Should we feel safe with God?
I just had a discussion with an intelligent, godly teen. The issue: discerning God's call, making decisions about college, location, and vocation. I talked with another teen a month or so ago about the same issue.
Their fear: making the wrong decision, marrying the wrong person, going to the wrong college, etc. Certainly a noble fear. They do not want to start down a path that will lead them away from God or the plan he has for their lives.
I have a concern about this though. There is great anxiety and confusion surround the apparent need for certainty. I need something, someone to tell me that I am making the right decision. Do they trust their own inner voice or feeling? That seems to be their predominant source.
I have a slightly different take on it. God does speak through the still small voice, but I find I listen to the general teaching of Scripture, the saints (living), and then trust that I am making the best decision based on the knowledge God has given me.
I have felt anxiety while making decisions in the past, but not so much any more. I feel safe with God. I trust that he will not bring me to a point where he will leave me. That as long as I am earnest to follow him, he will go before me. I know I can goof up and make bad decisions, but he will continue to woo me in the direction he has for me.
The two teens I talked to had a hard time believing that God is not up there with an index card which contains the names of the specific spouse and college and career that they need to choose. That he is not saying" ha, let's see if they figure it out, I'll say it in a voice that they aren't expecting and then get them if they ignore it."
Other thoughts on this?
What do you think?
Their fear: making the wrong decision, marrying the wrong person, going to the wrong college, etc. Certainly a noble fear. They do not want to start down a path that will lead them away from God or the plan he has for their lives.
I have a concern about this though. There is great anxiety and confusion surround the apparent need for certainty. I need something, someone to tell me that I am making the right decision. Do they trust their own inner voice or feeling? That seems to be their predominant source.
I have a slightly different take on it. God does speak through the still small voice, but I find I listen to the general teaching of Scripture, the saints (living), and then trust that I am making the best decision based on the knowledge God has given me.
I have felt anxiety while making decisions in the past, but not so much any more. I feel safe with God. I trust that he will not bring me to a point where he will leave me. That as long as I am earnest to follow him, he will go before me. I know I can goof up and make bad decisions, but he will continue to woo me in the direction he has for me.
The two teens I talked to had a hard time believing that God is not up there with an index card which contains the names of the specific spouse and college and career that they need to choose. That he is not saying" ha, let's see if they figure it out, I'll say it in a voice that they aren't expecting and then get them if they ignore it."
Other thoughts on this?
What do you think?
posted by JHW | 5:38 PM
7 Comments:
sounds like a Wilbur Williams interpretation of God's will--he often has said that something like 99% of God's will is found in Scripture. Do you know who Wilbur Williams is? The most way coolest older man and prof at IWU!!!
plus, I often remember the verse--There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment..." Mostly the right translation I think. I think of it when I get silly ideas like God is out to get me, or at some random time He's gonna do something bad to me because sinething bad hasn't happened for a long time.
I think God's will is much more broad than we tend to think. We think of Goid's will for our lives like it's well, like you said, something printed out specifically on index cards down to the wedding date etc. I think God's will is for us to live lives that bring us and others closer to Him. The schol we should go to, the person we should marry, the job we should take, I think all of those things are flexible based on our experiences, desires and opportunities. We may have a strong leading to a certain area of ministry or place or something, but as long as we are willing to move when/if He tells us and can say we are brining glory to Him we don't need to fear
Stephanie Joy-that is a good verse, one that has shaped my understanding on this topic.
Steph- I agree.
Question: where did the belief that God has specific people, places, etc. come from? It is so common. Is it maybe how we are taught the story of Jonah? "If you run from God you will get swallowed by a whale/fish".
What insights from Scripture, other Christians have you had on this. (I have not met Wilbur Williams). Is this an area where Scripture is clear?
I think the "God has a specific plan for everythgn I do" mentality comes from the selfish individualism of culture and the "normal" evangelism tecniques we use. We tell people "if you were the only one, Jesus still would have died" - which is true, but generally feeds ego, and then leaves the person wondering what other things hinge on their existance - if they don't do this or that will God still be ruler of all, will HE still be able to accomplish His work. It puts a lot of pressure on a person, hence the fear in the teens you were talking to.
There are clear instances when specific people were used for specific things in the Bible, but I think those were all a case of right place right time or some divine appointment that God revealed directly to the person. Like Esther - she was dramatically used by God, but she wound up in that situation not by her choice or by seeking God's will but because of circumstance. Moses, on the other hand, was called by God to do something specific - and God showed up and made sure he knew what he was supposed to do.
That's the model I try to follow - live my life, make decisions that please God, and if He shows up and asks me something specific, be willing to do it.
Thanks Steph, I like that "and if he shows up and asks me something specific, be willing to do it".
I have often tried to figure out if Paul is a good example of this. There were times when Paul was specifically sent somewhere, or prohibited by the Spirit from going somewhere. Then there are other travels where we hear nothing of a command to go.
i like this post joe. i find it much easier to think that God will do everything in his power to "redeem" the (non-sinful) directional choices i have made, even if they were not the wisest or best in terms of life goals (like leaving college, for instance). it's so relieving to know that, even if i am unsure of the choice i have made after i have made it, i can still count on God to care enough about me to bring me to a "place" more close to his will and his own self, which is really what matters when my days are done. it may mean that i won't have as successful of a "career" as i could have had had i made different choices, but it certainly doesn't mean that i am out of God's will for my life. :)
anyway, preach it. alleviate the anxiety of those teens. i know i struggled with it when i was their age.
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