17 March, Wednesday — Your will be done

Wednesday of the 4th Week of Lent

Isa 49:8-15
Jn 5:17-30

…my aim is to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

I have been struggling of late (who hasn’t?) and questioning my own self-worth, especially in ministry. When you have to ‘helm’ a group with a combined experience that exceeds a century of service, you will know what I mean when I say that at times, I feel ‘inadequate’.

However, a recent project opened my eyes to the wonders of God’s work in ministry work and helped me realise that truly, we are but instruments in His grand design. And that as long as we are willing to bow down and acknowledge that we are helpless (but NOT hopeless), and to trust in His providence, He will always prevail and, in the process, reveal himself to us. ‘At the favourable time I will answer you, on the day of salvation I will help you.’ (Isa 49:8)

In today’s gospel, Jesus’ words are spoken with a certain finality that affirms His mission here on earth. And they might as well be our words as well, especially when things seem to be out of control and not going the way we envisage at the outset. But how often do we actually lay down and allow God to take over, especially when we are presented with a seemingly massive task? The ‘alpha’ me would start to summon all manner of help from others and delegate smaller tasks, while keeping everything together in some manner of document (Google, Powerpoint, Excel and the like). And inevitably, I will start to get exasperated or frustrated at the lack of any response via the dreaded WhatApp chat (at last count, I have 20 different chat groups just for one ministry) or over email.

Yet, when we eventually surrender the whole task to God and let Him take the wheel, everything invariably falls neatly into place. Such as when, 20 minutes before a prayer session, someone is still ‘fixing the slides’; or when, 10 minutes before the Zoom session begins, the mixer decides to malfunction, what else can one do but simply pray and say “Let your will be done.”

Brothers and sisters, for those of us who are struggling in ministry, we are but mere instruments in God’s grand plan. The sooner we appreciate that He rules and that only He pulls all the strings, the freer we will be to allow His graces to flow in everything we plan, and in everything we do. Let’s not fret over inconsequential matters and focus instead on Jesus.      

(Today’s OXYGEN by Desmond Soon)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we pray that you continue to guide us and to lead the way for us, especially when all we see is darkness around us. Show us your light so that we can focus on it and achieve all that we set out to do for you.

Thanksgiving:  Thank you, Lord, for always loving and protecting us.