Good Book, Good Poem

One book that has been keeping me engaged in the last few days is The Power of Desperation: Breakthroughs in Our Brokenness, by Michael Catt, the executive producer of the movie Fireproof. It shows, in stories from the Bible, and in stories from people in Catt's life, how God places us in challenging periods to pull us through and make us stronger.

As I navigate career and personal issues, a poem Catt published in the book really spoke to me. I'm posting it here, in case anyone else needs to hear the words.

This poem comes from Thomas Merton, from his book Thoughts in Solitude (New York: Dell, 1961)...

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain
where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think
that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope that I have that desire
in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything
apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this
you will lead me by the right road
though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are with me,
and will never leave me
to face my perils alone.