2026-08-30 - God's Will Verses My Preference Author: Fr. Camillus Nwaigwe
30th of August 2026
22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A
Jer 20:7-9
Rom 12:1-2
There is a song by Dr. Jude Nnam titled *Kosisochukwu*, which could be interpreted as "If it is God's will" or, more literally, "As God wills." The expression is simple, but it carries a profound spirituality. Kosisochukwu is not merely a statement we make when we have run out of options. It is an attitude of surrender: "Let it be according to God's will."
But if we are honest with ourselves, this is one of the most difficult prayers to make sincerely. It is easy to say, "God's will be done," when God’s will agrees with our plans. The real test comes when God's will is different from our preference. We often pray to God with our plans already made. We tell Him what we want, what we expect and how we think things should happen, and then we ask Him to bless it. Sometimes, our prayer is not really, "Lord, what do You want?" It is, "Lord, please want what I want."
And today's *Gospel* challenges precisely this attitude. Jesus tells His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed and rise again. Peter immediately objects, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you." Peter loved Jesus. His words came from concern. He did not want Jesus to suffer. Yet Jesus responds, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me."
Beloved friends, sometimes our greatest struggle with God is not unbelief. It is attachment to our own expectations. We believe in God, but we want Him to act according to our timetable. We trust God, but we want Him to choose the path we have chosen. Peter was thinking like a human being. Jesus tells him that he is not thinking according to God's plan.
This is why Paul says in the *Second Reading*, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God."
Another point we must note is that difficulty does not necessarily mean we have missed God's will or something is not God's will. The *First Reading,* presents us with a Jeremiah who was rejected, crushed, assaulted and forsaken, precisely because he was faithful to his calling. He was faithful to God, yet his faithfulness brought him rejection and suffering. At one point, he wanted to stop, he said, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name." God's will may not always be the comfortable option but it teaches that the difficult road can sometimes be the right road.
Also, we should examine our prayers. Sometimes we are not asking God what He wants; we are asking Him to approve what we want. We need to move from "Lord, give me what I want" to "Lord, give me the grace to want what You want." Let our will align with His.
While at that, do not mistake comfort for God's blessing. Something being easy does not automatically mean it is God's will, just as something being difficult does not automatically mean it is wrong. In as much as we all want a soft life, we also need a spirituality that can say, "Lord, I do not want to choose something merely because it is easy. Give me the wisdom to choose what is right, even when it is difficult."
Again, we must be willing to let God correct our expectations. Peter had an image of what the Messiah should be. Jesus had to challenge that image. We too must allow God to reshape our understanding. Origen had suggested that Jesus while rebuking Peter "satan go behind me", was saying to Peter: "Peter, your place is behind me, not in front of me. It's your job to follow me in the way I choose, not to try to lead me in the way YOU would like me to go." Ours is to follow wherever God wills.
Finally dearest friends, God does not ask us to stop having preferences. He asks us not to make our preferences our master. We can tell God what we desire, but we must also have the humility to say, "Lord, this is what I want. But above what I want, I want Your will. Kosisochukwu."
Happy Sunday and God bless you.
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