Never in a million years would I have admitted that my prayers for God’s direction and guidance were actually prayers for The Answer. But that’s definitely what I’ve been looking for; a peculiar cloud or some such thing carrying an unmistakable message. “Sell this portion of your land,” it might say, “Once that’s done, I’ll tell you the next step. Keep doing as I instruct and all shall be well forever and forever more.”

Wouldn’t that be convenient? And easy? A divine revelation like that is a consummation devoutly to be wished! But when I spell it all out, my secret hope for such a message seems ludicrous and a little grandiose. Convenient, certainly; but realistic? Not at all. That just isn’t how God operates.

Some time ago I made a big decision on faith. A couple of powerful experiences gave me the distinct sense that God was telling me directly to take a particular course of action. It felt like I’d gotten a message right from God. But when I look back a little more closely, I see an awful lot more going into the decision beyond “God told me to.” God nudged me in that direction, no doubt. But before I decided, I also sought out the support of family and friends, counselors and colleagues. I made sure that the potential decision made sense for me and my family and our lives.

Thanks to hindsight’s clarity, I see the moment when things suddenly clicked into place a little differently. Instead of revealing on particular, inevitable outcome, I believe God was cracking me open to a new possibility. God was inviting me to ask good questions and explore previously-unthought-of possibilities. Much more than spiriting me straight from where I was to where I presumably needed to be, God invited me to step through a door I’d previously ignored.

I really love the idea of a clear divine announcement of our ultimate destination. It sounds like a delightful, reassuring alternative to the ambiguity we must navigate day-in and day-out. And you know what’s wild? God actually does that, just on a smaller scale. Rather than announcing where we’ll be years from now, God leads us to ask the next question, to wonder about the unexplored alternatives that are right in front of us, or to investigate new possibilities right here and now.

Expecting our faith to definitively answer what is fundamentally unknowable is a recipe for disappointment. Let us look instead for God’s guidance on the next step we need to take. The work of faith isn’t discerning where we’ll be in some distant future, it’s trusting God to guide us into where we need to be right now.

Yours in Christ,

Justin

Thank you to everyone at St. Luke's for the altar flowers, calls, and check-ins while we were sick with covid and mourning the passing of Shanna's grandpa. We are truly blessed to be part of this community during such a difficult time. Thank you for your care. 

Sincerely,

Shanna and Andrew Altrichter

Rochester Duplicate Bridge Club warmly invites you to Chat Bridge, Mondays 10 - 11:30, beginning September 12th. This is an informal group with mentors available to help with bidding, leads, and play of the hand. If you are a "party' bridge player, Chat Bridge will give you insight into what duplicate bridge looks like. There is no charge, no partner needed, and is a drop-in event. Beginning and intermediate classes will start in September; registration is done online with Rochester Public Schools Community Education, Adult Enrichment. Hope to see you soon!

Sue Greenberg, Club Manager