“You will always receive instructions from Me. You only have to wait patiently” (Inner Word).
The Father will never leave us without instruction if we turn to Him. We need to counter the unbelief we sometimes have with this simple assurance of faith: our Father’s loving intention is to guide us safely through this life. Just as He provides us with all that is necessary for natural life, all that He has always had in store for us, just as He makes us partakers of His divine life, so He wants us to reach our goal. Therefore, it is obvious that He guides and instructs us as long as we ask Him and do our part to understand even the subtlest guidance of His love.
It is important not to overlook the admonition that follows this wonderful promise of our Father: “You only have to wait patiently”. Patience means knowing how to wait for the right moment, not confusing the impulse of our own nature with the drawing of the Holy Spirit. It is precisely in true patience that growth in the spiritual life is manifested, because it is born of trust in the Father and the interiorisation of His love, which He has shown us countless times.
In this way, patient and trusting waiting for God’s instructions becomes a sign of maturity, and God’s way with us becomes a spiritual work of art that begins to unfold an attractive harmony in the whole being of the disciple. The resulting security comes not so much from the smooth running of natural circumstances, but from a certain tranquillity in God, which enables our Father to communicate His instructions to us more and more directly. Thus life increasingly follows the patterns of the Spirit, giving it the depth that comes from a growing love relationship with our divine Father.