Deepest Wish. What Should We Ask God For?

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) of Boryspil and Brovary, Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, answers this question.

What do we usually ask God for? Wealth, health, and solving a problem. Yes, all of this is important and essential. And God Himself instructed us to ask. He certainly knows all our needs, but He expects us, like children, to speak out loud about them.

The Lord already gives us everything. The main thing in our requests is a sincere appeal to God, through our request we show that we need Him.

In fact, in order to gain freedom, happiness, peace, tranquility, silence, you should ask not for the blessings of the earth, but for wisdom and understanding of God’s will for yourself and others.

We know many examples when a poor person is unhappy and not free, but when a person is rich, he is sometimes not free because of his worries, and maybe more so than the poor. It is difficult for the rich, not only with money, but also with talents, appearance, youth, intellect, and easy temper, to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it is difficult not to be tempted by their own significance, not to think highly of themselves, not to become proud involuntarily.

Only a wise person is happy and free. That is wise with correct wisdom. To be wise is not to rush into extremes, but to follow the middle path, i.e. the golden, blessed middle.

To be wise means not to look for enemies outside: neither in society, nor in the state, nor among other nations, nor in your family. Realizing that the true enemy is only evil in our hearts.

To be wise is to be grateful for the joys and bitter lessons. A wise man has no complaints against a single person. All responsibility for what is happening in his life lies only with himself.

Knowing the will of God makes one wise. And this should be our main request and our deepest wish.

Translated by pravmir.com

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