From Jim McGuiggan... Which automobile should I buy?

Which automobile should I buy?

Underneath and shaping many of our concepts about prayer is the notion that there is a “will of God” laid out for how we actually live our daily lives. It’s as though God has a chart on his wall that has an exhaustive list of things outlining how our lives are to proceed. This notion is untrue.

There is the non-negotiable “will of God” that is determined by his nature and character [it is not his will to lie or be faithless, for example].

There is the “contingent” will of God that is nevertheless in accordance with his non-negotiable will. [He freely wills to create and would be just as holy and wise if he had chosen not to create; he freely wills to allow us to sin/obey and in light of our response and how he assesses that response, he responds within the parameters of his overarching purpose—compare Jeremiah 18:1-12.]

There is one aspect of the contingent will of God that is nevertheless in accordance with his non-negotiable will. It is that he freely wills to have no will [no specific path laid out that must be followed; no exhaustive list of decisions he has made for us ahead of time]. He “doesn’t care” which route we take in specific execution of an attempt to honour him in our daily living and with our lives as a whole. Of course what violates an explicit expression of his will for us is not part of that notion. [We're not to think that in choosing to have no explicit will in these specific issues that God has (as some put it) limited his sovereignty. No, his choice to do that is an expression of his sovereignty; it's his sovereignty in action.]

In this area all kinds of paths are open to us and none are determined by God in the sense that non-negotiable expressions of his will are.

Should I take a job in Pittsburgh? Should I marry or remain single, should I marry Liz or Jennifer [presuming either would have me], buy a house or rent, have children or not, bring my elderly mother to my house or give her over to the expertise of a caring nursing home, buy stocks in company X, promote the building of a church building, pursue a medical degree in college or major in law?

There is nothing in scripture to suggest that God has these things mapped out for individuals. It’s clear that when he so wills he makes a specific expression of his will known concerning individuals [Jeremiah, Paul and so forth]. It’s also clear that he gifts people [via all the inter-personal relationship realities he has structured for human life] with this gift or that but he gives them input into how that is worked out and he gives them the help of many others. [Many a man thought God called him to be a preacher when everyone else was sure he was kidding himself. The voice of the church [and sometimes even non-church people] is one strand of the “voice” of God in the matter. We’re too easily duped by our desires and current interests and current difficulties so we should not be too quick to trust our agendas without clear witness.]

Imagine this. A man comes to God asking him about his taking a job in San Oblique and he wants to know if it is the will of God. God wants to know why he’s considering such a thing. They guy says it would be extra money to give to good works. God thinks that’s a fine thing. The man admits it has the downside because it would mean he’d be away from the family more. God sees what he means and says, hmmm. But on the other hand there’s a little church near there that could use him from time to time while he’s there and he thinks that’s a good thing. So does God. But it might not work out too well and the family might experience financial burdens as well. God thinks that’s a serious consideration and wishes the man well.

A bit disappointed with divine well-wishing the man asks, “So you’re not going to help me with this then?” God says, “I am helping you and have been helping you long before you prayed about this matter. Who do you think enables you to weigh the pros and cons and makes you sensitive to my purpose and the lives of others? I’ve been shaping you and enriching your heart and mind for years to help you work with such decisions.” But the man says he doesn’t want to go against God’s will in the matter and God tells him, “That assumes I have ‘a will’ in the matter; something you have no reason to believe. Relax!”

It was at this point that the man tells God he doesn’t want to make a costly blunder that might work out really bad.

  “Oh,” says God, “is that what this is about? You want me to keep you from getting hurt?” The man admits he did have that in mind; he and his family. God says, “I thought you came to make sure that you wouldn’t be violating my will for your life, to make sure that what you were planning would honour and please me.” The man admits he wants to please God but that in coming he was particularly asking for protection against what might be a painful mistake. God said:

“I’m not much into keeping people from ever getting hurt or making judgment mistakes. I’m not much into giving people infallible guidance in stocks and bonds and what is the best automobile to buy—I’m more into giving them a great heart and a love for me and for fellow-humans. Look this isn’t a question of good and bad, honourable and dishonourable. It’s a question of good, better and best. If it were about good and bad we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Since it’s not about what’s good or bad or obviously stupid—which is another face of ‘bad’—don’t worry about it. I don’t care which one you choose because you’re doing it to please me and either way I’m content because you are wanting to please me so make your choice and work at it.”

The man says, “So you never have anything to do with specific issues or give people a nudge in a given direction about matters such as I’ve raised?”

God says, “Oh I wouldn’t say that. I reserve the right to make whatever moves I see fit to make. But you are missing my point. I’m always nudging people in the direction of good and wise decisions because I’m always enriching their minds and purifying their desires. I don’t ceaselessly indicate what people should decide on but I do ceaselessly shape them so that they can make better, wiser and less selfish decisions that please me, bless others and themselves. But I don’t do it by waving a magic wand or pulling strings that I’ve attached to them. I don't do puppetry or determinism and I'm no Genie of the lamp.”

The still somewhat disappointed man said, “But I hear people saying all the time that you made your will known to them on specific issues” and God said, “Yes, I hear a lot of that myself but don’t believe everything you hear.”

“Yes, but what about Gideon's fleece?” the man wanted to know. “Oh, yes, that. You think I approved of what he did?” God wanted to know. “Have you considered I might have been tolerating his faith-less response?” He raised the issue of apostles casting lots to replace Judas and God asked him if he took that event as normative. God asked him if that was what the NT church normally did or was Acts 6 not the way such things were normally done throughout the entire Bible. The man rather liked Gideon’s approach and God said he didn’t care much for people giving him ultimatums whether they were Gideon or not. The man said people often pray saying, “Here's what I am planning to do, Lord, but if you don’t want me to do it put a stop to it.” God said he heard that a lot but wondered why people would think it pleased him that they were forcing his hand. He said it was as if they said, “I’m going to do this on Friday so you’ll need to veto it before then or I’m taking it that you approve of my purpose.” He said, “I'm the sovereign God and won’t be boxed in by human agendas or timetables. People need to have a little modesty.”

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, theabidingword.com.