Can one determine the will of God through prayer?
How does God communicate with humanity?
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A personal note:
The author of this essay is an Agnostic, and
thus is uncertain whether a personal God actually exists. Assuming that a
deity or deities exist, the author is also unclear whether God actually
communicates with believers.
God, as described in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old
Testament), seems to have gradually lessened his contact with humans. This
occurred in stages over the centuries between creation and the first or
second century CE, when the Bible was completed. God is
described as strolling with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Later, he
appeared in the distance as a pillar of smoke or flame. Then he stopped
contacting the ancient Hebrews directly, except on special occasions.
Finally, God's messages were only conveyed indirectly through prophets.
The author prayed regularly during his childhood and early adolescence,
but never felt that he had heard a response of any sort. So, this essay
cannot be based on first-hand experience. It will have to describe what
others have reported as a result of their prayer life.
People's reports on how God communicates with them:
The author has seen a number of communication methods by which believers
believe that God has respond to their need to know his will. They were
described on the Internet, in religious books, in E-mails, and during
personal conversations:
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Some "actually claim to hear a literal voice." 1 Many teleministers
report that they were talking to God or that God spoke to them. But it
is not clear whether they are referring to an actual voice or whether
they were talking symbolically.
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Others do not experience an actual voice, but look for an idea which
suddenly pops into their consciousness. They believe that this idea was
injected into their mind by God.
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Some pray about a problem, and ask God for an answer. Then, they do
what is sometimes called a "lucky dip." They open a Bible, and
randomly pick a page, chapter, and verse. They then read it, and attempt
to interpret the text as a response to their quandary.
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Plain Truth Ministries described an incident in which a youth
was trying to determine which college he should attend. He entered his
academic interests into the Google
search engine, and trusted that God would make influence the search
engine to make certain that the college he should attend would be the
first listing on the first page of hits. 2
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A woman in a disintegrating marriage was trying to decide whether to
work harder on her marriage, or separate from her husband. She saw an
airline billboard which said "Fly Away." She interpreted it as a
sign from God that she was to separate.
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Some believers actually ask God to provide a sign from nature: a
cloud of a specific shape or a certain timing of a shooting star. Gideon
in the Bible asked God for a sign from nature.
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Some use a divination technique (e.g. laying out Tarot cards,
casting runes, reading tea leaves). The Bible has a mixed message
concerning this route to determine the will of God:
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Genesis 44:5 discusses a silver drinking cup that Joseph
used as a divination tool.
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Numbers 27:21 and 1 Samuel
28:6 discuss the Urim and
Thummim which were two objects that might have been flat stones,
that the high priest used as a divination tool.
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Daniel 5:11 discusses how Daniel the
prophet was employed for many years in Babylon as the chief
occultist to the king. He was supervisor "of the magicians,
astrologers, Chaldeans and soothsayers".
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However Exodus 22:18, Leviticus
19:26-26; 19:31; 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:10-11; Isaiah 8:19 and Malachai 3:5 condemn various
techniques of divination.
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Some seek the will of God through visions or dreams. Dream in
interpretation is mentioned in many books of the Bible, concerning
Daniel, Jacob, Joseph, Nebuchadnezzar, etc.
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Some seek a theophany -- a direct encounter with God, as Moses
experienced on Mount Sinai or Isaiah experienced in Isaiah 6.
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Some seek the opinion of their religious leaders, and accept their ruling.
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Dangers of using these methods to assess the will of God:
One cannot be certain that any of the above methods of assessing the will
of God are reliable. We suggest caution:
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Is it the voice of God or a hallucination?
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Can an idea that pops into your consciousness be from God, or from
the person's own hunch, or -- as some Christians believe -- from an evil
spirit.
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Can a "lucky dip" be a simple coincidence?
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Does God really rearrange the results of a Google search as a method
of communicating with humans?
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Could a "fly away" billboard be simply an advertising program of an
airline; could it be a message from God to another person?
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Could the shape of a cloud or timing of a shooting star be a mere
coincidence?
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Do any divinatory techniques really work?
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Do visions contain any rational content? Do dreams have meaning?
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Might a theophany be a hallucination?
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Seeking a religious leader's opinion might not be particularly useful. There
are over 1,000 Christian denominations and para-church organizations in the U.S.
alone. They teach a wide range of sometimes conflicting beliefs about the afterlife, apologetics, creation vs. evolution, divorce, eschatology, female ordination, Hell, predestination, the rapture, the book of revelation, salvation, sanctification, eternal security, approaches to war, and many other topics.
One person's
truth may be a second person's heresy. The second person's truth might be
the first person's heresy. Neal Griffin writes:
"This is the "zombie"
mind-set that led the followers of Jim Jones to the cyanide tub. This is the
same mentality that characterized the Branch Davidians. It is a blind
willingness to place one's faith in the hands of another. We, in the final
moment, will be judged on an individual basis. Justification is a very
individual matter. Judgment will be based on the deeds that we have done, and
not on the conduct of some cult, movement, institution, or organization." 3
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An essay on Plain Truth Ministries' web site comments:
"Methods some Christians use to determine God's will are highly
subjective -- arising from the individual's own perception and
experience. Such messages are subject to personal interpretation.
....And ironically, in many cases, these perceived messages from God
seem to affirm what the individual wanted to do in the first place." 2
Ultimately, faith groups generally base their beliefs on four factors:
- What the Scriptures say, as interpreted by the groups' theologians,
- What traditions says: the teachings of the faith group and the traditional beliefs of the religion to which it belongs,
- People's personal experiences, and
- The findings of science.
More conservative faith groups tend to emphasize criteria 1 and 2; more liberal/progressive groups tend to emphasize 3 and 4. This means that agreement is probably impossible.
Using reason to determine the will of God:
Rather than looking for a magical solution to assess God's
will, some Christian web sites suggest that one use reason
and study:
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Author Bruce Waltke writes: "The New Testament gives no command
to 'find God's will,' nor can you find instructions on how to go about
finding God's will. There isn't a magic formula offered Christians that
will open some mysterious door of wonder, allowing us to get a glimpse
of the mind of the Almighty." 4
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Plain Truth Ministries suggests: "God expects and
directs...[believers] to think, research and seek counsel in order to
make wise decisions." |
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The Word in Life study Bible states: "God has clearly and
objectively told us what He wants throughout the Bible. For example, the
Ten Commandments give straightforward instructions to guide our behavior
in numerous areas of life. Likewise, one of the New Testament letters to
the Thessalonians says plainly, 'This is the will of God.' (1
Thessalonians 4:3)." 5
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Author George Mueller suggest that one use reason
and biblical study to reach a tentative conclusion. If one's mind is at peace
with the decision after a number of petitions to God, then he accepts the
decision. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- the
Mormons -- often use this method. Mueller writes: "Through prayer, the study
of the Word and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the
best of my ability and knowledge. If my mind is at peace and continues so after
two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. I have found this method
always effective in trivial or important decisions." 6 |
Unfortunately, reason, prayer to God, and other techniques do not seem to help individuals and faith groups determine the truth on many dozens of different topics. If there were a technique that worked, then all Christian faith groups would converge on a single truth. Roman Catholics, fundamentalists, mainline Protestants, liberal and progressive Protestants, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists, etc. would all teach the same beliefs. There is no sign of this happening, so it may be that there is no mechanism by which the truth can be determined.
Related essays:
The Amazon online bookstore searched for "will of God" and found these books:
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References used:
- "Plain Truth Ministries Update" 'God spoke to me!'," mailing list, 2004-OCT-04.
- Monte Wolverton, "In Search of God's Will," Plain Truth Ministries, 2004-SEP/OCT, at: http://www.ptm.org/
- Neal Griffin, "Can ordinary Christians determine the will of God?,"
Truth & Freedom Ministry, Inc., (1993), at: http://www.theexaminer.org/
- Bruce Waltke, "Finding the Will of God,"
- "Word in Life study Bible" , Logos Library System, Thomas Nelson, Inc., (1997).
Online at: http://www.fortclark.org/
- Quoted in: R. Dwight Hill, "Seven guidelines in helping you determine the
will of God," Berean Publishers, New Zealand. It was online at: http://www.bereanpublishers.co.nz/ This appears to be offline.
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Copyright © 2004 to 2010 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Original posting: 2004-OCT-05
Latest update: 2010-DEC-25
Author: B.A. Robinson
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