"...and they drew lots for them..." - Acts 1:26. I can't help but be fascinated by this verse. Its not just this verse, but the section of scripture. Its right after the Ascension, and Peter and other apostles and disciples have gathered together. Peter talks about how that the one who betrayed must be replaced (v. 22). In 21, he seems to give some requirements for this replacement: ...accompanied us all the time...". And the selection fell on two men, Joseph and Matthias. They prayed to God, and then in 1st century fashion rolled the dice.
Last night Michelle and I got into a discussion of prayer. Really, how often do we actually allow God full control of our decisions? I consider myself a rather logical individual. I don't take much to chance. I mean, my job requires that I have as much information as possible, before making a decision. I have to research things. I have to experiment. I have to collect the facts. I usually base my decisions on the knowledge that I obtain. However, at the same time I pray to God that He will guide me in my personal life; that the "correct path" will be obvious; that I will "know" the right thing to do in a particular situation. Here is where my eyebrows are starting to raise. Am I really turning over my decisions to Him? Do I allow Him full control of my life? I think I do, but I still need to see the logical choice. I have to weigh the evidence. Collect the data. Based on my understanding, I then make the decision. I say that I am allowing God to guide me, but am I really?
May be its me, but if we are not careful, we will see "God's path" where there actually is no path at all. Yesterday, a good friend of mine and myself were mountain biking. In short, I got us lost because I took a path "that I knew" would get us back to the car. However, even before we made the turn, I knew it was the wrong decision. I wanted that path to be it, because it looked easier. It looked cooler. It looked like it would turn in the direction of the car. I created an analysis that just wasn't true, and relied on my own knowledge to make a decision. We would have gotten to the car eventually, but it would have been after dark!
No doubt the bible is littered with words of wisdom of how to seek advice, obtain knowledge, seek council, etc. But how do we explain this passage out of Acts? The apostles prayed to God, then basically rolled the dice. The name that popped up, they believed was the man for the job. God made the decision by choosing the lot of Matthias. End of discussion. There was no committee to decide the best candidate. There was no reference check. There was no comparison of GPA, or numbers of publications. Don't get me wrong here though. A group did get together and looked at the individuals that met the qualifcations that had been set forth. And from what we can tell, only two men met those qualifications. But it was God who made the final decision. He picked.
I think if we are not careful we may pray to God to "show us the way", but then never really allow Him to make the decision. If it really is so obvious to us, then we shouldn't be afraid to roll the dice. What is it that we are afraid of?
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