A "Need to Know" Basis

Recently the Sunday morning speaker finished his message by quoting from Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…” Instantly in my mind I said to the Lord: “Please, would You mind sharing those plans with me?” Come on, you know you have fussed at the Lord numerous times for His seeming lack of direction, and you are left with this giant question mark in your head. Talk about frustration—and stress!

We are so full of questions: Why this and why not that? Why me? or perhaps Why not me? What will I do? Where will I go? While we seem to have endless questions, God often speaks to us in two or three word sentences, if at all. His answers seem to be incomplete or occasionally incomprehensible. One more question: Why is it so hard to simply trust Him?

There is an interesting TV ad for something-or-other that has the one person saying a term, then the other giving a monitone explanation of the term such as one would get on the internet. God is not in the information business. He is not an Infinite Google Search Engine. Electronics have increased our expectations for near instantaneous answers to our searches and questions. But it doesn’t work that way with God. That is because He is after something infinitely greater than simply giving us “answers” to our questions. He is after forming us into mature sons of God like His son Jesus; preparing us for an eternity with Himself. That IS the point of it all. This life is like the foyer to a concert hall; we have yet to enter into the concert and experience the fullness of the purposes of the hall—the music.

God seems to operate on the FBI principle of “Need to Know.” In the FBI the level of your security clearance as well as your position determine how much info you are allowed to possess. Security clearances and positions don’t count in God’s Kingdom, but there are times, I think, when He firmly, but kindly, tells us to sit down and shut up. We don’t “need to know” whatever—at least at this time. This is humbling and requires a somewhat childlike attitude. The Bible even states that those who prophesy only “know in part” so therefore they can only prophesy “in part.” (1 Corinthians 13:9)

All of this, of course, does not mean that God does not answer some questions (maybe years later), or give us direction. He certainly does guide us. Trust, however, and patience are key elements. And, the better we know Him, the more we are able to trust Him.

Psalm 131:2—“But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” No child enjoys weaning, but it is essential for growth. We must trust God’s decision as to what we “Need to Know.”