How do you pray for God’s will in your life when, deep down, you may not really want it? After all, I know what makes me happy. Aren’t we all “self-made” and self-sufficient? Or, are we?

Being self-reliant is a good thing as long as we remember and acknowledge the source of our abilities; our gifts. We must exercise our free will, but God puts us in position to grow should we choose to. Looking back on my life, I clearly see God guiding and protecting me, although it didn’t  always feel like He was around at the time.

Praying for God’s will and accepting it involves trust. It’s difficult enough for me to trust other people. How am I supposed to trust a spirit I can’t even see? But that’s the foundation for growing our faith.  Trusting that God is in charge, loves us, and doesn’t want to harm us is how we can strengthen our faith. And we must believe God knows what’s best for us, even though we may not be able to see it at the time. Admittedly, it’s a struggle.

I suggest that we pray for God’s favor on our lives, knowing that He can and will bring good from life’s daily challenges and from our worst nightmares. Because where there is His will, there is always a way.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.” I meditate on this verse when I am trying to figure out this chaos called life. He never said it would be easy. Through life’s challenges, we are able to deepen our reliance on God and rely less on ourselves. And through spiritual growth, deeper trust follows. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worthwhile. Keep going and continue growing.