Are You a Hammer?
Being God’s Instrument
My favorite prayer is the beloved Prayer of St. Francis:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is an injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life
Amen.
The words never fail to challenge me. Recently, when I said the familiar words, “ … make me an instrument…,” I stumbled over “make me.” God is the doer, the maker. I was reminded that I am only the instrument or tool whom God selects to do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. I am a passive instrument of God, carefully designed by him to accomplish his will, not mine.
The words of St. Francis stirred me because I knew that for years I had worked very hard to be the best tool I possibly could, but for my own purposes and not for God’s. I was so busy as a wife, mother and a doctor that I was not available to God. Even now, being God’s tool offers plenty of challenges
I remember how my parents and grandparents drilled into my brothers and me the sacredness of tools. We were taught to fastidiously maintain them. This included cleaning, lubricating, sharpening, tightening them, and inspecting them regularly for wear or damage. Without fail, we were to store them in the proper place after each use—every tool had a designated shelf, hook, or rack. Our parents stressed that we were to use each tool for its designated purpose—otherwise there could be accidents, injuries, or broken tools. Think of what happens if you decide to use a hammer to insert a screw.
Three ways we can serve God as his willing instruments to serve him, not ourselves
For years, I chose what tool to be and how to use it. Living for my chosen purpose caused problems for me. Part of my healing journey has been to recognize three ways we can serve God as his willing instruments to serve him, not ourselves.
Be available. A tool that is lost in the yard or buried under a bunch of junk on the workbench is useless. Similarly, if we do not make ourselves available to God, he cannot use us. We do this by intentionally giving God time and space in our lives by prayer, service, worship, study, or whatever calls us. If we allot very little time in our schedule or our mind for God, we are telling him we are not available.
Be responsible for our own maintenance. A broken and rusty tool cannot get too much done for its user. Similarly, if we don’t care for our health of body, mind, and spirit, we might not get too much done for our Lord. If we don’t try to deal with our anger, worry, workaholism or unhealthy habits, we may find that we are broken instruments, unable to fully serve the Lord .
Be flexible and open minded. You may be certain your mission is to be a loud and powerful hammer and to change the world. But, God may decide you first need to be a doorstop for while to see the world from a different perspective and gain wisdom. To be open to God’s will requires prayer and listening to God with an open heart, trust, and patience.
The St. Francis Prayer is a perfect guide for us as we start a new year, reminding us of our calling to serve as God’s sacred instruments, ready and willing to do his will.
I cannot end without acknowledging the difficulties of our present times. I pray that we all follow the three steps I described because I think God needs all of us primed and ready to do his will—in this way we can help bring healing to our hurting world.
SUGGESTIONS:
The history of this prayer is fascinating. It was first published anonymously in France in 1912 and wasn’t attributed to St. Francis until 1927. Learn more here.
You can sing the Prayer of St. Francis as well, in the popular song “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace.”
When I pray this prayer each day, I actually recite my personalized and expanded version of the prayer. Read this prayer and other favorites of mine. I have found that this prayer is a gift that just keeps on giving. I hope it works like that for you as well.
“I am only a pencil in the hand of God, but it is He who writes.”
— Saint Teresa of Calcutta
God Bless.
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Dr. Donna Chacko promotes health of body, mind, and spirit through her website (serenityandhealth.com), her blog, and programs at her church. She is the author of the award-winning book and Amazon best-seller Pilgrimage: A Doctor’s Healing Journey (Luminare Press, 2021). You can read her full bio here.