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Voxology

Does God Really Have a Plan? Wrestling with Free Will, Depression, and Divine Timing

Voxology

Voxology

Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.71K Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2017

⏱️ 15 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Creating space for honest conversation, this episode launches our Vox Q&A Series with unfiltered dialogue on some of the most personal and challenging spiritual questions. Mike Erre and Andy unpack listener-submitted questions with depth, vulnerability, and humor—covering everything from whether God has a plan for your life, to how Christians can walk through depression and anxiety, to the mystery behind unanswered prayer and divine timing.

Whether you're wrestling with your faith, rebuilding your picture of God, or just need to feel seen and heard, this episode reminds you that asking the hard questions doesn't mean you're lost—it means you're paying attention.

Key Takeaways:
• God’s Plan vs. Free Will – Understanding how discernment, wisdom, and spiritual formation shape God’s purposes in our lives, rather than relying on a formulaic “blueprint.”
• The Myth of the Soulmate – Why the Bible’s descriptive moments (like God picking a wife for Isaac) aren’t always prescriptive for today.
• Holistic Approach to Depression and Anxiety – Mike shares his personal journey coping with anxiety and depression through therapy, medication, spiritual counsel, physical care, and community.
• Waiting on God – Exploring how spiritual training often comes through divine delays, and how God’s concern is often more about who we’re becoming than what we’re getting.
• Prayer Without Performance – Rethinking prayer not as a transaction but as a relationship marked by formation and transformation.

Notable Quotes:
• “God is much more interested in why we’re choosing the house we live in than in what house we choose.”
• “Anxiety is a symptom, not a root. We have to dig deeper to heal rather than just seek relief.”
• “Delay isn’t rejection. God is often training us to be safe with His power before He entrusts us with it.”

Resources Mentioned:
• Dallas Willard – Teachings on spiritual formation and “joyful non-compliance”
• Book of Psalms – Reflections on waiting, lament, and divine intimacy
• Vox Community Church Q&A Series – voxcommunity.org

Be part of the conversation—leave us a question at the number posted in each episode, or message us on Facebook or Instagram.

Help us keep creating space for spiritual curiosity and thoughtful faith. Subscribe to the podcast, leave a review on Apple or Spotify, and follow us on Instagram for updates and episode drops.

As always, email your questions to [email protected], or engage with the community on Facebook and Instagram.

Join us on YouTube: VOXOLOGY TV
Grab merch: VOXOLOGY on Etsy
Support us on Patreon: Voxology Podcast Patreon
Follow Mike on X: @mikeerre
Music by: Timothy John Stafford | @GoneTimothy

Learn more at: voxologypodcast.com
Listen on: iTunes | Spotify
Visit our Spotify music curation: Voxology Radio



As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.

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Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on Facebook

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Live brothers and sisters.

0:08.3

Oh, here we are.

0:11.1

Yes.

0:12.4

We are live, baby.

0:15.4

We are live, baby.

0:15.7

We are live.

0:16.5

Hello.

0:17.6

Hello, hello.

0:18.3

Hello.

0:19.3

Notice I have the Ohio State colors right here. You got to shut off your audio. Oh, I got to shut up my audio. Okay. Oh, yeah, hello. Notice I have the Ohio State colors right here.

0:21.0

You got to shut off your audio.

0:22.3

Oh, I got to shut up my audio.

0:23.2

Oh, yeah, yeah.

0:24.2

And I don't, man, I don't want to look at myself either because damn, I am ugly.

0:28.4

I, you know what?

0:30.4

I married when I was thinner, when I had some hair, and hallelujah. Because right now I mean if I if I had to be a fish out

0:41.4

on the market right now good Lord that'd be that'd be tragic I'd have to I'd have to

0:46.8

literally make stuff up on my okay cupid or what's it called match.com

0:52.0

Tinder or something Tinder match I Oh, Tinder, match.

0:54.8

I would be, I would be, I would be, I would be an automatic left.

0:57.2

Swept left.

0:58.1

I would be, that would be my, just my screen name would be swept left.

...

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