Mysticism, Faith, and “Knowing” God’s Will

A reader of this blog, named Peter, asked me a couple of questions recently. He had been at church where he heard a priest speak about a controversial issue with a kind of rhetoric that implied “this is what God wants for the church.”

So Peter writes:

So I put 2 questions to him. 1. Does he know there is a God and 2. Does he also know God’s plans. If yes, then I requested his explanation of how he knows these things.

Of course I don’t expect an answer and in fact have never heard an answer to these questions from the church, other than the tired old, the Bible told me so.

So just wondering how these two questions are answered in the mystical tradition.

So, what is a mystical perspective on how we “know” God exists, and how we “know” God’s will. I put quotations marks around the word “know” both times, because the answer is anything but straightforward!

Of course I cannot speak for all mystics, and even my knowledge of the tradition is very limited — I have only read a portion of the many great (and lesser known) writings of the mystics; I’ve only read mystical writings in English, so most of what I read has been translated, and as someone who is not in possession of an advanced degree in theology or philosophy or church history, naturally I only have a layperson’s knowledge of all these things. Hopefully I am an informed layperson — but a layperson nonetheless.

So my answer to your questions must be seen for what it is: one person’s opinion and perspective. Hopefully, that opinion/perspective is anchored in my contemplative practice, so it is my hope and prayer that Peter (and anyone else reading this) will, at least, get some useful food for thought.

The Short Answer

Let’s be blunt. No one knows for sure that God exists. No one knows for sure that they have a certain and unquestionable understanding of God’s will. I mean no one — not the pope, not the bishops or the theologians, not your grandmother, not any of the great saints or mystics, and most certainly not some local priest who thinks he can speak assertively and authoritatively about God’s will.

And anyone who tells you otherwise is deceiving you and/or themselves.

There’s a reason why we speak of Christian spirituality in terms of faith. Faith is not certainty! (There’s even a book about all…