On the Enigma of God's Will

I guess I've been thinking a lot, lately, about the enigmatic concept of God's will and why, particularly, He seems to keep it so dark and hidden and silent.

There are so many times when I wish I knew exactly what it was He wanted me to do for the next couple of years, or even the next couple of months. Life is transient; it changes every day and I don't ever know where it's going to go next. It would be so marvelous to know where God wanted it to go, so that I could start turning in that direction. Why does He give us so little view of the road ahead?

I think that there are a number of reasons, the first of which is that I'm not so good at carrying out His plans -- He is. If you had a servant who was very foolish and shortsighted (as even the wisest humans are to God), would you show that servant the entire map of a complex task you wanted him to accomplish? No; you'd reveal a little bit at a time, as he could handle it... and that's what God does for us. He doesn't intend for us to be lost and confused; quite the opposite -- His ways are so much above our own that He only reveals as much of His will as necessary; too much more and we'd be in there trying to accomplish His plan -- but trying to do it our way, and not His.

Another reason, perhaps is that He wants us to have even greater reason to put our faith in Him for our future. There's a famous verse (Psalm 119:105) which says that His word is a lamp for our feet. When that was written, however, remember that lamps were not the powerful flashlights and 60 watt bulbs of today; they were humble little things made of clay with a trembling yellow flame that gave off just enough light to one's immediate surroundings. And so He gives us enough vision to see just the next few steps on the road ahead. He lets the darkness gather and the silence lengthen because He needs us to put our small hands completely, trustingly, in His huge, faithful hands. He knows the way, and we don't... and so we must have faith that He will lead us to the right place, and not worry when we cannot see the road ahead.

On a related topic, I was working on a Bible study lesson last week when I noticed an interesting insight. I did not see a particular Scripture that backed it up, but it was consistant with God's character. It said that asking God what His will for your life is ... the wrong question. This surprised me, because I ask that question of God dozens of times a week. (-: The question is, itself, somewhat self-centered: we should ask, instead, simply what His will is...

This is rather short but I think I will leave it be; you, gentle reader, get the picture. Continue to trust in His infinite faithfulness with all your being; I hope this little muse has given you cause to ponder.