I'm unable to pray "May Gods will be done"

[Elena321]

Hi,

I’m unable to pray “may your will be done God” as I don’t think I’ll be happy/ok with his will so I don’t trust God.
Sometimes it seems to me praying Gods will means resigning yourself to misery.

Also,just say you pray and then good things happen to you,how do you know it’s really from God (or that there’s even really a God) or whether your just being delusional and thinking random occurrences/coincidence are “divine” induced?

Can anyone help.

Thanks

 

[Vico]

Hi,

I’m unable to pray “may your will be done God” as I don’t think I’ll be happy/ok with his will so I don’t trust God.
Sometimes it seems to me praying Gods will means resigning yourself to misery.

Also,just say you pray and then good things happen to you,how do you know it’s really from God (or that there’s even really a God) or whether your just being delusional and thinking random occurrences/coincidence are “divine” induced?

Can anyone help.

Thanks

Our reward is in heaven but, in this world, we receive persecutions.

Mark 10 – The Rich Young Man17And when he was gone forth into the way, a certain man running up and kneeling before him, asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may receive life everlasting? 18And Jesus said to him,

Why callest thou me good? None is good but one, that is God. 19Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, bear not false witness, do no fraud, honour thy father and mother.
20But he answering, said to him: Master, all these things I have observed from my youth. 21And Jesus looking on him, loved him, and said to him:One thing is wanting unto thee: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.
22Who being struck sad at that saying, went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

23And Jesus looking round about, saith to his disciples: How hardly shall they that have riches, enter into the kingdom of God!
24And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus again answering, saith to them: Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches, to enter into the kingdom of God? 25It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26Who wondered the more, saying among themselves: Who then can be saved? 27And Jesus looking on them, saith:With men it is impossible; but not with God: for all things are possible with God.
28And Peter began to say unto him: Behold, we have left all things, and have followed thee. 29Jesus answering, said:Amen I say to you, there is no man who hath left house or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30Who shall not receive an hundred times as much, now in this time; houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions: and in the world to come life everlasting. 31But many that are first, shall be last: and the last, first.
​

 

[Lost_Sheep]

Our reward is in heaven but, in this world, we receive persecutions.

etc. etc.

That is all well and good but it is of little use to people who must face the problems of everyday life.

Like the OP, I am also basically a very unhappy person and I have all but resigned myself to believe that my life will never get better. Everyone says “God loves me this” and “God loves me that” but I’m simply not feeling it. Then someone says “Jesus died for your sins. Isn’t that proof that he loves you?” and I just roll my eyes.

To paraphrase Rhett Butler, frankly I don’t give a d@mn about God’s will. I care about my will and what I need to get through this life. I suffer from severe depression, I’m out of work because of it, and my marriage is on the rocks.

Scripture says “Ask and you shall receive” and “With God all things are possible.” So God, if you are listening make all my problems go away and you will have my undying loyalty. And if you don’t, it will be further proof that you don’t care.

Rant over.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

Remembering you always in my prayers, Lost_Sheep.

To the OP: Praying for God’s will to be done is probably my most difficult intention. Given what has happened to me over the course of my life (particularly in recent years; looooong story), I’m sometimes afraid of what He wills for me. I trust Him, but that doesn’t mean I conform myself to His will with a smile on my face and a spring in my step 100% of the time.

IIRC several years back, while listening to Women of Grace on EWTN Radio, Johnnette Benkovic took a call from someone who also had problems praying for this very intention. Johnnette’s advice was to ask God for the desire to do His will. If that was too much, then ask for the desire to desire to do His will. Keep reeling it back (the desire to desire to desire etc.) until you get to a point that you’re accepting of what you ask—maybe not totally comfortable, but not a wreck over it either. Simplify your request over time, as you feel more at peace with what you’re asking.

If prayer results in good things happening to me, I do not question it. It would drive me crazy to always wonder whether something positive that occurred was truly from God or not. I simply thank God for His goodness. Beyond that, I don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I do keep an eye out for signs these seemingly good things aren’t good after all, but I don’t fixate on it. (My spiritual director helps me prevent this.)

Hope this helps in some way. God bless!

 

[tawny]

Praying to the Holy Spirit to give you guidance, direction, strength, fortitude & wisdom in your time of need.

 

[DeniseNY]

IIRC several years back, while listening to Women of Grace on EWTN Radio, Johnnette Benkovic took a call from someone who also had problems praying for this very intention. Johnnette’s advice was to ask God for the desire to do His will. If that was too much, then ask for the desire to desire to do His will. Keep reeling it back (the desire to desire to desire etc.) until you get to a point that you’re accepting of what you ask—maybe not totally comfortable, but not a wreck over it either. Simplify your request over time, as you feel more at peace with what you’re asking.

Yes!

This isn’t always an easy thing to do, and I think most people have struggled with it at some point or another. I know that when my mother was sick, a Methodist minister (she has the same type of cancer my mother had) with whom I became acquainted and I spoke about this issue a lot because I was really struggling with the idea of what I wanted versus God’s will. I was resistant at first, but through that journey, it started to make sense and I found great comfort in knowing that God was in control.

This isn’t to say that now when I pray that I still don’t have problems with “thy will be done”. I guess faith is really a journey and not a destination. We have to keep working at it over time.

 

[pianistclare]

Well, do you seriously believe that God’s will would be harmful to you?
What is your perception of God?
Is He someone that cares deeply for you or some tyrant that must be appeased?
Even if you seriously believe the latter, does ignoring or challenging Him to say that you know better than God make sense?
Abandonment to God’s will is not all that hard, once we take our own vanity out of the picture. I’m smart enough to know that I’m not all that smart. I am quite capable of making poor decisions. I know, I’ve seen me do it.
I’m far more likely to trust the One who created me, and cares for me enough to offer HIs own life for my eternal life. That’s not just my opinion, that’s a fact. The Crucifixion happened and everything that the eyewitnesses testified to is credible, and factual.
So for me, deferring to God’s will is something that would be more of a “sure thing” than a risk.
Perhaps if you prayed for trust…the ability and the desire to trust, that might be a starting point. It can be hard to trust people, because we all know how badly that can turn out.
But God? I don’t think there’s any question that God has the state of the universe in control. My little life should be no problem for Him.
Just something to think about…
God bless you.

(You too Lost! Prayers always).

 

[Vico]

That is all well and good but it is of little use to people who must face the problems of everyday life.

Like the OP, I am also basically a very unhappy person and I have all but resigned myself to believe that my life will never get better. Everyone says “God loves me this” and “God loves me that” but I’m simply not feeling it. Then someone says “Jesus died for your sins. Isn’t that proof that he loves you?” and I just roll my eyes.

To paraphrase Rhett Butler, frankly I don’t give a d@mn about God’s will. I care about my will and what I need to get through this life. I suffer from severe depression, I’m out of work because of it, and my marriage is on the rocks.

Scripture says “Ask and you shall receive” and “With God all things are possible.” So God, if you are listening make all my problems go away and you will have my undying loyalty. And if you don’t, it will be further proof that you don’t care.

Rant over.

If one does not care for the will of God then that is malice, which does not bring salvation. Why should we expect God to give us what we need without doing what is righteous? Jesus said at the Mount that we must*** first ***seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness:
Matthew 5 33 But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. 34 Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.

We read it in Matthew 11 of Rest for the Weary, is not freedom from material difficulties, addressed to “all you that labour, and are burdened”, but rest for the soul:25At that time Jesus answered and said:

I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones. 26Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in thy sight. 27All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him.

28Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. 29Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. 30For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.
​

 

[PietroPaolo]

Hi,

I’m unable to pray “may your will be done God” as I don’t think I’ll be happy/ok with his will so I don’t trust God.
Sometimes it seems to me praying Gods will means resigning yourself to misery.

Also,just say you pray and then good things happen to you,how do you know it’s really from God (or that there’s even really a God) or whether your just being delusional and thinking random occurrences/coincidence are “divine” induced?

Can anyone help.

Thanks

That depends.

If this is a serious questions by a struggling believer:
Pray “Lord, please help me to trust you and embrace your Will in all things” until you are able to pray “Thy Will be done.” Don’t worry about “random occurrences” if God exists and if He has ordered the universe, there are no such things.

If this is an atheist-troll post:
Come up with something better.

 

[Sarcelle]

Hi,

I’m unable to pray “may your will be done God” as I don’t think I’ll be happy/ok with his will so I don’t trust God.
Sometimes it seems to me praying Gods will means resigning yourself to misery.

Also,just say you pray and then good things happen to you,how do you know it’s really from God (or that there’s even really a God) or whether your just being delusional and thinking random occurrences/coincidence are “divine” induced?

Can anyone help.

Thanks

You remind me of myself back when I was unemployed and wondering what was to become of my future. I was raised atheist, so the possibility of no God and life being pointless was constantly at the back of my mind. On days when I believed there was a God, I doubted God’s goodness. It about tore me in half when I gritted my teeth and said “Your will be done.”. It was as if there was a war going on in me, between my will in one hand, wanting to stay on God’s side and my emotions and intellect on the other. I felt like I was doing battle with the wind and the sea at the same time.

I will pray for you, may you know and see the goodness of God. The journey is not easy and I sympathize.

 

[Beryllos]

Sometimes it seems to me praying Gods will means resigning yourself to misery.

You might say resigning, or you might say accepting, but a more positive approach would be affirming. When we pray “Thy will be done,” we affirm that God is in control, and this can be a source of hope in hard times, for us personally and for the world.

This passage from the Catechism says something like that:

314 We firmly believe that God is master of the world and of its history. But the ways of his providence are often unknown to us. Only at the end, when our partial knowledge ceases, when we see God “face to face,” will we fully know the ways by which—even through the dramas of evil and sin—God has guided his creation to that definitive sabbath rest for which he created heaven and earth.

 

[Gertabelle]

Hi,

I’m unable to pray “may your will be done God” as I don’t think I’ll be happy/ok with his will so I don’t trust God.
Sometimes it seems to me praying Gods will means resigning yourself to misery.

Also,just say you pray and then good things happen to you,how do you know it’s really from God (or that there’s even really a God) or whether your just being delusional and thinking random occurrences/coincidence are “divine” induced?

Can anyone help.

Thanks

:hug3:

What you are going through is a completely normal part of the spiritual journey. You’ve received some good advice here:

Pray for trust.

Don’t worry about not being able to pray for God’s will. He will meet you where you’re at. Stay in communication with Him, let Him know you don’t trust Him at this point. Just hang out with Him for awhile – just as you are.

God bless you, dear one!

Gertie

 

[Gertabelle]

Well, do you seriously believe that God’s will would be harmful to you?
What is your perception of God?
Is He someone that cares deeply for you or some tyrant that must be appeased?
Even if you seriously believe the latter, does ignoring or challenging Him to say that you know better than God make sense?
Abandonment to God’s will is not all that hard, once we take our own vanity out of the picture. I’m smart enough to know that I’m not all that smart. I am quite capable of making poor decisions. I know, I’ve seen me do it.
I’m far more likely to trust the One who created me, and cares for me enough to offer HIs own life for my eternal life. That’s not just my opinion, that’s a fact. The Crucifixion happened and everything that the eyewitnesses testified to is credible, and factual.
So for me, deferring to God’s will is something that would be more of a “sure thing” than a risk.
Perhaps if you prayed for trust…the ability and the desire to trust, that might be a starting point. It can be hard to trust people, because we all know how badly that can turn out.
But God? I don’t think there’s any question that God has the state of the universe in control. My little life should be no problem for Him.
Just something to think about…
God bless you.

(You too Lost! Prayers always).

Clare, your post gave me so much hope this morning – thank you!

I am having such a hard go right now. Your suggestion to pray for trust was exactly what I needed to hear. You just never know who’s going to be blessed by your encouragement…

Gertie

 

[Lost_Sheep]

If one does not care for the will of God then that is malice, which does not bring salvation.

The possibility of salvation only exists if God loves you in the first place. “Many are called; few are chosen.” I’m simply not one of the chosen.

 

[pianistclare]

The possibility of salvation only exists if God loves you in the first place. “Many are called; few are chosen.” I’m simply not one of the chosen.

But you can choose.
Choose wisely my dear friend.
*“I will choose Christ, I will choose love, I choose to serve. I give my life, I give my all, I give my love to you”. *

 

[graciew]

Turn to Mary also. Tell Her everything. As it comes out.
And then ,try and listen.
We are praying for you.
Try and say " May my life song sing to You ". Heaven does not mind much if we sing out of tune sometimes.God loves you.
Take care !! We ll pray.

 

[tomarin]

That is all well and good but it is of little use to people who must face the problems of everyday life.

Like the OP, I am also basically a very unhappy person and I have all but resigned myself to believe that my life will never get better. Everyone says “God loves me this” and “God loves me that” but I’m simply not feeling it. Then someone says “Jesus died for your sins. Isn’t that proof that he loves you?” and I just roll my eyes.

To paraphrase Rhett Butler, frankly I don’t give a d@mn about God’s will. I care about my will and what I need to get through this life. I suffer from severe depression, I’m out of work because of it, and my marriage is on the rocks.

Scripture says “Ask and you shall receive” and “With God all things are possible.” So God, if you are listening make all my problems go away and you will have my undying loyalty. And if you don’t, it will be further proof that you don’t care.

Rant over.

Hang in there, Lost Sheep. I hope and pray you find some inner peace.

 

[Vico]

The possibility of salvation only exists if God loves you in the first place. “Many are called; few are chosen.” I’m simply not one of the chosen.

That is not what the Catholic Church teaches. God makes the first move to give us supernatural graces necessary for salvation, since it is not within out human nature to save ourselves. We must choose to cooperate to benefit from that gift.

In the parable many are invited to the wedding feast, but only those who respond positively to this call and clothe themselves properly are chosen to actually enjoy the feast.

 

[Diamantina]

Speaking as someone who has a history of severe depression (though it has abated somewhat – thanks to God, the right combination of medications, my mother and helpful parish and Lay Carmelite communities in which I am active), I doubt that lecturing Lost_Sheep is going to help her, and might make her feel worse. When I was in the kind of moods that Lost_Sheep is in, what I wanted was consolation and sincere friendship, not to be told to change my attitude. For one thing, we have the right to question God about why things are the way they are. I still am slightly irritated that my life has not turned out the way that I had planned when I was 17 years old (I am 48 now), although it is probably true that if things had turned out the way that I wanted (successful novelist and a happy marriage – instead, I barely write anything nowadays and have never married nor had children), I might not be as observant a Catholic as I am today.

Also, someone with severe depression might not be able to consistently handle the pressures of a job. Even if one has some good days, one might need to stay in bed all day on other days because one is too depressed or too exhausted to function effectively. (That is certainly true of me – I usually need a couple of non-consecutive days every week to stay at home all day and rest if I have been out and about in public for one or two days before.)

If I were in Lost_Sheep’s shoes, I would try to find a better psychiatrist for medication adjustment (if she is taking medication in the first place) and to find someone who will not be tired of listening. I think that the concept of psychotherapy is not the greatest, as a rule – a therapist is essentially being paid to listen to you because nobody else will, which is a bit insulting, in my opinion. But sometimes psychotherapy is necessary, if one can find a decent therapist. That can be difficult, especially if money is scarce.

I am praying for you right now, Lost_Sheep. I hope that you will feel less lost. God does not want you to suffer from depression. Sometimes He allows bad things to happen, and people get hurt. But that does not mean that He wants the bad things to happen or the people to be hurt. It’s hard for me to believe that sometimes, but I suppose that He thinks that the possibility of love freely given by people to each other and to God is worth all the pain and suffering in this world. Sometimes I think that free will is not worth the price of suffering, but it is not up to me to determine that. Only God can determine that. For better and for worse, I am not God – God is

 

[mek42]

Maybe read “When bad things happen to good people” by Kushner. Take special note that the first word is when, not why.