sacred journeys

Have you ever thought about the question: How can I be sure this is God’s will? How can I be confident that this (whatever ‘this’ would be…. this job, this person to date/marry, this circumstance, this type of toothpaste to buy, this anything…) is the thing that God wants me to pursue, buy, take time for, etc.

Maybe for some of you — you never think about it. For others (maybe the OCD people in the crowd), you do think about those kind of things (a lot). Personally, I think many who follow Christ, at some time or another can ask themselves that question.
Not only can many ask the question, but Christians can all too frequently answer that question by saying things like: ‘I am confident that God told me to do this’ (again for ‘this’ — fill in the blank). Or ‘God showed me that this is what he is leading me to do’, or ‘I just know that this is God’s will’.
Now, I do not want to (and cannot) judge whether a person has really heard from God, however in my gut I honestly think a couple of things. One is that I think that Christians hear from God that clearly, less often than they think they do. And secondly when someone says that, they have instantly lifted themselves 6 feet off of the ground of contradiction. How can you challenge someone who says that. Can you say to them — ‘well, God might have told you that, but God is wrong’.

Maybe many of you don’t think about these kind of things, but I do — and it bothers me at times when people say these things.

Well anyway, I read an interesting quote relating to ‘God’s will’ this week. This was a response that a pastor gave to someone who was asking this question about God’s will, relating to his church raising some money for a building they are going to buy in Manhatten.

This is how he answered…

“When Kathy and I came to NYC 16 years ago to plant Redeemer, we were asked the same skeptical questions in almost exactly the same words. To our amazement (and presumably the amazement of everyone else!), Redeemer has become much more than even our most ambitious designs and goals for it.

And yet, when we were asked, “Are you sure this is God’s will?â€? we used to reply: “No, not totally.â€? When people blinked in surprise I would continue: “The only things I am 100% sure are God’s will are those things written in the Scripture. In all other plans we have to pray, get counsel, rely on what wisdom we have, check and re-check our motives, gain consensus (if possible) from everyone you know well around you—and then move out in the direction you think God is leading. Only time will tell what God’s will is for sure. Redeemer became more than we had expected and yet in many respects it took shapes that we could never have envisioned at the beginning. God continually ‘red pencils’ even the most godly and wise ministry plans. So—can I be sure the Vision we are laying out is God’s will? Not in every respect. I’m sure that at the end of the journey things will look somewhat different from what we are expecting now. But I am sure that it is God’s will for us to set out on this journey together.”

Well said pastor, well said indeed.