Take no thought, for your Heavenly Father knoweth that you have need. Do
not be solicitous, careful, anxious about anything, there is no need for
the Lord is nigh. He knows what is best for His child. He can alter
things if He likes, leave all to Him. All worry and anxiety only come
really from want of faith. Does a child worry when its father is near?
No, it leaves everything to him without any care. The Lord is nigh, be
nothing solicitous. The way may seem blocked, but it is not blocked to
Him; the Lord is still nigh, "He knoweth my way" (Job XXIII. 10), is it
not enough?
Let me love and trust and continually talk to Him Who is so near; let me
remember that I am never alone, that the difficulties and problems and
sorrows of life concern _two_, that the responsibility is _shared_,
that the important business of life is a _joint_ one. Surely with such a
Partner, One who is never absent but always nigh, I need be in _nothing_
solicitous.
POINT IV. "IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING,
LET YOUR PETITIONS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD."
The conclusion I arrived at in the last point is a just one, but I am
not on that account to do nothing. He must have my active co-operation
and whether I am working for my own salvation or for the salvation of
others or, which ought to be the case, for both, I must in _everything_
I do, let my petitions be made known unto God, that is, I must never act
on my own responsibility. I am going to see such and such a person, come
with me; I have this letter to write, tell me what to say; I have a
difficult matter to settle, give me the necessary wisdom and tact; I am
going to rest, or to take my food or my recreation, I want Thee with me
all the same--such must be my requests. What about my mistakes, the
things I forget and leave out, the faults that I mean with all my heart
not to commit, but which I am always falling into all the same? Ah, it
is here that the inestimable benefit of having such an all-powerful
Partner comes in. Instead of bewailing my incapability, which only makes
me still less capable, I must make my requests known to Him. What sort
of requests will these be? I have committed that fault, made that same
mistake again, please forgive me and correct it; I have forgotten to say
something I meant to say, please say it for me; I have been stiff,
unyielding, ungracious, discourteous, harsh, severe, please make up for
my deficiencies and whatever happens do not let them judge Thee by Thy
representative, make them understand that He for whom I am working is
never anything but gracious and gentle, that He never breaks the
bruised reed nor quenches the smoking flax; do not let me spoil Thy
work. Such are the prayers and supplications by which I should
continually be making known my needs to Him Who is always nigh.
And what about the thanksgiving? This is most necessary, otherwise,
ashamed though I am to confess it, I shall be attributing the successes
to my own powers and skill and capability! It seems hardly credible, but
unfortunately past experience tells me that it is all too true. In order
to guard against such a distorted and absurd view of things, St. Paul
tells us not to forget the _Thanksgiving_. The Lord is nigh, let me turn
to Him and say: _Deo gratias_, for it is He Who has prevented my
awkwardness from spoiling His work. He loves to be thanked and He
notices when He is not. Let me be thoroughly persuaded that the work
_is_ all His, and that if anything succeeds that _I_ do, it is only
because He has allowed _His_ success to pass through me, thus
thanksgiving will not only be easy but natural. But who is ever going to
persuade me that no glory is due to me? "Who is sufficient for these
things?" He Who condescends to be my Co-worker. He can do even that, if
I love Him sufficiently to _want_ Him to have all the glory.