Christianity - Descision Making and the Will of GodWhat links here?

When I became a Christian (a person who follows Jesus Christ), I was taught that God had a perfect plan for my life. This perfect plan included who to marry, where to work, where to live - almost every descision that I would have to make. My part in making a descision was to pray that God would reveal His will regarding the matter at hand. Somehow I would experience peace when I arrived at the correct direction. Much later in life I concluded this is not making descisions, it's asking for directions.

I tried to apply what I had been taught very carefully, because it was very important to me to do what God wanted. In every case, the more I sought to understand what God would have me to do, the more turmoil I felt. The worst descision was when my employer wanted me to move to another city. It meant leaving my friends and familiar surroundings to essentially start over in a new place where I didn't know anyone. I was terminally shy back then, and this was a huge step, but I was ready for it - if I could be sure that's what God wanted. I prayed and prayed. I paced the streets of a strange town late at night calling out for direction. I asked my friends back home to pray that God would reveal His direction. Nothing. I was so torn up I couldn't stand it. When the deadline came, I decided to take the move, because that way nobody could claim I did what I wanted to do.

After I moved, I started thinking about a certain person I had left behind. I wondered how can God provide me with a perfect mate when nobody is perfect? I called another friend who had been of great help as I developed as a young Christian. He was one of the people who taught me that God had a perfect plan for my life. I asked him again about descision making. He said, "It's interesting you ask that question, because we just started studying this new book. It's too early for me to say anything, but you could buy a copy and read it yourself." I did. I devoured it. The name is Descision Making and the Will of God by Garry Friesen. He showed that all the Bible verses used to support the ideas that I had been taught did not support those ideas. In his book he said God gave us brains to decide with, and that when the Bible says 'do the will of God', the will of God referred to is what's revealed in the Bible.

Since trying to figure out which path God wanted me to take at any given juncture had been such a failure every time I had tried, this was a great relief to me. But at the same time, I felt I had lost something. Somehow the idea that God had a perfect plan for my life conveyed the idea that God cared about me personally, and therefore the lack of a "personal plan for my life" meant God didn't care about me personally.

It's taken me thirty years to learn that the truth is more complex and richer and more amazing than what I thought I had lost. God does want us to use our brains to make descisions. It pleases Him and brings Him glory when we seek to make descisions that please Him. And He doesn't need us to ask Him for directions, He can direct our lives in the way He wants, and without violating our free will, at least as long as we keeping our hands clean before Him. And all of it, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the indifferent, is changing us to be the person we ultimately will be.



Update Mar 17, 2012
In September of last year God caused me to be a Small Group leader at my church. My wife and I were part of a small group that had lost it's leader to cancer. The guy that had been filling in wanted to move in a direction that prevented him from continuing. As my wife talked to me about this, I thought 'I guess I could lead.' Now I've never considered myself a leader, and I've never considered myself even qualified for such a position. In fact, I told God I would not lead (that may have been a mistake).

Our church has requirements and training for leaders, so I wasn't sure they would even let me lead. I prayed about it, then talked to our executive pastor. He approved and encouraged me to take the roll.

All through this process (about a week and a half), I thought this was my idea. That it might be otherwise did not occur to me until the day before our first group meeting with me as the leader. As I was driving to work the thought occurred to me - maybe God put that idea in my head. Since then I've become convinced of it. God steered me in the direction He wanted me to go without my asking for instructions or directions, and without my knowing until it was done.

After this I thought about another time when I had made a decision with agonizing over it in pray. I decided to go to Southeastern Bible College because I heard girls went there specifically for the purpose of finding a good husband. I was looking for a wife, so why not go where the quarry is? I didn't find a wife, but I believe that my time there was beneficial. I now believe this is another instance where God steered my life in the direction He wanted it to go without my asking.

Christianity - Descision Making and the Will of God
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last edit:March 17 2012 13:53:14 (4394 days ago)
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