Trailblazer
Veteran Member
This is my personal belief, not something I can prove. It is derived from my religion but only according to my own understanding of the Baha’i Writings. I have no doubt that other Baha’is have different understandings since we are all individuals.
I believe that God’s will and human free will are connected. What I mean by that is that we can only exercise our free will and make choices to a certain extent, but if it is not our fate (God’s will) that certain things will happen, they will not happen. In other words, I believe that whatever is God’s will is what is meant to be, and whatever is not God’s will is not meant to be, so it will not happen, no matter what we try to do by exercising our free will.
So, we have to make certain decisions and act as if we have free will, hoping something will come out of our decisions, but if something is not meant to be (God’s will, fate) it will not unfold the way we hope it will.
Part of my belief is that if we pray God knows what we want, but even if we do not pray God knows what we want since God is All-Knowing. I believe that God also knows what we need (which is what is best for us) because God is All-Knowing and All-Wise. So, we might not get what we want but we will get what we need. I also believe that if we pray God will guide us and help us make decisions, and God will help us act on those decisions if and when it is the right time (God’s will) that we do so.
I could cite numerous examples of how I ‘believe’ this has played out in my life.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately because I am hoping something is going to happen and I have done all I can to make it happen, but I know I have to accept it as God’s will if it does not happen the way I hope it will.
I believe that God’s will and human free will are connected. What I mean by that is that we can only exercise our free will and make choices to a certain extent, but if it is not our fate (God’s will) that certain things will happen, they will not happen. In other words, I believe that whatever is God’s will is what is meant to be, and whatever is not God’s will is not meant to be, so it will not happen, no matter what we try to do by exercising our free will.
So, we have to make certain decisions and act as if we have free will, hoping something will come out of our decisions, but if something is not meant to be (God’s will, fate) it will not unfold the way we hope it will.
Part of my belief is that if we pray God knows what we want, but even if we do not pray God knows what we want since God is All-Knowing. I believe that God also knows what we need (which is what is best for us) because God is All-Knowing and All-Wise. So, we might not get what we want but we will get what we need. I also believe that if we pray God will guide us and help us make decisions, and God will help us act on those decisions if and when it is the right time (God’s will) that we do so.
I could cite numerous examples of how I ‘believe’ this has played out in my life.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately because I am hoping something is going to happen and I have done all I can to make it happen, but I know I have to accept it as God’s will if it does not happen the way I hope it will.