“Lord, show which one of these two you have chosen.” Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias. The selection of Matthias as the apostle to replace Judas, the betrayer, provides a guide for how discernment of God’s will works. Peter and the rest of the followers of Jesus tried to figure as best they could who could do the job. They came up with criteria and then names of those who fit the criteria. However, the choice after that was not obvious. They drew “lots” — in other words, sometimes deciding the concrete step God wants us to take is a craps shoot. In the novel, Mariette in Ecstasy the heroine turns to God and asks what her next step should be. God answers, I don’t know, Mariette. Surprise me. The will of God is not something out there that we have to discover. Discerning God’s will is something we cooperate with and sometimes will take us in a surprising direction.
MAY142024
By Church Staff
