“According to Your Word”

 

Readings 122025

When I was young,
I wanted success.
I wanted the world to bend
to my plans,
my timing,
my will.

And every time I chased my own way,
life grew heavier.
Doors stuck.
Peace slipped through my fingers.

But when I finally noticed
that God had been beside me all along—
quiet, patient, steady—
and I began to walk His way,
life didn’t suddenly get easier…
but it became fuller.
Richer.
More real.
Because I could finally see Him
moving in my days.

Now I stand again at a crossroads.
Discerning.
Listening.
Asking the old question:
Is this my will
or God’s?
Is He shifting my circumstances,
or am I simply tugging the reins again?

The saints remind us:
union with God
is not found only in sweet prayer,
but in embracing His holy will—
in work,
in family,
in the ordinary hours of the day.
Wherever we stand,
His will can be done.
And where His will is embraced,
there is no danger of drifting from Him.

Ahaz refused a sign,
but God gave one anyway—
a virgin with a child,
Emmanuel,
God‑with‑us.

And Mary,
troubled yet open,
heard the angel say,
“The Lord is with you…
Do not be afraid.”

She asked her question,
then surrendered her life:
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.

My life is busy.
My days are full.
But my soul knows the one thing necessary:
to stand with Mary,
to breathe with Mary,
to say with Mary—
today,
in this moment—
Lord, let Your will be done in me.

Prayer

Lord,
You know how easily
my heart runs after my own will.

Bend me back to You.
Steady my steps.
Quiet my fears.

Teach me the freedom
of surrender,
the peace
of trusting Your hand,
the joy
of walking in Your will.

With Mary I pray:
Here I am, Lord.
Let it be done in me
according to Your word.

Amen.