I want to write an essay saying the statistical chance of God having a specific plan for your life is roughly 1 in 227. I’d base that statistic on scripture, because scripturally, for every one person God had a specific plan for, there were 226 He did not. Joseph was in, Benjamin was out and so on.
Okay, I haven’t actually done the math. It may be 1 in 250 or 1 in 95, but that is hardly the point. The point is we think God is going to tell us exactly what to do, but chances are, He isn’t. It’s just not a Biblical idea.
God does have a general desire for everybody, for them to be reunited with the Trinity through Christ, and for them to have food and shelter and relationships, but I don’t believe God has mapped out a plan for your every day, or even for your every year.
My friends who disagree and think God has a specific plan for everybody are mostly sitting around waiting to hear from God. Meanwhile, God’s plan for them, apparently, is to shop at Bed Bath and Beyond and quote the latest Saturday Night Live skit. Quite the plan.
I contend with this idea for a number of reasons, but the main reason is that I don’t think God is a control freak.
Imagine visiting a friends house for dinner for the first time. You sit down at the table and the father, who sits at the head of the table, tells each of the kids, and the wife for that matter, what and when to eat. Then he tells them what to wear to bed, when they will be getting up, where they will be going to college and who they will be married to. Later, you tell your friend you thought their dad might be a bit controlling. You secretly believe their family to be dysfunctional. But your friend is offended. They think it’s perfectly normal to want to please their father in everything they do. And they are right, it is appropriate to want to please ones father. The only problem is, their father is NUTS!
God, on the other hand, isn’t nuts.
If God is fathering us, He is helping us discover what is good, right, pure, and worthy to pursue. He teaches us morality and ethics, but also gave us a heart filled with desire and longing. It’s as though God sets before us a big sheet of butcher paper and hands us a box of crayons and tells us to dream.
I’ve a friend whose wife is a counselor who does this very experiment with kids she counsels. She gives them a sheet of paper and some crayons, and based on how they respond, she can tell whether or not the child has a dysfunctional relationship with their parents.
But I could be wrong. Here’s how you know, based on scripture, whether God has a specific plan for your life:
1. If you are a virgin and you get pregnant anyway.
2. If your donkey talks to you.
3. If an angel wants to wrestle.
If any of this happens to you, God is definitely at work. He also wants you to see a counselor.
And there are a few more. You get the point. If God has something specific for you, you’ll know, I promise. But if He is setting a box of crayons down in front of you (a box of crayons called life) then by all means draw. He’s taught you right from wrong, good from bad, beautiful from profane, so draw. He will be with you, proud of you, cheering you on, so draw. He loves you, so draw in the inspiration of the knowledge of His love. Draw a purple horse, a red ocean, a nine-legged dog, it doesn’t matter. Lets stop being so afraid. Lets live, and show the world what it really means to be grateful we don’t live in a dysfunctional family.
What about John 10:10 “…my sheep know my voice..” Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord…” and Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” ? I do agree that God is not a control freak for it says in Isaiah 1:18 “Come let us reason together…” To reduce Christianity to a mere list of rules and principles is to almost reduce it to just another religion. The heart of our faith is a real vibrant two way relationship with God grounded in faith hope and love as demonstrated in the bible as well as given as an invitation to join in the bible.
Rev 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” May I point out that this letter in revelations was directed to people who had already believed.
Dude,
Did you miss the incredible number of posts that address exactly what you are trying to do, . . proof texting really?? This is a little less than authentic and might be considered lazy or even downright prideful if those posts are still up and you are simply “Dropping” your heavy wisdon on all of us without reading the previous labor. I suspect that it is all still there for your perusal. Your post is frankly, . . light in the shorts, and condescending, . . . somewhat “typical” churchy BS, coming from a place of fear.
thank you for writing this. i am trying to find a way to believe in god. I grew up in a crazy church where god knew your every move, found you parking spots, and gave you cancer if you were bad. i planned to go to bible college to spread this fantastic news (sarcasm), and while attending a summer class at a local junior college, was raped.
my theology got turned on its head.
i concluded that god didn’t give a shit about me. not really.
twenty years later, i’m trying to make my way back to faith and figure out who the hell god is anyway.
just cause life kicks your ass doesn’t mean it’s god’s fault. god is good. people…. not so much. so because you were raped doesn’t mean god doesn’t care,it means people don’t care. have you read the story of tamar? II samuel 13. Women have been taken advantage of for a long time but I believe God does care and can provide hope of healing in a painful and senseless world. I’ve traveled your road friend and I have found strength and healing in Gods love. Don’t blame him, run to him. Seek Him with all your heart and find comfort in a painful world.
Most people are taught that they can do and be anything that they desire. It’s not true . God does have a plan and a specific will for
you , AND IT REQUIRES THE GIFTING AND TALENTS THAT HE HAS ALREADY
INSTILLED IN YOU . Look deep inside yourself , see what you like and
dislike . What do you enjoy doing ? All of these things are a clue into where you are going . Even if it’s small things that you think are absolutely nothing to you , they mean something . Also , if you read
Matthew 6:33 , it says “seek first kingdom of God , and all these things
shall be added to you . “THESE THINGS” consist of personal fulfillment
peace , joy , prosperity and overall happiness . Try it , what do you have to lose .