3 Thoughts On Why Seeking God's Direction Takes Work

We've all been in situations where we don't know what to do. Even when we have multiple good options, we still feel the pressure of not wanting to pick the not-as-good one.

And if God loves us and desires we make good, wise, and loving decisions, why does it often seem so difficult to know exactly what he wants us to do?

Below are three thoughts on why I think that's the case, and why it might actually be better that God relates to us in the way that he does.

1. God is offering us something much greater than answers

Whenever we face a decision or are in a circumstance that we want God's help or wisdom on, we want to know what we should do as soon as possible so as to move in the right direction.

And yet why does it so often seem like we don't have a clear direction in a time frame we want? Why doesn't God seem to answer us very quickly? Is it because he really doesn't care? Maybe he has better things going on?

Or maybe it's precisely because he does care that he may not be as direct as we would like.

More than answering or fixing our problems, he is offering us a relationship with him. Which is pretty outrageous if you think about the fact that God of the universe would offer that to us.

As we know, it is in times of uncertainty that we are more likely to spend time actually seeking him. More than simple answers, God is offering us himself. He's inviting us to be with him. Which leads to the next point.

2. We are more concerned about our circumstance while he is more concerned about us

Following Jesus takes effort. Things like prayer, Bible reading, local church involvement and community with others are certainly valuable but take time and energy.

We want quick answers to our circumstances and problems, God wants us to experience him. Even when our motivations for seeking God are self-serving, he still loves us and cares for us.

And while desiring God's leading and wisdom is a good thing, it's an even better thing to know God and be known by him.

This doesn't make it easier to wait when you aren't sure what to do about any given situation, but it is good for us to be reminded of our need for him.

It's hard to be prideful and arrogant when you realize you need God's grace. This means his timeline is often different (and slower) than ours because he cares more about us than any one circumstance.

3. Christ came for our freedom, not our obligation

Jesus told us that the greatest thing we can do is love God and love others. This means that we should honor God and obey him. This also means that there is a lot of freedom in following him.

God invites us into a relationship with him, but he is not a dictator. This means things like where we should live, work, or even who we should marry are important decisions. But it's not as if we can make one wrong decision and then completely ruin everything he had planned for us.

I think this is part of the reason why God is often not as clear as we want him to be. It's about journeying with him, not about being told exactly what to do at every moment.

Plus, think of the weight that we would feel if we told us exactly what to do every time? What if what he told us to do didn't work out the way we thought? Or what if we didn't follow through like we were supposed to? We would feel pretty restricted and like a failure quite often.

Instead, we are offered freedom to live, work, and play wherever God has us. Love God and love others, that is more important than always being told what you should do.