Question:  Dear Greg,

            There is much discussion concerning the ability to “SENSE” God’s “leading”.  For example, “I sensed God’s call. . .”, “I prayed and sensed that God wanted me to…”, “One of our members felt led to…”, etc.  I understand in Romans 8:12-14 that being led by the Spirit refers not to individual guidance, but empowerment to live holy lives!!  That the biblical meaning of being “led by the Spirit” has to do with righteous conduct and resisting sin.

            My question, “Is there any record or evidence of knowledge referring to discovering God’s will based on “sensing” or internal prompting?”

            I cannot find in the scriptures where we must “hear” or “sense” God before we can make decisions.  As I understand it, we should seek God’s “voice” in the place Scripture tells us to: the Word…that spiritual maturity is not the ability to hear God’s voice.  It’s the ability to know, understand, and apply Scripture in every circumstance.

            Thank you and sincerely,

            Nancy

Answer:  Dear Nancy,

            While in the main my background and culture leads me to experience God more in the way you describe, it is important to give some thought to this topic.  Religion involves the heart and the mind, and within Christianity there are a variety of ways that this is understood.  In addition, there is an element of meditation, of prayer, of communication with (to and from) God within Christianity.

            On the one hand, God is very much a logical, clear, coherent God, his message and his directions being able to be understood, rather than mysteriously discovered or decoded by those who have secret knowledge.  That God can be understood, using the human mind, was a central tenet of the Reformation.

            But, God is also a God who moves our heart, who wants our heart, our affection, who is interested in our attitude, who leads us to repentance, etc.  Expressions of how God does this in our lives vary within the denominations of Christianity.  And, of course, those experiences of God are expressed through a cultural filter.  Some denominations and some cultures are more reserved, objective, more focused on the logical knowledge of God, while others are more expressive, subjective, more interested in the personal relationship of knowing God.

            Having said that, there are biblical references to visions, appearances of angels to men and women, conversations of God with humans, etc.  Granted, they are more frequent in the Old Testament than the New, but they are there.  Many Christians are “secessionists” in terms of God’s personal communication with individual Christians – they believe that age is gone, no longer does God deal with Christians in that way.  Others, who would believe that other New Testament gifts of the Holy Spirit like tongues and divine healing are still operative within the body of Christ, would not deny the personal direction of God in the lives of believers.

            Such individuals would agree that there are no biblical references directing us to listen for God’s voice, or to try to “sense” him.  On the other hand, they would point out many New Testament references where God the Holy Spirit spoke, directed and moved Christians.

            Some Christians, as you note, are fond of talking about God’s will, about what God told them to do, etc.  They usually mean this as a metaphor obviously, but it is also obvious that there is a real danger about subjectively interpreting the will of God, determining that our will is one and the same as God’s will.  I have often kidded with friends who use such a phrase – that God told them to do such and such  (during a pause in their description of “God’s will”) -- that I find their description troubling, because God also told me what his will was, and his message to me was the exact opposite of the one he “gave” to my friend!

            Of course, when I do so I make it plain that I am simply trying to convey that I would have healthy skepticism about the absolute truth of what they re saying and that for me God’s will must involve more objective criteria, such as the Bible.  But on the other hand I do not want to discount that God can reveal his will to anyone, in any way that he might wish to.  He does not usually consult me before doing so!

            As with many topics, there is probably a balance between these two poles, and it is also probable that no human being is perfectly balanced in seeking to know God.  We thank God that he is our Heavenly Father and he loves each of us, leading and guiding us as we yield to him.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht