This is part of my year-long series exploring human-centered alternatives to the spiritual promises in Oswald Chambers’ classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest. Today’s entry, “Dependent on God’s Presence”, promises that believers can “walk and not be faint” by remaining dependent on God’s constant presence, claiming that those who walk faithfully will be “secure in the knowledge that he is with us” and that God will alert believers when their decisions aren’t aligned with his will.
Here’s what walking faithfully and depending on God’s constant presence actually delivered:
“Walk faithfully before him,” his pastor advised confidently. “God is always there, guiding. He’ll alert you whenever your common-sense decisions aren’t in accordance with his will. You don’t need to constantly ask ‘Lord, tell me what to do’—just trust in his presence and walk secure in that knowledge.”
David was starting his small business and desperately wanted divine guidance for the overwhelming decisions ahead. The promise of God’s constant presence providing reliable guidance seemed far better than the uncertainty of conventional business planning and market research.
David embraced this spiritual framework completely. Instead of conducting market research or seeking professional business advice, he “walked faithfully” and waited for divine alerts when his intuitive choices weren’t aligned with God’s will. He believed the reality of God’s presence would provide better guidance than conventional business planning.
For the first year, David interpreted every positive outcome as confirmation of divine guidance and every setback as God’s mysterious plan. When a major client cancelled their contract, he remained “secure in God’s presence” rather than analyzing what went wrong. When cash flow problems emerged, he trusted divine guidance rather than consulting financial advisors.
But the promised divine presence was a business-destroying delusion.
God’s constant guidance never provided practical business solutions. David’s company struggled while he waited for spiritual alerts about wrong decisions that never came. His faith in divine presence prevented him from taking necessary corrective actions based on market feedback and financial realities.
Meanwhile, David’s friend Lisa launched her consulting business using entirely different principles. Lisa conducted thorough market research, sought advice from successful entrepreneurs, developed realistic business plans, continuously adjusted strategies based on client feedback and financial data.
Lisa didn’t expect divine presence to guide business decisions but relied on professional networks, industry knowledge, evidence-based planning. When problems arose, she addressed them immediately through practical solutions rather than waiting for spiritual guidance.
When David’s business finally failed after two years, he felt spiritually shattered. Where was the divine presence that was supposed to provide constant guidance? Where were the alerts when his decisions weren’t aligned with God’s will?
David’s breakthrough came when he realized that successful business required human expertise, not spiritual dependence. Lisa’s thriving consulting practice was built on professional competence and practical decision-making, not faith in divine presence providing guidance.
The silence where God’s constant presence was supposed to manifest revealed the truth: there was no divine guidance available for business decisions. Only human expertise, market research, and evidence-based planning that actually worked when consistently applied.
Reflection Question: When has relying on professional expertise and evidence-based planning been more effective than trusting in divine presence for guidance?
This story is part of my upcoming book “The Undevoted: Daily Departures from Divine Dependence,” which offers 365 human-centered alternatives to the spiritual certainties in Chambers’ devotional. Each day explores how reason, community, and human resilience can address life’s challenges without requiring divine intervention.
God or Delusion? 