Just Do Something (Book Review)

I never changed my major in college and I’m proud of that. But that’s only because nobody forced me to sign papers any sooner in the process. I had a hard time choosing a major. I expected it to be romantic: our eyes would meet across a crowded hallway and I would just know this was my destiny. This is where I belong.

Like so many people, I grew up with a sense that my career mattered to God. But in college I figured it was up to me to make it work. It wasn’t until seminary that my views shifted. After all, I felt like seminary was a calling, that it was God’s idea. So I tried to seek God’s direction on what to do.

This is where I might have benefited from Kevin DeYoung’s book Just Do Something. It was written by then, and it would have helped immensely, but I didn’t think to look for anything like it.

DeYoung is writing not just to those trying to sort out their field of expertise, but prospective marriage, moves, job changes, and any other decision big or small. This is because there is a tendency in some circles of evangelicalism to seek feedback from God on anything and everything. DeYoung thinks that’s a mistake and he makes a strong biblical case as to why.

The standard story is something like this: God has a plan for your life, therefore your job is to live it out. This means your decisions must align with the plan, and since God’s wisdom is higher than ours (and sometimes appears to be foolish) we should not expect the path to be obvious. So we must check in with Him, looking for divine light on the path so we know which road to take.

DeYoung admits that God sometimes gives personal direction in the Scriptures, but far more often He doesn’t. Neither does He command us to seek out this sort of thing. DeYoung argues that God wants us to live our lives by the principles of wisdom and the moral code that He lays out in Scripture. Rather than basing your life on detailed messages and hints along the way, we are to base our lives on principles and chart our own course.

DeYoung writes from a conservative Reformed perspective, so it’s no surprise that he would highlight the text of Scripture over experience and a rational approach over an intuitive one. But he is not content to simply draw denominational boundaries; he is making a case that this is the biblical approach, the one all Bible-believing Christians should adhere to.

He begins with an affirmation of God’s providence and the principles that describe what God desires of us. These are traditionally thought of as two different forms of God’s will. He calls these God’s will of decree and will of desire. He adds to this a third: the questionable will of God’s direction. To refute this he relies less on Scripture and more on cultural analysis.

While one might wish for a stronger biblical case, it is difficult to prove a negative. Instead, DeYoung relies on key passages that talk about seeking God’s will and how they describe nothing like the will of direction.

Incidentally, when I was a college student we had a guest speaker at our campus ministry address this subject and arrive at the same conclusion. It felt like bait-and-switch at the time, but since then I have come to see that this is a faithful representation of Scripture.

There are a few times where DeYoung interacts with those who champion the opposing view, but they don’t appear to represent the best thinkers and arguments on the subject. Perhaps this is fine for an entry-level text, but deeper engagement would greatly strengthen his case.

Overall, the writing is accessible and engaging, and the argument is clear and well-organized. It makes this a great contribution to anyone’s library, whether high school senior or retiree.

I personally found the argument compelling. I have written in response to God Told Me, by a local pastor, and if I recall I was sympathetic but ultimately not convinced. These days, I have a number of friends who subscribe to the philosophy of hearing God’s direction as part of regular spiritual life, which makes this read a timely reminder. While I don’t personally feel the need to challenge their thinking, I do want to remain clear on mine. This book will no doubt continue to be an indispensable resource.