MCLEODS, New Brunswick, March 13, 2024 – Of all God’s characteristics mentioned by name in the Bible, “practical” is glaringly absent. As are “logical”, “reasonable”, “expedient”, and similar terms. Those words are never used to describe God because God’s ways are waaaaay higher than ours, and what flies as an excuse with us doesn’t fly with God.

There’ll be lots of long line-ups on Judgement Day when all souls come before God to plead their cause. But the longest line-up by far will be the one for souls using the excuse “it seemed like a good idea at the time and I thought I was doing the right thing”. That line-up’s going to wrap around and around eternity at least a few times before merging on the far side of the judgement seat with the road to Hell paved with good intentions. I pray to God that I don’t see you in that line-up (and I pray to God that you don’t see me). We born-agains should know better than to act without first asking God for his guidance, because that excuse (thinking it was a good idea at the time and thinking we were doing the right thing) will not be acceptable on Judgement Day. Not for us.

I can imagine that Herod, if asked why he decreed that all children aged 2 years and under should be slaughtered, might say: “I thought I was doing the right thing”. Judas Iscariot might say the same if asked why he betrayed Jesus, or Nero if asked why he ordered Paul beheaded. Even Moses might declare that killing the Egyptian who was beating the Hebrew seemed like the right thing to do, maybe even the godly thing to do. Certainly Peter thought that attacking the soldier to defend Jesus at his arrest was the right thing to do – was it not logical, reasonable, expedient, and even expected that he should defend Jesus? To the world, yes. Only, Jesus didn’t see it that way, so he healed the wounded soldier and reminded his followers yet again that those who live by the sword die by the sword.

God’s ways are wonderous, miraculous, perfectly timed, and for most people mysterious. What seems a logical or practical way forward from our perspective is not God’s way. That’s why we always need to ask God for his guidance before we decide to do something, however righteous or godly we think that something might be. Years ago, I came into possession of some highly sensitive information I thought might be expedient to hand on to the person concerned. But on the day that I was preparing to relay the information, God stopped me in my tracks (literally; I nearly did a faceplant over my bike’s handlebars) and told me if I proceeded with my plans – however well-intentioned I thought them to be – I’d lose my grace.

As I mentioned, that was a long time ago, long before I got into the habit of going to God for guidance before planning anything. I no longer plan to do something and then afterwards, when everything’s ready to go, ask God’s blessing on my enterprise and expect to get it. That’s not how we’re to do things, as followers of Jesus, because that’s not how Jesus did things. Jesus said he always did that which pleased the Father, and the only way we’re going to do everything that pleases God is to go to God first for guidance and then to make plans based on that.

Think for a second of the times when things have blown up in your face as a born-again believer. I’m guessing that each of those times you were doing things that you hadn’t been guided by God to do. Now think of the times when God has specifically guided you to do something or to wait for his signal before acting. See the difference?

To me, it’s not a restriction but a great comfort to go to God for guidance in everything I do. I don’t feel that my freedom is in any way inhibited by so doing, any more than a paintbrush would feel restricted or inhibited in the hand of Michaelangelo or Monet. I’m grateful for the privilege of having learned to place myself into God’s hands and to let him guide me in ways that might seem impractical, illogical, or even foolish to the world. I’d rather be a fool in the eyes of the ungodly than to land in that long, long line-up that ends in Hell.