In the four decades I have belonged to Jesus I have heard one theme repeated over and over with an amazing consistency. God really sucks at communication.
No, that isn’t a quote. But I believe it is an accurate summary of what I have heard. It goes something like this:
“I just don’t know whether God wants me to take this job or not.” “I don’t know if God wants me to stay here or move.” “Does God want me to marry him? I just don’t hear him telling me clearly!” “I want to serve in the church, but God hasn’t shown me where yet!” “I can’t figure out what my spiritual gift is. I guess I’m just not hearing God.”
Each one of these statements has been made to me in the past few months, and in one form or another many times over the years. They all assume two things: 1. God has a specific and detailed answer to the question I’m asking, and 2. He doesn’t seem to be able to get that answer across to me.
The strange thing is I just don’t see this problem anywhere in scripture. I have NEVER read of God’s people struggling to understand His will. (Struggling to DO it, yes, but not to understand it.) And the idea of someone NOT knowing their spiritual gifts is totally unknown in scripture (though people mis-using them is, unfortunately, well known).
So why do we have these problems? Maybe it’s because God wants us to make decisions, and we don’t typically like that. If we have to make the decisions, we can’t blame God anymore. Comments like: “God told me to marry her, but she divorced me. How could HE do this to me?” (Not just one real quote, but actually several!) simply don’t work anymore.
But if God has given us wisdom (He says he will if we ask for it), and He has given us His word, are we really not capable of making sound decisions?
Understanding God’s will is actually quiet simple. 1. Commit yourself to being faithful to the Lord. 2. Ask for wisdom as he has directed us to. (James 1:5) 3. Seek guidance from wise people (Proverbs 11:14) 4. Study God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17) 5. Make the best decision you can and carry it out. 6. Take responsibility for your decision. If you decided to do something simply because you wanted to, admit it, and accept the consequences.
Yes, it is easier to sit back and wait until God audibly communicates a specific path for you to follow. But you will wait a long, long time. And in the meantime, you will not be living faithfully.
And by the way, not to worry! From the relatively few times in the scriptures where we find God directly determining someone’s path, this much is clear: If you set your heart to be faithful to God and God wants you to do something specific, choose something specific, be somewhere specific—you will know it, and He will make it happen with or without your help.
In reality, God is a Really Good Communicator.
Know Jesus, and Be Faithful!
in Christ,
Randy
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