God's Divine Will
12/30/2018
God’s Divine Will
Fr. Al Demos, December 30, 2018
Christians know that there is nothing that is more perfect, more reasonable, more helpful and holy then the Divine Will of Almighty God. When you truly love God, your desire to love Him, even more, continues to grow and grow. In the deepest sense, you long for God more and more as your heart continually overflows with faith, trust, love, and total confidence in Him. Reliance on chance, superstitions, or powers outside of God instantaneously becomes meaningless foolishness. Your focus becomes one of love, adoration, glorification and prayerful worship of our wondrously magnificent God. You grow closer to Him as He nourishes and strengthens you with His love, mercy, compassion, and grace.
How is this possible? How can one attain such a wondrous experience? Rather simply…by giving yourself over to the Divine Will of God. When you seek His Will in place of your own, when you rely on God rather than on yourself, you will find something happening to your life that you have never experienced before. When you surrender yourself to God, He will reveal His Divine Will in your life. God in Trinity will become such an integral part of you that you will see Him and recognize Him in every aspect of living. Even the most abhorrent, the most painful, the most difficult and trying moments will take on a new meaning. You will begin to recognize God’s will in all things. God does not will evil or catastrophes. These things come about either through the exercise of each person’s own free will, through the actions of others, through ‘natural’ occurrences, or through accidents.
Orthodoxy does not teach predestination. Therefore each person is responsible for his/her own decisions. That is where two basic questions assist us in making a responsible decision in line with the Will of Almighty God. The first is “What would Christ do in this situation?” The second “What does Christ want me to do in this situation?” When the two answers are equivalent, you know you are on the right track. When the answers conflict, you can be sure that you gave the wrong answer to question two.
Often, you may feel overwhelmed and incapable of doing what Christ would do. Remember, “But He (Jesus) said, ‘Things which are impossible with men are possible with God’.” (St. Luke 18:27) God is everywhere and fills all things. Why not let Him fill you with His presence? He is already there - inside of you - but you need to recognize Him. Surrender, give over your own will and accept the Divine Will of Almighty God. Then you shall see Him, and your life will take on a new and wondrous meaning.
My last Email meditation as a parish pastor is my favorite prayer…the guide to my life that I want to share with you:
PRAYER FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF GOD'S DIVINE WILL
O Lord, I know no what to ask of Thee.
Thou alone knowest what are my true needs.
Thou lovest me more than I myself know how to love.
Help me to see my real needs, which are concealed from me.
I dare not ask either a cross or a consolation.
I can only wait on Thee.
My heart is open to Thee.
Visit and help me, for Thy great mercy's sake.
Strike me and heal me.
Cast me down and raise me up.
I worship in silence Thy holy will and Thine inscrutable ways.
I offer myself as a sacrifice to Thee.
I have no other desire than to fulfill Thy will.
Teach me how to pray.
Pray Thou Thyself in me. Amen.
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My hope and prayer are that you will also make this prayer a meaningful guide for your spiritual life as well!
May God bless you and yours!
With love in Christ, + Fr. Al