“What does God want me to do? Have you ever asked yourself that question? I’ve done it before. I asked myself: Does God want me to live here? Does God want me to marry this person? Does God want me to accept? What does God want me to do? It can be difficult to answer these questions because they are so important. We want as much certainty as possible about the answers to meaningful questions. Why? Because when you are not sure, we are often afraid. Not knowing what to do next It gives us the impression that we can be wrong. It makes us anxious. In fact, even if we don’t admit it, sometimes we are afraid of not knowing God’s will.
The struggle to find God’s will is a struggle for certainty. Of course, we seek as much certainty as possible regarding decisions, certainty helps us feel more in control, and when we feel in control, we feel safe.
- Seeking greater certainty in decisions is not wrong.
- It is good to consider the consequences of decisions.
- Seek wise advice.
- And prayerfully reflect on what to do.
- Sometimes.
- However.
- Uncertainty can make our hearts ill-motivated to seek God’s will.
- In other words.
- As Christians we are called to trust God to control us.
- But our desire to know God’s will may actually stem from a deeper desire to have more control over ourselves.
- We want God to tell us exactly what to do so that faith is not necessary.
- It would calm our hearts.
- Wouldn’t it? So it is strange to see how a supposedly good wish (wanting to know God’s will) can sometimes turn into a bad wish (wanting more control over ourselves).
- It reminds me of the Pharisees.
- They thought that they were scrupulously doing the will of God by giving the tithe of mint and cumin in exact amounts (Lk 11:42).
- Jesus said that they spread the mosquito but swallowed the camel (Mt 23.
- 24).
- In other words.
- They sought absolute control over the smallest details.
- But they lost faith in God.
- Jesus called them whitewashed tombs (v.
- 27).
- They were beautiful on the outside.
- But on the inside they were dead.
- Their hearts did not trust God.
- Although they presumably sought to do God’s will.
The history of the Pharisees is a warning story for Christians. We must be careful that flashy good wishes do not come from sinful motives. It’s a difficult thing to do and requires a lot of heart tests. Were the Pharisees wrong to want to be sure of certain things?No, they weren’t. Of course, we are sure of what God wants us to do in certain ways. For example, we know that he said, “Then clothe yoursed, chosen of God, holy and beloved, of tender affections of mercy, goodness, humility, meekness, long-off?(Cl 3. 12). We know that He said, “My commandment is that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12) and?Do you always rejoice in the Lord? (Fp 4. 4). They are examples of God’s will. He said another: More specific things. For example, have you ordered us that if we want to marry, we should only marry another Christian?Not with a disbeliever (1Co 7. 39; 2Co 6. 14). He also called us to work (Cl 3. 23; 1 Tim 5. 8).
These passages, besides others, tell us about God’s will, but in fact we seek something more specific, right?Many times we do not care so much about his moral will, that is, his commandments (theologians often call it God’s preceptive will). We wonder, in particular, how to proceed through a variety of morally good choices. God’s moral will can give us more certainty about certain options, but it does not reduce it to a specific choice. about specific choices that God has not revealed, are we talking about his secret will?this will that God has decided not to reveal to us. God’s secret or hidden will is mysterious. This involves everything you didn’t tell us about the exact decisions. (What would God choose if it were me?), About the future (will I marry this person?), and above all what God keeps for him (why was I born now instead of a century ago?).
As we search for what God has not revealed? Your secret will be: We generally employ a variety of methods. Sometimes we take biblical commands, which are good, and twist them to use them for our own purposes. For example, receiving advice on decisions is a good thing (Prov. 11. 14; 15. 22). Pastors, family, and friends often emphasize and affirm God’s love and direction for us in specific situations. They can help us and make decisions. But sometimes, instead of simply seeking the wisdom of counselors, we use counselors as a way to find? the secret will of God. Do we take our pastor’s opinion on an issue as if God is telling us his will directly, or do we trust that our friend has listened? A word from the Lord? Prayer is also something commendable, and we are called to seek wisdom (1T 5,17; James 1,5). We can ? and should we? Pray for guidance. But sometimes Christians go even further. They ask God to give them a divine sign, like sending them a call at the right time or ordering a bulletin board with a specific message to appear on the morning commute.
Such practices are often carried out with a sincere desire to know and do God’s will, and many have made good and correct choices using strange practices. Our decision, for example, can succeed if we confirm God’s secret will by seeing a sign with a However, seeking confirmation of God’s secret will in this particular way is not biblical. The scriptures do not say that we can discover God’s secret will through counselors, feelings, unusual coincidences, or other things. nature, hidden.
Does this keep God away from us? No, because uncertainty doesn’t mean God is distant. Consider how much uncertainty and fear the Israelites had when they reached the Red Sea and saw Pharaoh’s armies approach (Ec 14:10-14). The people of Israel were confused, yet God was with them, protected them from the Egyptians, and saw their people safe on the other side of the Red Sea. Similarly, we may have doubts about a specific decision or situation and yet rest knowing that God is with us. him even if he doesn’t tell us exactly what to do. He is guiding our steps, while we take our steps.
I have met many older men and women in the faith who remember their lives and understand in a profound but almost indescribable way how God has been with them along their way. These older saints are often surprised at how God took them where they are. I am often told that they have very little to do with it, although I ask them, they tell me that they make decisions all the time, sometimes I wonder if that’s how Abraham felt when he thought about his life. in these stories is the reminder that God is with us wherever we go, and that He is guiding our steps, albeit mysteriously (Pr 16:9).
Thinking about these stories reminds me of how God works in our lives. He calls us to trust him. Abraham was called to faith, and so were we. Is faith trust in God? certainty in God, that’s what the Pharisees didn’t have. After all, he was not a Pharisee, but an ordinary fisherman who walked in the water with Jesus. By faith, Peter descended into the Sea of Galilee and was like solid land. His certainty, though imperfect, was in God. When he hesitated, he turned to the Lord and cried, “Save me?(Mt 14. 30). Jesus held out his hand, took him, and asked, “Why did you hesitate?”
To eliminate the struggle with our uncertainties is to eliminate the need for faith. We don’t know everything God knows. However, we are called to trust that God will take uncertain measures, like Peter, when we do, God will be with us. Sometimes we will make decisions that seem very right, other times we will make decisions that seem to be a mistake, even one can doubt it. However, God has a special way of turning our weaknesses into strength and harming good (Genesis 50,20; 2Co 12:9). And when you shout, like Peter, “Save Me,” you’re ready and willing to save.