The Operations of Grace

I have been praying for something for quite a while. Working hard. Then waiting. And praying some more. I feel like it’s what God wants but as I pray and work and wait, I wonder if maybe I’m missing something.

And then this morning, I read this:

“We do not know how we ought to pray,” and in our ignorance, we frequently ask what would be injurious. We would, for instance, like to have fervor of devotion, distinct emotions of joy, and perfections which others could see. But these would serve to nourish the life of self within us and develop a confidence in our own strength. Love, however, leads us on and abandons us, as it were to the operations of grace, putting us entirely at the disposal of God’s will. Thus, it prepares us for all the secret designs.  Francois Fenelon

When I read this, I settled down. Realizing there are secret designs I know nothing about …


So here I sit, gratefully abandoned, to the operations of grace.