Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just speak plainly to us?

If you’re like me you often find yourself wishing that God would use an audible voice and just tell us what to do. “Bob, you need to go ahead and take that job in Atlanta. You’ll be much happier there.” Or, “Susan, didn’t I tell you just the other day you needed to get rid of that no-good, freeloader boyfriend of yours? Now go ahead and break it off. Go ahead.”

Well, God generally doesn’t do that. So, on those ultra-rare occasions when I believe God is saying something to me directly, I sit up and take notice.

One of those occasions occurred today.

I believe God revealed something important to me early this morning when I was in a semi-conscious dream state somewhere between waking and sleep. Is it a coincidence that yesterday I saw the headline to an article about how God speaks to us in our dreams?

In this dream-like state I was driving. I had just turned onto a main thoroughfare in town and was heading downtown. The realization hit me that although both my destination and my route were set, individual details regarding my driving were left up to me.

God had chosen this particular road for me to follow to my destination, but any number of different scenarios could occur involving different lanes, different rates of speed, etc.

This short drive compares to how God leads and guides us. He may give us a destination or a mission , but the individual moves to get there are ours to make. We determine which lane to drive in and when we’re need to change lanes; how fast to drive; and even which sights along the road to pay attention to.

And God is OK with us making these kinds of decisions along the way. He doesn’t care what lane we’re in, or if we drive with one hand or two. We can follow the car in front of us closely, or fall back a little. He gives us this kind of leeway.

Furthermore, if we’re living (driving) in accordance with God’s purpose for our life, then He will aid us along the way, often smoothing out traffic, opening up lanes, giving us good weather and scenic views. Of course, the way won’t always be smooth and without potholes, but He often does supernaturally work things out behind the scenes to help advance our course.

What I think this means for us is that we have a substantial amount of say in how our lives live out, even living within God’s will.

For example, I want to become a successful writer with a full-time writing career and income to match it. I believe that God is OK with me making choices along the way as to what I write and when. I can focus on a novel right now, or maybe short stories, or perhaps freelancing. All this is fine so long as I remain in prayer and humility before God, putting Him first in my life.

This realization is very freeing, but also a little scary.

I like the idea of freedom in what I write, but this freedom also intimidates me with the myriad of options available to pursue. Trusting in God is critical at this point. By remaining tight with Him, we don’t need to fear, but instead can relax and enjoy our journey along the way.

“Whether your platform is huge, or you’re working in obscurity, you need to ask yourself, ‘Am I fulfilling my assignment?’”

-unknown