In January, I spent several weeks researching and visiting preschools, planning to send my daughter in September. Life happened, and she ended up in preschool in March, which has been wonderful. Unfortunately, I found out recently that her school is losing their location at the end of May and would not be able to offer summer programs. So I scrambled and found another program for my daughter for the summer.
But now I don't know what to do for September. It doesn't look bright for this school: they've been looking for a new location for a long time. And I'm nervous that they won't find one. In which case, I will go into September with no childcare.
As I was driving her home one day, musing on this issue, I prayed, as I often do. And the thought flashed through my mind, "Why doesn't God just TELL me what to do?" I mean, God is omniscient, so She knows whether this preschool will find a location by September. She could spare me a lot of anxiety by just telling me what to do. And after that thought came another: "God is not my fortune teller."
As Christians, it's easy to give into the temptation to treat God like a fortune teller. We exhort one another to pray when faced with decisions, and to learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit. And that's important. I certainly prayed when I was making the decision about when to send my daughter to preschool. But there's a fine line there: a line between seeking wisdom and knowledge of ethics and behavior and just asking to know the future. And my prayer was tip toeing right over that line!
We don't pray in order to gain secret knowledge of future events. We pray in order to stay connected to the One who loves us unconditionally and unlimitedly.
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