Should I wait or should I go?

Dr. Jerry N. Duncan, Guest Columnist

March 21, 2008 03:34 pm

— The first question we have to ask ourselves is more crucial than the one listed above. Do I even care enough about God’s will that I want to know it? Sometimes our answer is “Sure, I want to know God’s will for my life. It makes life easier if my direction is clear.”
Sometimes we may decide that we don’t want to ask because we believe that to know and do His will will lead us into a life of adversity and hardship. Isn’t it interesting and sad that our thinking about God’s will revolves around us and how it will affect us? God loves us, but our life here on earth is not really about us.
One approach to knowing and doing God’s will is explained by Henry Blackaby in "Experiencing God." Blackaby proposes that we pray and wait until we have clear and convincing evidence of what God’s will is, and then we quickly act upon it.
Another approach takes the position that we pray and then quickly act upon what our best guess is about God’s will, and trust Him to close the door/s if the path we pursue is the wrong one. Which one is right?
If we use the pray-and-wait approach, how long do we wait? What level of clarity or certainty must we have to be sure that it is God and not us directing our next steps? What if we wait too long and miss out on the opportunity because we looked too long for clarity or certainty?
If we use the pray-and-go approach, how do we discern whether a closed door is the hand of God or the enemy trying to thwart or hassle us in the pursuit of God’s direction? Can I get ahead of God’s will by impulsively acting upon my own thoughts- wrongly assuming they are God’s?
Isn’t it possible that He could use either approach- even with the same person- at different times in his/her life? Maybe it doesn’t matter. Could it be that God cares more about my heart’s intent than the method I use?
I do know that God wants us to have certainty, but, the certainty He is clear about is the certainty of His love for us, and His having our best interests at heart. Certainty and clarity about our circumstances has not been promised to us.
Does he want us to have certainty and direction in our day-to-day lives? Yes, I think He does.
I wonder what He thinks about how we handle the things He has already made clear to us. He has made it very clear that it is His will for us to feed and clothe the poor, to visit and care for the sick and those in prison.
It is also clear that we are to love our enemies, be kind to those who despitefully use us, tell others about what He is doing in our lives, and help others grow in their newfound decision to be like Jesus.
Should I wait or should I go?
Apparently we should all be going. Our direction is already crystal clear in so many practical ways.
I wonder how clear His directions would become if we were actively involved in doing the things He has already made clear to us.