By: Alex J. Nagem © March 29, 2025

The following may be challenging to express on any day: I accept your will, dear God.

Consider this: You know God exists. You believe in God. You understand that God created everything we see and don’t see. God is always with us in every joy and storm we face. It is the unknown storms that concern me. We rush into the future every second of the day, regardless of how one might define a second. While we recognize our rapid movement into the future, there is no certainty about what we will encounter with each passing moment. When a storm arrives, we pray and ask God for help. This may be the only time some of us connect with God through prayer.

When you pray to God, do you ask for help and make demands, or do you seek guidance in accepting His will, regardless of the outcome? I have experienced this with family members, just as you may have. When a medical condition arises and doctors provide a grim prognosis, you pray to God for healing. However, as each day passes, setbacks often overshadow any progress. Eventually, you reach a point in your prayers where you tell God that you accept His will, regardless of whether it aligns with your desired outcome. This acceptance may involve coming to terms with death over life. Is this something you can express? Could this be God’s will?

Abraham followed the will of God by nearly sacrificing his son, Isaac. Jesus followed the will of His Father and sacrificed Himself for all of us. We pray for healing from illness for ourselves or a loved one, but there is no certainty of healing. Can you say, ” I accept your will, God, ” knowing it may lead to death?

A good friend, Fr. Brian Crenwelge, the director of Vocations for the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, responded to my question about praying for healing. The question arose from the story of the healing of the centurion’s slave in Matthew 8:5-13. If Jesus healed the centurion’s slave because he believed in Jesus as the Son of God and recognized the love the centurion had for his slave, why wouldn’t Jesus heal someone with cancer or a serious illness whose family believes in and proclaims Jesus as the Savior and Son of God? Is it solely because the centurion was humble in stating that he was not worthy to have Jesus come into his home that Jesus could heal the slave by word alone? Here is Fr. Brian’s response. “All the miracles that Christ performed in the Gospel were primarily to increase the faith of those around him that he was the Son of God. Physical healing was a gift, but that was not the main purpose of Christ’s ministry. Our Lord laments when that generation only wanted to see signs. Lazarus was resurrected, but he did not live forever. He did die again. All the people Christ healed would die. They were given great gifts, but Christ wanted to teach them in their spiritual life first, an eternal life. When the paralytic was carried through the roof by his friends to be healed by our Lord, Christ first forgives the paralytic of his sins, even though he never asked to be forgiven. Christ showed them that the man’s spiritual life was more important than physical healing.”

Fr. Brian further explained, “Some people whom Christ chooses not to heal in this life. Why? Ultimately, it is a mystery, but seemingly because this life is not all there is. Our spiritual life must come first. We will live eternally, so we should focus on that. Otherwise, we may become bogged down when physical things go wrong. A person with great faith accepts the Will of our Lord, no matter what happens to them as part of God’s plan. It gives us the opportunity to suffer redemptively. St. Faustina said in her Diary that if we could see the merit of our suffering, we’d want to live longer to suffer more. Our crosses also keep us rooted in Christ if we embrace them. They help us to be more selfless.”

So, can you accept the Will of God, regardless of the outcome? Can you carry the wood of your sacrifice as Isaac and Jesus did? This world is not all there is, even though we often make it seem that way. We surround ourselves with physical comforts and accumulate material wealth. Does this contribute to our spiritual comfort and the wealth of everlasting life? I have stated on several occasions that I would accept God’s Will no matter the outcome. It brought me comfort, though the anxiety about the result lingered. Regardless of the outcomes, praise and honor are always given to our Lord and Savior. For me, not only is it a mystery who Christ chooses to heal, but also what may happen in the next few moments. I don’t dwell on either. I pray to remain focused on eternal life. Will you join me?

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we say, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We may recite prayers without any personal meaning attached. This phrase signifies our desire for God’s Will to prevail. We accept His Will, regardless of the outcome. Our focus in this life should be centered on our Triune God. Everything else is merely stuff. We can always acquire more possessions. Do we need more things, or do we need God more?

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:50).

You and your family are remembered in my daily prayers. I hope my family and I are remembered in yours.

Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus, Deus Aderit

Pater, in manus tuas commendo Spiritum meum

Alex J. Nagem