When things happen that we don’t expect, or there’s a tragedy or sudden death, an important question to ask the Lord isn’t, “Why?” It’s, “God, what are You doing in this situation?”

Do we really trust Him? Can we say, “All your deeds are good; all your words are faithful”? Can we tell the Lord, “Not my will, but your will be done in my life”? When the Lord asks us to surrender something, we often must surrender again the next day, or maybe the next moment. It’s helpful to simply say, “I don’t know what You’re doing, Lord, but I trust You.”

There’s a beautiful quote that says, “When your ways are beyond understanding, I will adore You in silent trust.” There it is again—absolute surrender, giving Him everything. That can be difficult, especially when people are angry, perhaps because they’ve lost a loved one. It’s OK to vent or get angry; God can handle your anger.

I recommend the book He Leadeth Me by Fr. Walter Ciszek. Ciszek dreamed of going to Russia to evangelize. He thought the people would accept him and be hungry for the Lord. However, they didn’t want anything to do with him. He was arrested and imprisoned for over twenty years and experienced solitary confinement and torture. He thought he could beat the communists because he was strong, but they were able to break him. He signed papers saying he was a Vatican spy. Afterward, he was so ashamed that he fully surrendered to God. He realized he could not do it on his own strength. He realized that whatever is happening right now is God’s will.

Recently, my nephew was getting married in Chicago, and I couldn’t wait to go. I was going to drive with my sister and brother-in-law. When I woke up that morning, I felt horrible. I could hardly stand up straight. I called my sister, and said that I was sorry, but I couldn’t make it. I asked one of my religious sisters to pray with me, because I needed a miracle. Then, I laid down for an hour. I woke up feeling better! My sister and brother-in-law were gone, but one of the sisters in my order graciously offered to drive me to Chicago. It was awesome!

Why did that happen? Families are the hardest to evangelize—and God gave me an opportunity to evangelize mine. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut! I told everyone, “I was so sick. I asked the sisters to pray with me. Now look at me—it’s a miracle!” God hears our prayers; He uses everything.

We are all praying for so many things. The Lord wants us to do that. But in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray for the kingdom to come into our lives. It’s hard when people get cancer, or a child is sick, or other bad things happen. We forget that we live in a fallen world. The key is to look at Jesus on the cross and stay in the will of God no matter what.

Mother Teresa said that to live a life of holiness is to be preoccupied with pleasing Jesus. For fifty years, she had no affective experience of God’s love. Nevertheless, she continued to do God’s will and discovered that this is the darkness that the poorest of the poor experience—and she surrendered. She could have complained, “I’ve given everything to You. Where are You?” This is natural human concern, but she responded by saying “I’m in his hands, and He’s permitting this to happen. It’s for my good.” As Job says, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.” (Jb 13:15, NIV)

The following article was condensed from a Fire on the Earth interview between Peter Herbeck and Sr. Sarah Burdick on July 4, 2025. The program is entitled Saying Yes to God’s Will. It originally appeared in Renewal Ministries’ January 2026 newsletter.