"Thy Will Be Done ..." Talking with Geronta Pavlos of Sinai.

"Thy Will Be Done ..."

Talking with Geronta Pavlos of Sinai (# 17):

Q When we pray for something from the depths of our heart, and God doesn’t answer, does that mean  our prayer is wrong?

A No. First of all, when we pray, we must not have the demand that God must do what we are seeking, because what we are asking for may not actually be to our benefit. 

There was a faithful family, a poor family, and every day the atmosphere in their home was like a party. At one point, someone gave them money to see what would happen - would they remain happy? He gave them a lot of money.

Not my will, but thine, be done

 

 Many times we are unhappy with certain bad thoughts (attacks from the enemy) that continuously come to our minds. These very disagreeable thoughts they can practically torture us and this is why we pray to God to take them away from us. However, at this time we better also consider what our Lord said in his prayer at the garden: “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” We read at the Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Gerontikon) the following story. There was someone that was really bothered by evil thoughts and with tremendous humility was saying:

Saint John the Baptist gave himself up completely to the will of God…Saint Nikolai Velimirovič

SAINT JOHN THE FORERUNNER AND BAPTIST

 Saint Nikolai Velimirovič

HOMILY About submission to the Will of God

“Your will be done, on earth as in heaven” (St. Matthew 6:10).

Blessed be John the Baptist, for he fulfilled the Good News before the arrival of the Good News! Going into the wilderness, he gave himself up completely to the will of God, both body and soul. The will of God was carried out in his body on earth as well as in the heaven of his soul. Neither hunger nor wild beasts did harm his body throughout the many years that he spent in the wilderness. Neither was his soul harmed by despair because of loneliness, nor pride because of heavenly visions. He did not seek from man either bread or knowledge. God granted him everything that was necessary for him because he gave himself up completely to the will of God.