Lead Me, Guide Me, Lord

Louisa Ikena reflects on discernment of God’s Will in light of Psalm 31 and a prayer by Thomas Merton.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. How many decisions are we called upon to make in a given period of time? What is God’s Will for my life today? How do I discern it? How do I go about aligning my will with God’s Will?

The first place I choose to turn is God’s Word.

In you, Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me; incline your ear to me; make haste to rescue me! Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to save me. For you are my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me. (Psalm 31:2-4)

This psalm speaks loudly to me of relationship with our Lord. Lord, in You I know I can take refuge, find safe shelter. I cry out to You and I believe You respond by inclining Your ear to me. I believe You hear my loud cries and my whispers. You are, indeed, my rock and my fortress. I can depend on You. I trust in You. Lead me and guide me, Lord.

As my relationship with Our Lord grows, so does my desire to serve Him in everything. I desire to know Him more, love Him more, and serve Him more. Without this context of deepening relationship with Him, the discernment process becomes empty and feels like a senseless process of going through the motions.

I know I’m not alone as I admit I have trouble discerning God’s Will in my life. There have been directions I thought God was leading me that instead, I have encountered brick walls. I have had dreams dashed and hopes shattered. While I’m still making sense of some of these devastations and disappointments, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is good.

I know one key principle for me to attempt to make sense of it all is gratitude.

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

No matter what I do or don’t do, I’m meant to be in gratitude. That concept freed me of trying so hard to figure out God’s Will for me and helped me simply “be” in God’s Will with a thankful heart.

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No matter what I do or don’t do, I’m meant to be in gratitude. #CatholicMom

It’s not always neat and tidy. Here’s where I turn to people of faith who have gone before us. I love the prayer of Thomas Merton, a twentieth century American Trappist monk.

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 that 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 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 every with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. (from Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton)

I love how this prayer addresses uncertainty. On an intellectual level, it makes sense that we human beings cannot know the Mind of the Creator of the cosmos. We are mere creatures. Yet on a spiritual level, in light of the Incarnation, we are invited to be friends with Jesus.

“I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends.” John 15:15.

We can therefore approach the throne of heaven with both trembling and confidence. I stand with Merton’s assertion that my desire to please God does, in fact, please Him. And I’m so utterly grateful I don’t have to face my perils alone.

Circling back to the question “How do I discern God’s Will?”: I cultivate prayer, abide in God’s Word, receive nourishment from the Sacraments, wrestle with uncertainty, and strive to remain in gratitude. There is also the fact that more will be revealed. I trust in You, Lord. Please continue to lead me and guide me.

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