Since the first two don't really fit into God's character, perhaps the latter are more true of this scenario...
Mostly I just wonder how good we are at playing the God-card. We slip into this place where we convince ourselves and everyone around us that God has told us to do (or not do) something. Lately when I hear this, I want to ask..."Really? Did He really tell you that? How can you be sure it was Him and not you?"
...'Cause I think we're pretty spectacular at hearing what we want to hear.
How many times have you done it?
You start to feel a certain way, you get strange ideas in your head...sometimes they are the things that come to you in worship, or while reading Scripture, or when you're being still, or when you're praying. There's no doubt that it was the Lord, right?
I think, in these moments, when these things that are 'heard' are things that are about who you are in Christ that they are probably true. They are true because Scripture supports them. It gets trickier when the things that we 'hear' are about specific places we should go, specific things we should do, specific people we should (or shouldn't) date or marry...
Don't get me wrong--I fully believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in us and moves us toward action, toward places and people that we need to go to. I just also think that we have the tendency to use this when we shouldn't. Perhaps it's another way of taking the Lord's name in vain...?
I think it's often a dangerous move when we fall into this type of verbiage.
Here's why:
When I say that the Lord has told me to do something, I'm not giving room for anything else to be true. Because if the Lord is unchanging, if He is Sovereign--then this thing must happen. We are suddenly allowed to breach contracts and break vows because the Lord has told us to. You can't argue with someone when they tell you the Lord has told them to do something (even if it's contrary to something they've initially committed to) because then you're arguing against God's 'will' and that doesn't get us anywhere. I actually think this is quite contrary to what Scripture tells us...I think the Lord wants us to be people of our word. When Christians do this I think we often lose integrity and credibility.
And what happens if this thing doesn't work out? What happens if I don't get that job, or if he doesn't want to marry me, or if I get in an accident, or if I can't get that visa, or.....? I start to question my relationship with the Lord. I start to doubt that I can hear Him at all. And if I can't hear God, if I'm feeling distant...maybe I'm not even a real Christian after all... because God speaks to His people, right? We become these paranoid creatures who lack confidence in Christ because we suddenly feel like we are unable to hear correctly. It's damaging to our relationship with Him.
Sometimes I think we're so desperate to hear from God that it's easy to believe that we have. It's easier to say that the Lord has told us to do something than to admit that we just really want to.
While I commend the confidence of those who declare that the Lord is speaking to them, I wonder if it might benefit the world more if we were truly honest about it.
Instead of saying something like, "I feel like the Lord is telling me I need to leave my job" I might be more inclined to say something like, "I don't know if this is the best fit for me. I don't have a lot of peace about being here- I'm not sure if that's the Lord, or if that's just where I am right now." It's a little scary, because now I have to take ownership for my own feelings and emotions.
Maybe I'm crazy.
Maybe the rest of the world is really hearing from the Lord in unquestionable ways- but what I seem to hear and experience more is a lot of people unsure and acting certain because they think they're supposed to. They think that's the proof needed to assure others that they're really doing this whole Christian thing right.
Friends, it's okay to simply let truth be truth... and to let all the other unknown stuff be unknown. It's okay to not want to do things, or to want to do them, or to want to do hard things because it's the hard thing (I don't believe the Lord always asks us to the do the hard thing). We don't have to convince ourselves or others that it's the Lord specifically speaking in order to be justified in moving toward things that are good and honoring to Him. It's okay to not know if you heard the Lord or not, but to walk in where you think He is leading. Just be ready to also be wrong. It's okay to be wrong. It doesn't mean you need to second-guess everything about your relationship with Him.
I suppose I'd just rather be someone who doesn't necessarily know what the Lord is asking me to specifically do, but someone who seeks to follow Him, seeks to love Him, seeks to love others...someone who honors my word and commitments, someone who is confident in my relationship with Him- trusting that He is loving, He is guiding, and He is full of grace.
But.. maybe that's just me.
* * *
Your entries will remain anonymous
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBAM.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I prayed that God would speak through you for me today. This is the EXACT question that was on my mind, and what I was hoping you would write about.
I guess it's possible, though maybe not probable, that SOME people heard God, and some didn't. Really though, I think God calls us a lot of places without ever filling us in. Sneaky, sneaky. God definitely called me to Walkabout (He brought me there, didn't He?), but I never felt like God was telling me to go. At the time, I was praying and deciding to trust God to provide the things I needed for my plans in the fall, a job, a place to live, etc. I stopped worrying and said, "OKAY GOD, I'm trusting you've got me." Time passed, then it was too late, nothing happened. Where was God? But I had this other opportunity (Walkabout) that made perfect sense for so many reasons. When I looked into it, I realized I wanted to do it really, really badly! I'll be honest, I didn't even really care if it was where God wanted me. I figured if He did, He would make it happen. I just know I wanted it. If I remember correctly it was actually Jason who felt more sure that I was "supposed" to be there. He told me to pray about it, and of course, I did, but not deeply, I mostly just ran with it!
In my life now, my future plans are working out similarly. One event after another, praying for direction, doors closing and opening, all the details lining up perfectly and clearly. I do what makes sense to me, and I do believe God is guiding me and feel pretty sure of where I'm going.
On the other hand, I do pull the God-card a lot. At times I really do believe God speaks to me. Because it makes sense. Because I get this idea of what I should do, and it's definitely something the Lord would want, so I shouldn't ignore it. This passage comes to mind: "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do, and doesn't do it, sins." James 4:17. I think at those times it is the Spirit, God in us, nudging us.
Sometimes it gets a little trickier when there's more decision to it. Awhile ago a godly friend of mine told me that I'll know if things were God speaking to me by the fruit that comes from it. I thought that was pretty wise. I remembered a time when I had given up on finding a mentor, but someone told me to pray for one. I thought, ugh, fine, okay. So I did, skeptically. Not too long later, this wonderful woman came to mind, but I put off talking to her about it for... 2 months? I felt like God was calling me to talk to her, but I was timid and procrastinating. Finally, one day I just asked her to get lunch or dinner. She was so excited, and since then, has taken me in as a sort of ment-ee, without me even asking her, and the fruit of that was better than expected. I thought to myself, "it was God all along!" and regretted putting it off.
Recently, I felt during worship, at a time when I was closest to God, that He suddenly laid it on my heart to disciple someone. I decided not to wait this time and talked to her immediately. She said it'd actually been on her mind that week (needing to be discipled), and now, when we meet, it's awesome, God is there, and she always reminds me how much of a blessing I am to her.
Good fruit? But I wonder if that means, God isn't necessarily telling us the sure realities of what we MUST do, or what WILL happen, but it is God in us producing the DESIRE to do good and godly things. So maybe people applying to camp have a godly desire to minister to kids, and that IS God in them. Doesn't mean that HAS to happen. Plus, God is reeeeeaaaaaally good at surprising us with His plans.
"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways,' declares the LORD. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55:8-9
ReplyDeleteWhy do we so desperately want God to speak to us? Is it, maybe, a sort of pride thing? We WANT to know for selfish reasons. I've been reading this book about prayer, and a recent chapter was about praying for things that glorify God. "Are self-will and self-interest the strongest motives urging us to pray? A distinct, conscious longing for the glory of the Father must animate our prayers." It goes on to say, that living for the glory of God is the only thing that will truly lead us to pray for the glory of God, and those are the prayers that God will answer. Even though that's about prayer, it makes me think, do we want God to speak to us for selfish reasons, or so that we can serve Him better? I do think if His glory is truly our motive, He will not fail to speak to us.
I mean, God does sometimes tell people things. I had a friend who was told audibly by God who she was going to marry. She didn't know what to think, and only told me. They weren't even dating. She definitely wanted that; she’d liked him for so long. Two years later they were engaged. God is mysterious. I also recently realized I have a friend with the gift of prophesy and dream interpretation. He has spoken into my life in such sure ways that I know it was God through him. He suggested I read 2 Corinthians 12-14 and pray for gifts of the spirit and the wisdom and faith to use them. In these chapters Paul does tell the church to desire these gifts, but also reminds them that the purpose is to use them in love and for building up the church. And in this friend, I always see the desire for God's kingdom to come.
As far as knowing where to go, the truth is, we can glorify God and serve Him wherever we are. If that is truly our desire, nothing will stop us. Paul served God in prison and rejoiced that he could even serve God there, when the world was trying to stop him from preaching. I think it's always less about where, and what, and who, and always more about what our true motives are. Like, I really want to work at camp, but I didn't finish my application until God produced the right motives in me to go, until it wasn't about being at camp, but about how I could serve him there. I don't know if I will get it, but I know that wherever God takes me, I can serve him!
Anyway, I think as Christians, a lot of us have unbiblical habits and philosophies that get tossed around, things that you keep bringing up. I think we hear these things from other Christians, and we think, okay, that must be how it works. This person just had this gut feeling and "knew" God was telling them this, so when I have a gut feeling, it must be God too. We're not very good at questioning, at earnestly seeking a fuller, more accurate knowledge of God. It's a really hard thing to do! It takes a lot to really seek out God. We just wanna see the answer to our prayer, we wanna have the blessing, we wanna have the divine knowledge of Him speaking to us.
ReplyDeleteDo we really just want HIM? I think we should really seek out God on these matters, study what the bible says. How and why did God speak to people in the bible? What does it say about the Spirit giving us knowledge? Last month, I was actually going through the whole questioning you described, and I wanted so badly to know for sure whether or not God was speaking to me in matters, to know if I was hearing correctly, that I prayed every day, "God speak to me, God let me hear you correctly, correct my view of who you are, correct the churches doctrines, let us see you accurately, as you really are." I think, mostly, unless we are really seeking God, submersing ourselves in Him, and surrendering to Him, we can't expect to hear Him correctly. If we’re quenching the Spirit with sin, how can we expect to listen to what He’s telling us?
Tough stuff.