear the loud, clear call.  I hear Him best in solitude and silence, in His quiet whisper.

   In a prayer many years ago the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton said, “the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.”  This thought speaks to me in my struggle to know God’s will.  I believe I am following His path but how can I be sure?  There is no question in my mind that I want to follow God’s will.  I try to follow what I believe is His path for me.  Yet Satan puts questions into my mind.  Am I really on the right path; how am I to know for sure?

  In the same prayer, Merton says, “But I believe that my desire to please you does in fact please you.”  This gives me comfort.  If I try my best to do God’s will in my life, I too believe He will be pleased with my efforts.  Though I may not know for certain that I am on the path chosen, I am confident that God loves my desire to be on that path and will guide in the way I should go.

  The prayer of Thomas Merton  is one of my favorite prayers.  It gives me hope and faith that God will lead me on the right path though I may never be certain where it will lead.   The prayer closes with the the following:

Therefore I will trust in 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