Q. In Christian circles, folks frequently talk about giving all control of our lives to God. I have even heard “let God take the steering wheel” (hopefully this is figurative). I wonder at times what this really means. How far should we as followers of Jesus take this? Throughout history, so many evil things have been done by those who were supposedly listening to God and had “let God take control.” Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that people are doing evil things as directed by God. They feel they are directed by God, when in reality it is their own zeal or self-interest. So the bottom line is, when we hear “let God (or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit) take control,” what does that mean? Should we ask God for simplest things, such what to eat or what to wear? What to do each day? Did God not give us a brain?
I think that, in general, God does not do for us what we can do for ourselves. God does not want us to remain immature people who never acquire the wisdom, talent, or creativity to come up with good ideas and follow them through. Certainly parents want their children to develop in this way. They don’t want to have to tell their children what to do their whole lives. I think it’s the same with God.
I believe there is still a role for seeking God’s guidance, but I don’t think there is necessarily a clear line that we can draw anywhere, for example, “Be sure to consult God about any purchase over $500.” Instead, I think we should see ourselves in a process that God is encouraging, a process that will lead to godly wisdom that informs better decision-making on our parts. I think the people you are describing have a commendable desire to understand and obey God’s wishes for their lives. But personally I think that sometimes God wishes we would make good choices without having to be told what to do.
I think it’s important to realize that we are in a relationship with God. Sometimes, within the context of that relationship, God might actually lead us to wear a certain article of clothing or serve a certain food for dinner. When that happens, we will see how it fits within God’s larger purposes of drawing people to himself. These things can create solidarity and welcome in contexts of fellowship and hospitality, and God certainly wants to promote those things and so may help us out with some tips. Theoretically no area of our lives is too small for God to become involved in, because God is paradoxically big enough to be involved in such small areas. But as I said, this happens within an active, ongoing relationship. It’s not an abdication of responsibility on our parts.
Certainly we should seek God’s guidance and direction for major life decisions, but there’s not necessarily a clear line between “major” and “minor.” I would say that Christians who get married had better be certain that they have heard from God that they are marrying the right person. That’s clearly “major.” Probably decisions such as what college to attend, what house to buy, whether to go into business with certain partners, etc. also qualify as “major.” But ultimately the determiner is relational. We need to become attuned to the voice of God’s Spirit in our hearts and minds so that we can recognize those times when God, for reasons we might not appreciate just then, is leading us to take a certain direction regarding something that seems minor, and those other times when God just wants us to make a good choice.
Good Question 