"To Do Your Will, O My God, Is My Delight"

I want to say a few more words about Psalm 40, which was also last Sunday’s responsorial Psalm. The heart of Psalm 40 is the quote: “To do your will, O my God, is my delight.” It is a remarkable statement; would that all of us cherished that mentality within our heart.

There are two basic attitudes to God’s will: either disobedience or obedience. The former belongs to demons and Satan who said when tested: “I will not serve.” The latter belongs to the angels united to Saint Michael who said: “Who is like God? I will obey.” Michael literally means “who is like God.” Depending on whether we obey or disobey, decides to which side we align ourselves. Are we on the side of our own will, together with the demons, seeking our life and receiving only death and destruction? Or are we on the side of God’s will, together with the great hosts of angels and saints and all people of good will, seeking what pleases Him, denying ourselves and being enriched with His life?

On the side of those obeying, there are three basic levels or degrees of obedience. The first, the level of a slave, is not always faithful to God and often seeks to do his own will. A slave is worried about getting into trouble and is mostly concerned about not going to hell. If it weren’t for all God’s rules, the slave would have much more fun; whenever he can, the slave tries to get away with whatever he can. The slave asks, “How far can I go before I sin mortally?” The slave is reluctantly obedient; if it weren’t for hell, the slave would rather sin with abandon. Of course, it is better to be an obedient slave than to be disobedient.

The next level of obedience is the level of child of God, son or daughter of the Great King. Here, the son seeks to please his Heavenly Father and has left behind the poverty of the slave mentality. The son truly loves God and desires heaven. The son has peace and a unity with God in a similar manner to a father who has a close relationship with his son. It is in this environment that obedience begins to grow and flower and bear good fruit.

The culmination of obedience is when God becomes our spouse. When we have become one mind and heart with God, we desire what He desires and we say, “To do your will, O my God, is my delight.” God loves us with passion of a husband; this love led Him to His Passion. In His pursuit of us, we give ourselves entirely to Him and are ready to do whatever He seeks from us. Of course, obedience only really shows itself when something difficult, something we do not want to do, is asked of us. If it is something we want to do, there is not much obedience in that. Obedience comes alive when we are tested and we rise to the occasion. The spousal obedience does not mean that we have an easy path; on the contrary, Jesus was asked by His Father to endure the Passion; Jesus replied: “If possible, let this cup pass from me, but not my will, but Thine be done.” Spousal obedience with God is beautiful, but it always leads us where it led Our Savior: to the cross.

Thanks for reading and your prayers.
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