Question: How do we know what God wants us to manifest, and how can we obtain these qualities or things?

Sri Chinmoy: We don’t have to know. Only, we have to pray to God every day: “O Beloved Supreme, do manifest Yourself in and through me. I do not know and do not need to know what You want from me. My fervent wish, my fervent aspiration, is only that You will manifest Yourself in and through me, that you will make me an unconditionally surrendered instrument of Yours, an unconditionally surrendered God-lover.”

We do not have to know anything. We only have to cry sincerely to God to manifest Himself in and through us. If we become an unconditional instrument, what will God do? He will fulfil Himself in and through us in His own way. So let us put our wish to manifest God in that way — not by asking, ‘‘God, tell me what You want me to do. Then I’ll be able to please You,” but by saying, “God, do what You want to do in and through me.”

It is true that if you have peace, you can manifest God; if you have light, you can manifest God. But instead of praying for these divine qualities, the better process is to pray to God to give you what He feels you need most for your inner evolution. It is good to feel, “God, if You don’t want me to be Your perfect instrument, no harm. Somebody else can be, if that is Your Will. If You want to make even my worst possible enemy Your best instrument, do make him. I only want You to be fulfilled in Your own way.” If you can sincerely offer that kind of prayer to God, then your problems are solved.