A Prayer of Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton was a monk who wrote many books on spirituality. As such his personal devotional life must have contained many hours of prayer and contemplation. Those of us who struggle with the complexities of modern life often feel guilty that time for our spiritual devotions can get squeezed out. I certainly expected a wise spiritual monk to have a clear vision of what God wanted from him.

How reassuring then to find that he wrote the following prayer. This indicates that he could feel as unclear regarding the direction that God wanted for his life as the rest of us sometimes feel. Yet it also is full of a confident, trusting faith. Holding together faith and uncertainty is central to my Christian journey.

The Prayer of Thomas Merton
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 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 I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.