Daily Bible Reading
When We Don't Know
Last Sunday morning there was a discussion about God’s providence and the uncertainty that surrounds it. Mordecai didn’t know what God’s plan was (Est. 4:14). Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not know for certain that God would save them (Dan. 3:17-18). Even the apostle Paul didn’t dare pronounce God’s providence with confidence (Philemon 1:15). It was observed that many today obsess with determining what it is that God is doing in their life and what direction (or decision) He wants them to make. Why should we expect to know more than these great men of faith from the Bible?
Not knowing God’s plan isn’t the same as denying He has one or that He is intimately involved in our lives. Mordecai was confident that God had a plan (“deliverance will arise” – Est. 4:14). Daniel’s friends knew God could get involved (“our God whom we serve is able to deliver us” – Dan. 3:17). Paul’s use of “perhaps” reveals that God most certainly could have been involved in what had transpired (Philemon 1:15). God’s providence is not up to debate. Our ability to know His individual plans and His daily activity is.
But this raises an important question. What do we do if God’s plan for us is a mystery?
First, don’t worry (Mt. 6:25). God doesn’t need you to know His plan in order for it to work out. Joseph’s brothers did not sell him into slavery because they thought that was God’s plan. They just wanted the money and to rid themselves of a nuisance. The Jews crucified Jesus out of envy (Mt. 27:18) rather than a perception that this would lead to God’s eternal plan of redemption. Rest assured, God is strong enough and smart enough to accomplish His will without your understanding, approval, or consent.
Second, do what is right (I Pet. 4:19). Rather than worrying about discerning God’s plan in your life, focus on what it is you should be doing regardless of God’s plan. Did God want Esther to save Israel? Maybe, but she didn’t need to know God’s plan to know that attempting to save all of her people was the right thing to do. Would God save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Maybe, but that didn’t change whether they should bow down to an idol or not. What they needed to do was clear. Right is right. If we focus on doing what is right, we will be who we are supposed to be, and, additionally, useful to God wherever we go (II Tim. 2:19,21).
There is a tremendous comfort in knowing that God provides for us. He hears our prayers. He is alive and active today. However, we should not get carried away and be distracted by the unknown. Let God be God and we, for our part, should focus on being courageous Christians of outstanding character.
- Jared Hagan
