Truly Desire the Will of God

Dear Father John-Brian,

I'm having a difficult time with this quote from Dorotheos of Gaza in The Book of Mystical Chapters (McGulkin, 2003, page 69):

"But if a person does not truly desire the will of God,
even if they were to go to a prophet,
God would put it into the heart of that prophet
to give a response comparable to the deceit
that was in the seeker's heart."

Does that mean that the person who does not truly desire the Will of God, who goes to see a prophet will have his or her selfish delusion/desire reinforced or encouraged by something God puts in/on the heart of the prophet???

How does one know if one TRULY desires the Will of God? How do I know my ego isn't involved or that I'm not lying to myself?

Anonymous


Dearest Child of God,

For who does not want the will of the God of beneficence, mercy and love - the one who has all power and yet waits for us.

If we are honest, we will admit our limited-ness and only want the clarity and nurturance of God's will. This is why we must know ourselves with microscopic honesty - so that we are not self-deceiving.

The only one who can lie to himself is one who is hiding from himself. The only one who can lie to God is one who is hiding from God. So one who wants to hide, who wants to decieve, will only get the confirmation they are seeking - as he IS NOT seeking the will of God.

Do not worry. God will not keep His will hidden just because we are confused. The next step in following His way is always clear. If we are not sure, we can look around and we will always see the next most loving thing to do, the next "right" action. We may not be able to see much further.

There is the old adage: what you look for, you will find.

pray for me, a servant


Father John-Brian Paprock
From internet correspondence 2009