God is in control of all things, and he has a plan for the universe and for your life. But there are a few misconceptions people have when it comes to discerning that plan:
1. Since God has a plan, he always intends us to know it
We assume that if God has a plan, he must want to share it with us. And many times, God is gracious in giving us a glimpse of His will as he did through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But not always.
In fact, that’s the basic message of the book of Job – God may be up to things that we never know about. God may allow terrible things to happen to us, without ever explaining why.
One of my favorite movies of all time was the Mel Gibson flick 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 concludes that he does, but unfortunately also concludes that if we’re looking hard enough, we can always see that purpose. It also stumbles into the second common misconception:
2. We can know God’s plan through inward feelings or outward signs
Many Christians would say, “No way – I’m much too mature to be relying on some mystical feeling or some smoke signal in the sky.”
But how many of us have used the Random-Bible-Page-Flip method to find God’s advice for dealing with a tough time? How many of us have tried to empty our minds so that we can follow the first thing that pops into our heads after we pray about a life decision?
How many young Christian guys worked out a system of divining God’s will for finding a prom date or even a wife? “If she answers, then she’s the one. If the line is busy, then I’ll call back later. If I get the answering machine, then it’s not God’s will.”
There’s no doubt that God could use any way He wants to convey his will to us. 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.
I like how J.I. Packer says it in Knowing God, “The idea of a life in which the inward voice of the Spirit decides and directs everything sounds most attractive, for it seems to exalt the Spirit’s ministry and to promise the closest intimacy with God, but in reality this quest for supersprituality leads only to frantic bewilderment.”
Closely related to the idea that we should focus on inward feelings or look for outward signs is this misconception:
3. If we follow God’s plan, life will be easier
Many Christians like to use the example of Jonah. When he disobeyed God’s will, and refused to go to Ninevah, he was afflicted with all sorts of troubles – being swallowed by a whale was just one of them.
For sure, when life gets hard for us, it’s a good time to reflect on how we might have fallen into sin. How God might be disciplining us. But that’s not the only possibility.
While we look at the example of Jonah, it’s also helpful to look at the example of Jeremiah. Here was a prophet who faithfully obeyed the Lord. He courageously brought God’s message to a people who wanted to kill him. And what was his reward for following the Lord’s leading? Life only got worse for him, to the point that he cursed the day he was born.
When we follow God’s guidance, when we’re in the center of God’s will, it most often means life will be harder, not easier.
We can’t look for God’s leading in inward feelings or outward signs – we can’t depend on the easiness of our life as assurance that we’re doing God’s will. But there is a way to get back on track – there is a biblical model to determine how God is guiding us. We’ll explore that later this week.