I was talking
with the international director of a large faith-based organization about
discernment (recognizing and responding to the presence and activity of God in
a situation). She caught me off-guard when she said, “Well I trust we would
never do anything like that in our organization.”
A lot of people are very fearful of trying to bring discernment into management
decisions. It feels like we are not valuing the human wisdom and common sense
that God has already given us. For many they have been emotionally and
spiritually damaged by people in power inflicting their interpretation of God’s
will onto a situation in a manipulative and controlling way.
But our own intellect may not be enough in making decisions. We do not know
everything about our own organization. None of us knows the future. Our
own rational thoughts may well be clouded by our own interests and agendas,
whether we are aware of this or not. As Ruth Haley Barton warns, “When we set
out to do good, but carry out our attempts without the discipline of attending
to our own stuff which lies beneath and opening ourselves up to God’s presence,
evil is always close at hand.”
I get worried when I read that God declares “For My thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways My ways (Is. 55:8).” We may need to make more
opportunities to listen to God about organizational issues at work, like one
CEO of a large Christian NGO in UK who takes two hours every Friday lunchtime
just listening and praying.
This week:
- What decisions are coming up for you at work over the next month where you need God’s direction and leading?
- What will you do to try and create the space to hear from God?
