I found myself wrestling with this passage, mainly because it spoke to situations in my own life of struggling with God’s will. I recognize that I am not alone in struggling with God, as we all face this struggle. Rabbi Heschel, a noted Jewish theologian, said, “From Abraham through Jesus, we see how the great figures of our faith are not in the habit of easily saying ‘Thy will be done!’ but often, for a while at least, they counter God’s invitation with, “Thy will be changed!” Fr. Rolheiser, reflecting on our struggles with God, said, “Wrestling with God should be part of our understanding of faith and prayer. Human will doesn’t bend easily, nor should it, and the heart has complexities that need to be respected, even as we try to rein in its more possessive longings.” God expects that, at some point, we will resist his will. But just as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, we need to be open and honest with God, speaking from the depth of our hearts in ruthless honesty. God, who created us, understands this and is up to the task of wrestling with us and our resistance. A life lived outside of the will of God is not really life at all. That’s something I’ve learned from experience. “In The Problem with Pain,” C.S. Lewis wrote, “God’s will is determined by His wisdom which always perceives, and His goodness which always embraces the intrinsically good.” If we are in a place where we’re not sure what the Lord wants us to do, we should avail ourselves of all the ways He makes his purposes known to us. The inner witness of the Spirit is usually the final piece of the puzzle that must fall into place, but we must be wary of making it the first and only piece.