Thomas Merton Prayer
Trusting when the road is unclear
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 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 ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude (1958). Quoted with attribution. Thomas Merton Center.
From the Recovery Prayers on Colors in Recoveryhttps://colorsinrecovery.com/prayers/thomas-merton-prayer/© 2026 Colors in Recovery / JC M. All rights reserved. The prayer’s wording belongs to its source above.
“God” can mean whatever higher power you are working with. Take your time. There is no right way to say it.
If this stirs up more than you can sit with, see the crisis and recovery resources, or Urge Help if an urge is close.