Agency and Direction

Earlier today, I wrote about the conflict between individual liberty and authoritarian control. To put a more spiritual spin on it, we could relate it to the conflict between moral agency and divine direction. God gives us commandments and exercises divine justice on those who break His commandments, but He also gives us the space to make our own decisions. There are even times when God withholds guidance from us because we don't always need it. In fact, we may sometimes need to not have it. Sometimes, we just need to make our own decisions and learn life lessons for ourselves. Sure, we can always pray for divine direction, but sometimes it is better not to receive such direction and to learn to make decisions without it. There is a conflict between individual agency and divine authority, and the question if which is more important depends on too many factors to count. Suffice it to say that sometimes, we need to rely on God's guidance, and sometimes, we need to learn how to get by without it.