Saint John (Maximovitch) of Tobolsk (+1715): On how we may discern the will of the Lord in all matters and occurrences

 

Authorities differ according to various institutions: in a school — by the assembled pupils; in a household — consisting of family and servants; in a monastery — of the brethren; in a military camp — assembled from separate regiments, battalions, and other distinct units. Yet in each of the aforementioned institutions and those like them, there exists one and the same principle for attaining order and well-being: this is the obedience of subordinates to their elders, instructors, and commanders — an obedience that brings the various individual wills of subordinates into unity, into harmony, which is expressed through authority, organizing the separate wills into concordant action. A commander will govern poorly if he does not know how to direct and wisely restrain his subordinates in unquestioning obedience to the law and in the fulfillment of orders or instructions. On the contrary, everything proceeds successfully and reaches its intended goal where, for example, in a house — the steward, in monasteries — the guide of the brethren, in schools — the teacher, in regiments — the military commander, leads all those entrusted to him through prudent instruction, by example, by word, or even by a mere motion of the hand, toward the attainment of a good end according to his discernment.

As a soldier is obliged in all things to be obedient to his commander, to follow his example, and to be ready to fulfill every order, so must every true Christian live as though under the hand and the word of God. Whatever God may will to do with us, to what He appoints us, what He commands — in all this we must unquestioningly submit to His most holy will. Let there be for all of us, Christians, a single response to the call addressed to us by God in the Holy Scriptures: Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me (this is said of Christ the Savior): I delight to do Thy will, O my God; yea, Thy law is within my bowels (Psalm 39:8–9) — that is, in my memory, in my understanding, in my will (let each of us say after the example of our Savior): Thy will, O God, is for me better than all commands; the fulfillment of it is for me the greatest good.

With Saul, after he had fallen to the ground, struck by an extraordinary heavenly light, and heard the voice: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? — his first question was: Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? (Acts 9:4–6). This question let us repeat daily in every moment of uncertainty, when we do not know how to act in this or that circumstance: “Lord! What wilt Thou have me to do? What is Thy will in this matter, all-good Jesus? Reveal it to me by whatever sign Thou wilt, that I may understand it — whether by a good word, counsel, or some other kind of revelation. Willingly will I follow Thy gracious will, prayerfully inspired in me by Thee.”

To the question of how we may discern the will of God in all matters, let us respond by pointing to certain ordinances or principles through which the will of God is clearly revealed; let us call them, for brevity's sake, commandments.

The first commandment, or Principle, aiding in the knowledge of the will of God

All that draws us away from God is contrary to the will of God; whereas all that brings us closer to God is in agreement with the will of God. For the will of God is your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication (1 Thess. 4:3), not only from carnal fornication but from every form of delusion, and all the more from what is unlawful. Whoever senses such a delusion within himself should say to himself: this undertaking of mine, this friendship, this acquisition, this manner of life will not make me morally better, for it draws me away from God; at the very least, this is not God's Divine good pleasure concerning me.

The Second Commandment

The will of God is explained to us clearly and intelligibly through the law of God and the ordinances of the Church. Therefore, in every doubt, we must inquire: what do the commandments of God and the Traditions of the Church require of us? And not only what they require, but also consider what is in accordance with them (even if not explicitly defined) and what is in harmony with their spirit. Once, Christ pointed to the commandments of God to the rich young man who asked Him: What shall I do to inherit eternal life? — Thou knowest the commandments (Mark 10:17; 10:25) — and He pointed out those among them which prescribe our duties toward our neighbor. Truly, there is nothing better than the fear of the Lord, and nothing sweeter than to heed the commandments of the Lord (Sirach 23:36). Abraham, speaking to the rich man who had rejoiced every day and afterward ended up in hell, presented as a witness the Divine will revealed through Moses and the other prophets, saying of the rich man’s brothers who were still alive: They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them (Luke 16:29). And the divine Apostle Paul says: Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2). The good (i.e., righteous) will of God is contained in the Ten Commandments of God; the acceptable (God-pleasing) will — in the Gospel counsels; the perfect will — that which demands that all commanded by God be fulfilled by us on earth just as it is fulfilled by the Angels in heaven.

The Third Commandment

This commandment is prescribed by the Apostle Paul in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 5:18): In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. First of all, it is worthy of note that our giving thanks to God for everything that may happen to us is greatly beneficial for us in times of anxiety and sorrow—how much more so when we receive something good. Saint John Chrysostom beautifully expressed this: “Have you suffered something evil? If you do not wish it to be evil for you, give thanks to God, and behold, this evil has already been turned into good. In this lies great wisdom.” The ancients taught their children a good custom, which consisted in this: if a child burned its finger, it was taught to immediately turn to God with the words, ‘Thanks be to God!’—a short, yet most beneficial commandment. For everything endured, let the Christian, burdened with misfortunes and sorrows, exclaim: ‘Thanks be to God!’ Let him proclaim it a hundredfold, a thousandfold, unceasingly: ‘Thanks be to God!’ To this, Saint Paul adds: Quench not the Spirit — make room within yourself for the Holy Spirit; for often God reveals His will through hidden, mysterious signs, which one must be guided by and believe in only when the deed they point to results in the glory of the One God. Further, Saint Paul says: Despise not prophesyings — that is, the interpretations of Divine Scripture and the teachings offered in churches, as well as the prophetic admonitions of wise and pious men, must never be despised by anyone who wishes to align his will with the Divine will. But whoever does not wish to heed all the above clearly does not wish to understand the will of God. Again, Saint Paul teaches: Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:21). Just as coin testers examine every coin by various known signs—by the sound of the metal, by the inscriptions—and thus distinguish the genuine coin from the counterfeit, accepting the former and rejecting the latter, so also must we act in discerning the will of God in every matter: that which truly conforms to it we must hold fast to; and all that bears even the slightest trace of falsehood or sin we must hate and cast away as being contrary to the will of God.

The Fourth Commandment

For the understanding of the will of God in some doubtful case, there are also other sources; beyond the aforementioned commandments of God and Church ordinances, there belong here the lawfully chosen interpreters of the will of God in our uncertainties—those who truly live in a Christian manner (for example, spiritual fathers, pastors). These are the spiritual and secular judges of our conscience. Among the laity, this includes parents, schoolteachers, instructors, and all lawfully appointed, true rulers of human societies. We bring forth historical examples for illustration:

When Saul, having wholly surrendered himself to the will of God, asked, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? — the Lord did not burden him with immediate commands in every detail, nor did He at once send him the Spirit of wisdom, but, as a disciple, He sent him to Ananias, saying: Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do (Acts 9:6). Ananias became the sure interpreter of the will of God to Paul, just as Saint Peter was to Cornelius the centurion (cf. Acts 10). From this, we see God’s good pleasure to reveal His will to a person through another person. Therefore, we must not neglect the good counsel of others: Ask counsel of every wise man, and despise not any useful advice (Tobit 4:18); following this, you will not regret it. The soul of a righteous man sometimes declares more than seven watchmen that sit aloft to watch — yet in all this, pray to the Most High that He may direct thy way in truth (Sirach 37:18–19). Dwell in friendship with a man who is truthful and possesses the fear of God: his soul shall be as thine own soul, and he will grieve with thee if thou fallest. Along with this, hold fast the counsel of thine own heart, for there is none more faithful to thee than it (Sirach 37:16–17). To resolve doubts about how to act according to the will of God in any matter, ask for counsel and guidance from your spiritual fathers and superiors, to whom we have entrusted our conscience and the moral conduct of our life. In general, address your uncertainties to all those in authority, whose will—excluding anything sinful—is the will of God. Whatever they advise, apart from sin, we must receive as if given through them by God Himself, and we must carry it out. Saint Paul the Apostle serves as an example for us in this. Describing to the Galatians his actions after his conversion to Christianity, he says among other things: Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas (by revelation) (Gal. 2:1). Why, then, did Paul delay his journey to Jerusalem for such a long time? The reason, he answers, was that I communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain (Gal. 2:2). Behold the universal preacher, who had been preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles for fourteen years as though he were the least of the apostles, offering his teaching to the foremost apostles, inviting them to be judges or censors of his preaching, so that in his teaching all that the elder apostles might approve would be received by common counsel, and being harmonized with their own preaching, they might add to it or take something away—and all of this he himself would then believe and teach the Gentiles. What is most astonishing is that Paul says of himself, I went up by revelation. If it was by revelation that he went to Jerusalem, then by revelation he could also have been given all that the Apostolic Council resolved. But such a further revelation was not given, precisely to show that God wills to instruct us not only through revelations, but also that man be instructed through man. Moreover, Paul’s submission of his teaching to apostolic judgment was not done because he doubted the orthodoxy of his teaching; rather, the synodal confirmation was more necessary for others—both believers and, even more so, those who doubted. Thus did all who wished and strove to unfailingly follow the will of God resolve their uncertainties: they questioned their elders, accepted their good and beneficial counsel. Stand ye in the ways — that is, pay full attention to your deeds, says the Lord through the Prophet Jeremiah — and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest and comfort for your souls (Jer. 6:16).

The Fifth Commandment

If time or place do not permit one to seek counsel, a person must judge for himself in his uncertainty regarding the understanding of the Divine will—how he should act in accordance with it in the matter before him—and God will not abandon his prayerful desire to fulfill the will of God in all things, but will unexpectedly resolve his doubt. In such a case, the one in doubt must carefully examine the matter before him and consider both or all sides of it that raise the question. In choosing one of them, he should take into account which is more favorable to the will of God, and which is closer to our carnal desire or attachment. Having considered all this impartially, each person is obligated to do that which is more pleasing to God, even if it is undesirable to our own will and wholly disagreeable to the inclinations of the flesh, bringing neither pleasure nor delight, but only labor and weariness. Despite this, we must follow the will of God, do what is pleasing to Him, and not what pleases our self-love and indulgence of the flesh. Egoism, pride, and carnal desires are always shameful and lead us close to a fall; to resist them in every case is safe. If thou turn away thy foot from doing thy pleasure on My holy day, says the Prophet Isaiah, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, saith the Lord (Isaiah 58:13–14). Let us offer some practical advice for further clarity. For a person suffering from stomach illness, the best advice is not to eat what he greatly desires—such food will bring him no benefit and more likely will harm him. For example: fresh watermelons, melons, cucumbers, mushrooms, strong undiluted drinks, cold water, young vegetables, and unripe garden fruits—these things stimulate excessive eating and thereby burden digestion, causing harm not only to the sick, but sometimes even to the healthy, although indulging in them may seem pleasant.

The same—or something similar—occurs in our moral actions: more often than not, we are drawn to that which pleasantly gratifies our outward senses, by which we may appear impressive, by which we may boast before others—in a word, all that is worldly and temporal is desirable to the flesh but harmful to our inner man. Whatever excessively draws our will toward the material and fleeting, that very thing diverts our spirit from the Divine and eternal; therefore, it is contrary to God, estranges us from Him, and casts us into the abyss of evil. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth (restrain their inclinations toward godless deeds and passionate desires): fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry; for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience (Col. 3:5–6). Go not after thy lusts, but refrain thyself from thine appetites, advises the son of Sirach (Sirach 18:30). In your uncertainties, turn to God in prayer, that He may instruct you concerning His holy will in your actions.

If you encounter, dear reader, something neutral—for example, you are walking and come across two people begging alms, both equally destitute, and for some reason you cannot give alms to both equally—then give, even if unequally: to one more, to the other less, according to your desire; you will not sin against the will of God in this inequality of giving. But if the matter is complex and requires special study and consideration, then seek counsel from knowledgeable people, and ask prayerfully from God His blessing upon the good deed. If it is a question of choosing one of several such deeds and it is entirely unknown which of them is pleasing to God—that this or that should be carried out—then in such a case, wait; do not carry out either of them until you come to know, in one way or another, even approximately, that your action and choice are not contrary to the will of God. In all doubtful judgments, two counselors are especially beneficial: reason and conscience. If both diligently apply themselves to the examination of the uncertain matter, they will, without hindrance, find the true resolution as to how best to proceed and how to carry out the intended deed in accordance with the will of God.

It happens, however, that even people with a pure conscience may go astray in the labyrinth of the manifold conflicts between spirit and flesh, wherein the spirit sometimes finds itself in such confusion that it does not know what it ought to choose and do, so as not to act against the will of God. This occurs not infrequently even with church preachers. Let the following instructive example serve them for consolation and benefit.

A preacher sets forth and explains the word of God to his listeners and notices that the majority of them have dozed off, while only a few listen attentively; this troubles the preacher. Yet he thinks: “Still, it is better that they have dozed than if they were engaged in idle talk. And if even two or three are not asleep, that is enough to encourage me in my labor: one is as good as a thousand!” Let each person, similarly, reason in moments of uncertainty concerning his own affairs: it is enough for me if two eyes remain watchful within me—reason and conscience; if only they preserve the will of God, then they will direct my own will toward the will of God. As for the rest, I will not be disturbed; and if in anything, through my weakness, I fail to fully meet the good pleasure of God, I will nevertheless strive to be well-pleasing to Him!

The Sixth Commandment

Much contributes to the knowledge of the Divine will the prayerful appeal of Saint Paul to God: Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? (Acts 9:6). We, following the example of Saint Paul, often have the need to repeat this prayerful request: Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? It became customary among the holy servants of God. In matters doubtful and extraordinary, they always resorted to prayer for God’s help, that He might reveal to them His holy will: Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? Thus Moses and Aaron in their time would approach the Ark of the Covenant (the Lord’s ark) with prayerful inquiry of the Lord. Likewise, our elders did and still do the same: if the sky is suddenly covered with thick clouds, thunder strikes like cannon fire, and lightning flashes continuously, then the bells are rung to disperse the storm clouds and at the same time to call everyone to fervent prayer to God for mercy upon us sinners and for His help unto deliverance. In like manner must we act when we perceive that the righteous sun of God’s will is withdrawing from us and we know not at all what we are to do. It is necessary and greatly beneficial for us to lift our eyes to heaven and with fervent prayers knock upon it, saying: Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? So acted the Apostle Paul, when suddenly in the field a light unbearable to the eyes shone upon him and he fell to the ground and heard a voice: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? In fear and trembling, he asked: Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? (Acts 9:3–6). It is profitable to repeat this prayer often. But the most pleasing time for its frequent deepening is when we, with fear and trembling, approach the reception of the Divine and Most Pure Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ. Fully aware of our unworthiness to receive them, we must with all our soul and heart implore our Redeemer: Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? God-inspired men advise us to hold unceasingly in our mind and to express in words: Lord, I am unworthy; but I acknowledge in my heart: that which is pleasing to Thee, let it also be pleasing to me; what I have promised, I will keep and fulfill.

The daily entrusting of oneself to the will of God is the most perfect and most beneficial preparation for the unknown to us, yet inevitable hour of our passage from this present life into the life to come, the life beyond the grave, where we shall receive that which we have merited here by our good or evil deeds.

Note: If someone, having long prayed to God for the fulfillment of some request, does not receive what he asks, let him know that the Merciful Heavenly Father delays in granting the request either because what is asked would not be to the benefit of the petitioner, or else He postpones its fulfillment in order to cause the petitioner to pray more often and to train him in patience—for the sake of a greater reward.

There is not the slightest doubt that often even the best father does not hasten to give his son or daughter what they ask, in order to test their affection for him and to teach them the useful virtue of patience, which merits a greater reward than impatience and resentment after the very first refusal. All the more is it fitting for the All-knowing Heavenly Father to act thus with us. We would cease to pray to God altogether, or would pray only very rarely and out of necessity, and it is unlikely that we would possess any measure of patience, if God were to grant us immediately everything we might desire from Him.

It is far more beneficial for us to obtain even small gifts from God through prolonged and frequent prayers than to receive a quick answer to our prayer; for unceasing prayer in itself is already the greatest gift of God, and in addition, it makes the one who prays worthy of even greater mercy—consolation and peace of soul. Such a repeatedly offered, yet seemingly unheard, petition has granted many righteous ones the greatest stillness and tranquility in the heart.

The King of Judah, David, when the prophet Nathan reproached him for his sin and declared the will of God concerning the death of the child conceived in sin by him, prayed long and fasted, shed tears, casting himself upon the ground before God, beseeching Him for the life of his newborn son. But when he heard that his son had died, he immediately found peace: he changed his garments of mourning for festive attire, went into the house of God, and worshipped the Lord (cf. 2 Samuel 12:14–23). Christ, the God-man, having completed for the third time His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane for the removal of the cup of death from Him, fully surrendered Himself to the will of the Heavenly Father and calmly said to His disciples, who were heavy with sleep: Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray Me (Matt. 26:46). Thus, it often happens that an unanswered prayer brings peace to the mind and heart, and from this we may come to know the will of God—that His good pleasure is not in the fulfillment of what we ask, but in the complete surrender of ourselves to the will of God concerning the thing requested.

Eli, the Jewish priest, when Samuel told him what punishment God had decreed for the house of Eli and his sons, humbly said: He is the Lord; let Him do what seemeth Him good (1 Samuel 3:18); as if to say: “Thy declaration of God’s judgment is grievous to me, O Samuel, but since I know that this is the will of God, I willingly accept thy words and recognize in them the will of God: I and my sons receive punishment according to our deeds, by the sentence of God’s judgment, to which no one has the right to resist; let the Lord do all that is pleasing to His most holy will: we are servants, He is the Lord; we are guilty in many things; it is His work to correct our falls through righteous chastisement.” When the Apostle Paul was on his way to Jerusalem and passed through Caesarea, and the Christians there, knowing through prophecies that many troubles and sorrows awaited him from the Jews in Jerusalem, sought to dissuade him from continuing his journey, Paul answered their tearful pleading: What do ye, weeping and breaking mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when we (the Christians of Caesarea) could not persuade him, we were silent, saying: The will of the Lord be done (Acts 21:13–14). This is the only true consolation of the soul when our prayer is not heard, when our petitions are not granted—to pray for one thing: The will of the Lord be done.

The Seventh Commandment

No one among the living can more truly know the will of God concerning the actions he intends to undertake than he who sincerely and wholeheartedly desires in all things to act according to the will of God. Such a desire will truly serve as a guiding thread for him in the labyrinth, helping to remove the difficulties and errors that may arise in understanding the will of God in the matter at hand. He who is filled with such fervent desire to act according to the will of God, or to choose that which is pleasing to God from among two possible actions, and who is in doubt as to which undertaking is in accordance with the Divine will, let him prayerfully turn to God, saying with all his soul and heart: “Lord! If I knew with certainty what is pleasing to Thee, I would surely do that very thing—and thus I believe that Thou, though unseen, wilt implant in my heart the thought that is pleasing to Thee.”

Having poured out his heart before the All-seeing One, he may then act according to what seems best to him, choosing one course or another, laying aside all doubt; he will not anger God thereby, for the most loving Father does not allow such a loving son to fall into delusion. If there is no person capable of giving edification, God sends a good Angel, just as He sent an Angel in a dream to Joseph, when the latter was pondering and uncertain as to how to act concerning the Virgin betrothed to him in a matter of great importance. In like manner, an Angel was sent to the three eastern kings who were journeying to worship the Child lying in the manger in Bethlehem, to instruct them not to follow the flattering counsel of King Herod and to return to their country by another way. To Abraham, to the bondwoman Hagar, and to many others, Angels were sent for aid and to turn them away from various errors—or, in place of Angels, faithful people were sent for their instruction.

In the year 324, Emperor Constantine the Great, having departed from Rome, began to build a new capital in Heli; but this undertaking was not pleasing to the Providence of God, and in order to change his intent and indicate the proper place for the construction of the new capital, God wondrously arranged that the building tools and materials for the city's construction were, in a single night, by an invisible power, transferred from the Asiatic shore of the strait to the European side—in Thrace, as related by Bede and Glycas. Zonaras further adds that an eagle, seizing in its beak the plan of the city prepared by the architect, flew with it across the strait and dropped it near Byzantium.

Thus, God never refuses to reveal His will—by one means or another—to those who sincerely desire to know and fulfill it; for the Holy Spirit of Wisdom, being full of love for mankind, withdraws from deceitfulness, as the true beholder of our heart, and being all-encompassing, knows every word of ours—whether it is true—and abundantly grants Himself to all who call upon Him (cf. Wisdom 1:5–7). The Lord is near to all who truly seek Him and reveals to them His will through wondrous and most sweet instruction: He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him, and He also will hear their cry, and will save them (Psalm 144:19)—that is, from every delusion, error, and danger.

 

Russian source: Илиотропион, или сообразование человеческой воли с Божественной волей, by Saint John (Maximovitch) of Tobolsk; introduction and notes by Priest Alexander Gumerov, Third Edition, Sretensky Monastery Publishing, Moscow, 2014, chapter 4.

Russian source online: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Ioann_Tobolskij/iliotropion/1_4