So we’ve established that God is sovereign. He has a will for our lives, which is to make us more like Jesus in every situation we encounter and every decision we make. But knowing that God has a map drawn up can lead us to a major misconception: that he’s always holding it out for us to see, if we’ll just look hard enough.
As Bruce Waltke observes, “Simply because God has a plan does not mean that He necessarily has any intention of sharing it with you; as a matter of fact the message of Job is in part that the Lord in His sovereignty may allow terrible things to happen to you, and you may never know why” (from Finding the Will of God). I can attest to that. I’ve been through some pretty confusing situations that, years later, still don’t completely add up. And I’ve run the numbers plenty of times.
A few years ago, a Philosophy of Religion 101 paper came wrapped up in a Mel Gibson movie: Signs. On the surface, it’s a movie about crop circles and aliens. But at its core, it asks a theological question: Does God have a purpose for everything that happens in life? The movie rightly concludes that he does, but unfortunately also concludes that if we’re looking hard enough, we can always see exactly what that purpose is.
The movie also stumbles into another common misconception: that we can discern God’s plan through inward feelings or outward signs. Maybe you’re saying, “Not me. I’m way too mature to be relying on some mystical gut-feeling or some smoke signal in the sky.” Really? Have you ever used the stick-your-finger-down-on-a-random-page-in-the-Bible method to find God’s advice for dealing with a tough time? Ever worked out a system of divining God’s will for a decision you need to make? “If they answer the phone, then God wants me to do it. If I get voicemail, then it’s not God’s will.”
There’s no doubt that God could use any method he wants to communicate his sovereign desires. But even the most serious and somber Christians have a tendency to get a little wacky when they’re trying to discern God’s guidance. This might have something to do with a misinterpretation of a famous verse in James 1.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him,” says James. In many minds, this is subconsciously translated to say, “If I don’t know what to do in a situation, I just need to ask God and he’ll give me a special revelation.” Maybe, maybe not.
A closer look at the context reveals just what kind of wisdom James is talking about. Back up a few verses: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
OK, James, but what if I haven’t gained steadfastness through this trial? What if this tough situation hasn’t made me more perfect and complete? “Then if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Which brings us back to the same destination that Paul brought us to yesterday in Romans 8. The wisdom God wants to give us is how to be more like Jesus. This fits the consistent idea of wisdom throughout the Scriptures. It’s not so much a special revelation from God (although that can never be ruled out), as it is a way of life that we continually pursue through God’s strength.
Tomorrow we’ll dig deeper into James’ ideas on receiving God’s wisdom.