prayer of thomas merton
A few months ago, my friend Doug Paul posted this prayer of Thomas Merton. It grabbed a hold of me when I first read it. It seems ever more suitable this week as we are packing up our life to move into a foggy future:
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 that 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 will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Tags: church, doug paul, life, prayer, thomas merton
18. June 2008 at 10:36
“But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.” Often all I am able to muster is the feeble prayer of, “Lord, I want to want You.” In his prayer, Merton gives us language for such cries. Thanks for sharing.
19. June 2008 at 18:15
That strong sense of not being alone - I wonder how often that’s written about. I came to that too, but had to first go through a period of feeling (and, in terms of the US health care system, actually being) abandoned.