The direction I need

When praying for direction for my life, I have a tendency to expect God to illuminate the correct path by supernatural means. Sometimes, God does do that, of course. 

And sometimes, God gives us the freedom to choose a path and pursue it. I no longer believe that the Christian life is a mostly a tiny, treacherous footpath where one false move means a deadly plunge into an abyss on either side. Instead, I liken it to a forest. You might start down a path, find signs of a predator, and turn around to choose another. You might hear a waterfall and strike out to find it. You might choose to clear a new path altogether because you want to climb to an overlook you can glimpse from the valley. 

Caution is required. Wisdom is warranted. But God’s design has always been to partner with people. God did not design people as puppets. Instead, we are to grow in knowing God, learn wisdom, and live with creativity and courage from that belongingness. 

That means when I pray for direction that I can pray for wisdom. I can look well over the options. Then I can choose to pursue a specific direction, even without supernatural intervention, believing that I will not derail God’s entire plan for the universe.