I am sure you know of a good number of people whose favorite expressions are: “God willing”, “By the grace of God “Awa ng Diyos”. When those persons succeed, they say, “I did it by the grace of God.” When people who are ill get well, the credit is given to God. “He got well through the mercy of God.” When someone wants to make a commitment or promise, he says, “I will go to the party, God willing.”
But I’m afraid this breed of people is slowly diminishing and we are being taken over by those who proclaim, “Let’s do it” Now, the phrases “God willing” or, “sa awa ng Diyos”, or “by the grace of God”, are no longer there. The focus is no longer on the God who helps us do it; the focus is already on us who have all the strength to do it.
I do not say that it is wrong to put up posters. I do not say it is wrong to advertise on television, “Let’s do it, we can do it.” But there is something wrong when we think we can do it without God. When we say, “We can do it” and leave it at that without adding the clause “by the grace of God”; we are sinning with presumption. In the first reading, we hear of Elijah, a wonderful prophet, who himself acknowledges that there is a being on top of him, controlling his every word and deed, Elijah could have said, “Let’s do it” and he could have done it but he refused to do it without the grace of God guiding him.
Brothers and sisters, it is about time we rediscover that if it is true that we are the light of the world we are only reflectors of that light who is Christ. If it is true that we are the salt of the earth, we are only given flavor by God who gives us the grace. We do not have flavor by ourselves. We do not have light by ourselves. It is impossible to do it by ourselves. We can do it by the grace of God, “sa awa ng Diyos, “God willing.”
GOD WILLING
1 Kings 18:20-40
Jesus In My Heart
