Wanting to Please God
There's an article at Relevant - "Confessions of a Flake" - that "feels right" to me right now:
I think Thomas Merton had it right in his prayer in Thoughts in Solitude: "Just because I think I am doing Your will does not mean that I am actually doing it. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You, and so I will trust You always, even though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will fear no evil, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone."I find myself wanting to please Him, but not knowing where to go, what to do, what to say or how to say what probably needs to be said. But I really want to please God. There's so much going on in our lives right now, and so much of it's just cruddy - but I still want to be sure that we're moving forward in a way that's pleasing to Him, you know? If anything makes it "worth it", it's hoping that we're following that much more closely through the storm than we were before...
posted by Rick @ 8:56 AM
4 Comments:
good stuff, Rick! reminds me of something by Tozer I was just reading yesterday...
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. -Matthew 5:6
These words are addressed to those of God's children who have been pierced with the arrow of infinite desire, who yearn for God with a yearning that has overcome them, who long with a longing that has become pain.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."...
A dead body feels no hunger and the dead soul knows not the pangs of holy desire. "If you want God," said the old saint, "you have already found Him." Our desire for fuller life is proof that some life must be there already...."
thanks, nile - that's good. i've felt in the past that we say "we're blessed in spite of" what's going on, but am discovering more and more that we're blessed *because of* the junk around us more often than not. leads us to Him that much more. thanks again!
Rick, just do what leads to more love in the world. I don't know what your situation is of course, but just be in relationship with life, because all of life is arising in God. So many people avoid life, avoid dealing with things, I think God would want you mostly to become responsible for dealing with things, not backing away, ignoring, hiding out, procrastinating.
Do what brings that feeling of devotion to God, above all. I think He needs our love at this time, as much as we need His.
thanks - i don't know if God *needs* our love, as much as He's in pursuit of loving relationships with us individually and corporately together. "doing whatever leads to love" is probably open to interpretation, too - on what level, in what circumstance, with which relationships, etc - right? for me at this point in time, i feel like my motivation to please Him is probably the best i can do. prayer and diving headlong into His story in the scriptures - those things must "read me" more than just me reading along.
thanks again!
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