Andy Schultz writes...

Here is a prayer I received a few years ago when I was in confirmation:

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

I like this prayer because it reminds me that there is much I don't know about the consequences of my actions. Even if I think I have made a mistake ("lost and in the shadow of death"), maybe I didn't mess up as badly as I think I did, and things will turn out ok ("you will lead me by the right road"). At the same time, this prayer affirms what we do know about God. God always leads us in the right direction, and God is always with us. Even in times of despair, God provides hope.
Keep this prayer in mind during the Lenten season.