This is the most important question for those who want to live a life that is pleasing to God. It stands to reason that the answer to the question is: Nothing. For God lacks nothing; God would not be God if God were to need something outside of God. God in superabundance and overflow of love and compassion effected the whole creation that includes humans. We are in no position to attribute any motive to God. In fact all that I am saying here is pious, pure speculation. In reality that is all that we have. We have some inkling or information from persons who were supposed to be sent by God (prophets) or the Anointed One (Christos or Meshiha) who is believed to be the incarnation of the Logos (the Word God) that God, among other things, is love and compassion, and the best way to serve and love God is to serve and love the least human. Everything then boils down to our belief. Nobody has seen God. The best we have is some vague experience of what we think God is. Through creation God communicates God’s being with humans. We are all in search of God; we are all in search of the fullness of Truth.

            Prophets or persons really close to God thought to be receiving inspiration from God have given indications as to what God wants from us. According to them God wants absolute and unconditional obedience to God. This obedience is also seen as doing God’s will as emphasized in Christianity. God wants total submission or surrendering as focused in Islam. According to Hinduism there is no religion or duty higher than truth (satyannasti paro dharma). Gandhi in his later years considered truth to be God. When we follow God’s will in truth and submission, God has given us the power to become prophets.

            The question “What does God want from us?” could be seen as a projection of the question “What do we want from God? We want God’s love that is the greatest quality after truth. Interestingly, love cannot go with untruth. Since we want love from God, it is natural that we think God wants love from us. This is certainly a comfortable thought and feeling. It is also unthinkable that humans because they are endowed with freedom cannot serve the purpose that the rest of creation fulfills. While humans can abuse their freedom, it is very difficult to think that humans at some point cannot arrive at their destination. For now let us be satisfied with the thought that God communicates God’s will through our conscience, and doing God’s will is all that is required of us by God. By doing God’s will, the whole humanity becomes a holy communion of saints in the beatific vision of God.