Freedom of Movement

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. --Psalm 32:8 (NIV)

Free will is one of the most incredible things that God has given to us. So incredible in fact, that I sometimes have difficulty grasping the concept. How is it that a God who knows beforehand my every decision, thought and action, still permits me to do that which is possibly detrimental to my personal and spiritual well-being? Wouldn't an all-powerful, all-loving God step in to keep me from making foolish decisions?

Despite my failure to completely comprehend this aspect of how God deals with his creation, I have learned that free will is an extension of his love for me. By allowing me to make mistakes, he is allowing me to learn that my will and my choices don't always bring about the best results for my life. I have learned that the best choice is to surrender my will and my desires to his.

God did not create us to be puppets on strings. His Word, the Bible, gives us commandments and laws, but we always retain the freedom to disobey. God will never twist our arms, forcing us to comply. However, he will leave us to the consequences of our worldly misdirection and poor choices. Even when we are in the midst of making overwhelmingly disastrous decisions, God is still with us. He promises to never leave us. Our choices may disappoint him, but there are very few instances in which we will be completely separated from God. He is with us all the time--a fact we easily forget.

When we come to God and humbly ask him to help us live in ways that are pleasing to him, not only does he show us which direction to start walking, but he walks alongside us. Every step of the way he is with us. He offers wise counsel; all we need to do is ask. Even when we have grown accustomed to walking the right path and are no longer tripping over our own feet, God is still there. God will never drag us bodily in the direction we should be going. When we conform our will to his, we are able to experience unexpected freedom.

Life apart from him may seem like it has fewer restraints, but that is not so. However, no matter how far we wander in any direction, we are never more than a prayer away from returning to the blessings of his love, and the freedom that is found in his perfect plan.