284 What God's Will Actually Means

Transcript Lisa Barrett: "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray: 'Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'" Elizabeth: Welcome back to Scripture for Your Inner Outcasts. It's June 18th, 2026, Thursday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time. Today's guest is Lisa Barrett, a psychotherapist in private practice based in Sydney, Australia, and a member of Souls and Hearts' Resilient Catholics Community and the Formation for Formators community. Lisa Barrett: "Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray: 'Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'" Welcome, everyone. We know that God is our loving father and the father of all humanity, including His Son, Jesus. In this prayer, he invites you to see his care for you. Perhaps you are a young, exiled part who aches for protection, delight, or even just safe belonging. Your father God does live in heaven and also lives in your heart. Heaven is a place of pure love and safety. And where he is, heaven is present. Those moments of pure joy and connection and love, that is where God is. Can you imagine this love that does not erase you, shame you, or demand you disappear? You can allow yourself to share what you really hope for, peace, rest, connection. You may carry deep longing for a different world than the one that you experience. Lisa Barrett: Your father asks you to bless his name, to give him a place of honor in your life, for his will and desire for your goodness and well-being is even greater than your own. His will is that you will be closer to living your best life, not exiled, alone, or unwelcome, but closer to his kingdom on earth. This is when his will is done on earth. His will is for a good experience for you and love for you in every part of you and every part of each person. His will is done when our will is aligned with his. There is the greatest freedom for you in this and it is available now. He hears your call and wants to provide you all you need each day, if only you remember to ask him. He has compassion for the places inside you that still carry terror, shame, grief, loneliness, or helplessness. God our father, your father, does not demand you change. You can tell him what you need today. Rest. Comfort. Courage. Enoughness. He forgives you all the times that you forget about him as he knows your pain and confusion. He promises that if you allow him to lead and guide you, if you stay connected to him, that he can keep you safe, so that even when you encounter evil, it will not overcome you. Lisa Barrett: That when you are close to him, you don't lean or fall into temptations or believing the lies or misunderstandings that other people and parts hold of you that take away from your life and leave you outcast. You may carry deep fears, "I am too needy," "I should not depend on anyone." Your needs matter. You do not have to earn nourishment. And if you feel any guilt or shame or carry unbearable beliefs like, "I ruin things." "I'm bad." "I'm too much." "It's all my fault." He gives you this prayer so you know that you are never exiled by him, even if other people or parts try to exile you from him. He is always close and you always have access to him, even in your darkest and most alone moments. The overwhelming burdens of terror, shame, despair, and worthlessness that you are carrying, imagine you not being left alone with those burdens anymore. He wants you to have this prayer, Our Father, to know how close he really is with you, even when you feel alone. Elizabeth: For further reading on the topic of God the Father and the Blessed Virgin Mary as your primary parents, check out the article linked in the description of today's show. Lisa Barrett: Mother Mary, Untier of Knots, pray for us. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.