We’ve all experienced the dissonance of prayers that seem to go unanswered and struggled to understand why God behaves in ways or allows outcomes that seem incomprehensible to us. Bible scholars throughout history have advocated for a position of “holy indifference” to preside over our feelings when we’re disappointed with the will of God.
Indifference may be the coldest of emotions. It looks, unmoved, at the suffering of others. It separates the mind and the heart, facilitating a safe, clinical view from arm’s length.
Holy indifference, then, is a posture that requires some explanation. Could apathy ever be considered a positive thing? John Wesley thought so. His written prayer puts on display a posture of deliberate emotional neutrality, a studied and purposeful separation from the matter at hand, leaving all possible outcomes in the hands of God:
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.”
The Blessing of God’s Guidance
Holy indifference could be defined positively as placing our desires and hopes not in a particular outcome but in whatever brings God glory, honor, and praise. Quite honestly, this posture is far from my default. And maybe, like me, you are a person with lots of opinions. I’m learning (often the hard way) that when I come into a situation as God’s Northeast Representative with all the ideas for how he could act most efficiently and effectively, I’m setting myself up for anxiety, frustration, and even anger.
Our loving and wise God wants to guide us, and he uses His Word, His Spirit, and the wisdom of others to speak into our lives. David rejoiced over the presence of God as a wise guide:
I will bless the Lord who guides me…” (Psalm 16:7 NLT)
When we ask for God’s guidance, he often works within our personalities and preferences. He knows us so well! Even so, our willingness to follow his guidance into a new challenge may require a kind of sacred apathy to get us over the hump of our initial resistance.
Holy indifference is rooted in confidence that God knows what he’s doing alongside humility in admitting that we often do NOT know what God is up to in the big picture.
Holy indifference is rooted in confidence that God knows what he’s doing alongside humility in admitting that we often do NOT know what God is up to in the big picture.
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- This is a peaceful way to pray, and it aligns nicely with Jesus’s model prayer: “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” (Matthew 6:10)
- This is a peaceful way to live in a world where influencers, politicians, advertisers, and even our best friends try to get us whipped up about whatever cause has become dear to them.
- This is not an excuse for laziness or inaction where the believer is called to act. It is simply an acknowledgment that in the greater scheme of things, whether it’s the desired conversion of a family member or a specific political outcome, we are powerless to bring about the end we long for. Only God Himself holds that kind of power.
Wisdom brings a heart of joyful trust to prayer, celebrating the sovereignty of God, and blessing the Lord for his guidance in all things.
Holding you in the light,
Holy indifference is not an excuse for laziness or inaction where the believer is called to act. It is an acknowledgment that sometimes we are powerless to bring about the outcome we long for.
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Living Our Days 
I trust Him. I don’t understand His ways but I trust His character, His holiness, His love, His justice, His mercy. His ways are so far beyond anything I could comprehend. That’s why it’s called faith. He’s already written the rest of the story. I will wait for Him. All will be well.
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What a manifesto of trust! And it reminds me of the Evelyn Underhill quote: “If God were small enough to be understood, he wouldn’t be big enough to be worshiped.”
Like Job, we put our hands over our mouths.
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that’s not the way we usually think of “indifference” is it? Sadly, I think sometimes my holy indifference isn’t as joyful as it should be – it’s more like a resignation that I’m okay with whatever God decides.
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That’s an important distinction, Kym! Thanks for pointing it out. A truly faithful response would be to rejoice that God is glorified through our life!
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I’ve not heard the term “holy indifference” before but it makes so much sense now that I think about it! Still smiling about your position as “God’s Northeast Representative” … my attempts to fill that role in the Midwest office have been met with similar results. 🙂
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I know you get it!
We want his will—and some days we WANT to want it, but he is patient with us!
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Holy in front of indifference makes a big difference to me. Indifference is an “I don’t care” word, a diminishing word. Yet, you redeem the word indifference and give it a selflessness, an “I give to God my opinion about a situation” and trust becomes an under-girding part of the definition. The Shunammite woman says, “All is well,” with trust, with an indifference that today’s challenge isn’t any greater than any others and that the Man of God has it all in hand. I would think hers a Holy Indifference because she cares greatly but she is trusting in God. The importance of letting go and letting God for things I care deeply about – and living peace and joy as He works His plan – if that is Holy Indifference – I am all in, though some days, some long minutes challenge.
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It’s certainly not my default either, and I frequently get too attached to results. It’s so gracious of God to patiently teach us that he can be trusted.
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Surely the epitome of Christian maturity is emotional neutrality, “a studied and purposeful separation from the matter at hand, leaving all possible outcomes in the hands of God.” How I wish this concept had been been my attitude in years past, when disappointments and challenges came my way! May I press on with this frame of mind from now on. Thank you, Michele!
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That Psalm that urges (twice in one verse) “Don’t fret” is coming to mind because I am a world champion fretter, and that’s the behavior I want to replace with a Gospel inspired, peaceful, acceptance of God’s will.
Thank you for your thoughts along this line! It’s definitely a learning curve, enabled by the Spirit.
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