Life decisions can be hard to make. We as human beings have to make choices all the time, but sometimes there comes along a really big decision that will potentially affect the rest of our lives. Many of these big decisions bring substantial stress and anxiety with them: for me, several such dilemmas have arisen in the past year pertaining to college, relationships, church ministries, and potential future careers.
I prayed a lot about these decisions. I really wanted God’s approval on my choices; deep down I wanted to “do it all right”, be perfect, have the Lord’s backup before taking any action, make no mistakes. I’d never had to make these kinds of decisions before, and I expected Him to present me with some sort of clear, set “road map” which would show me exactly what to do and guide every action I made. Boy, was I disappointed—as well as stressed, confused, and anxious—when what I got in return for my prayers seemed to be radio silence. I asked God to show me what to do, but I didn’t get the answers I expected.
I thought that, since Jesus is the Lord of my life, my future was a blueprint that I could access just by asking for it. After all, God knows everything, including my personal history and future. He is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient—everywhere at every time in history; the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator. And it’s obvious in Scripture that God has a plan for us and knows our futures. For example:
Ephesians 2:10--“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 1:11--“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works through all things according to the counsel of his will”.
However, having a plan doesn’t mean that He’s always going to tell us what that plan is. I waited so long for God to ring a bell and shout what the right decisions were, but I heard nothing; maintaining this attitude toward His plan put me in a place where I was terrified that I was going to have to actually do the choosing myself, and I felt entirely incapable of making such big decisions. I felt that I had somehow failed because I didn’t have any direction; I was afraid that, if I made a decision without a specific “this is it” guidance from God, I would chose wrong. This idea is entirely unbiblical. Look at the following verses:
Proverbs 19:21—“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
Romans 8:28—“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
James 4:13-17—"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
What do these verses tell us? We, as human beings, tend to make our own plans. We want to be in control, to do everything right, and the last thing most of us want to do is make a mistake. Especially if it’s a big mistake. “What if I’m dating the wrong guy?” “What if this isn’t the major I’m meant to pursue in college?” “What if this isn’t the job God really wants me to have right now?” Regardless of our plans, however, God has His own, and His plans always override ours.
How would life be a journey if we were handed all the answers? I believe that the Holy Spirit resides in us as believers for many reasons, not the least of which is to attune us to God’s nature. Rather than showing up once in a while with a clap of thunder and big announcement, He often works quietly in us day by day. The more we commune with Him and read the Word, the more familiar we become with His character, and the clearer our choices become.
What about choices that aren’t directly discussed in the Bible, though? How does one decide where to go to college, or whether or not to pursue marriage with a certain person? In these situations, the first thing that we must do is ask the Lord for guidance. Second, we need to go to the Word; what does it have to say about this situation? Third, we look to logic. Does this decision make sense? Is this a good college for your major? Does your relationship with this person line up emotionally, mentally, physically, logistically, and spiritually, and do you feel optimistic about it? If your choice corresponds to Scripture, is set in logic, and you feel good about it, then that is a green light. Take a look at Allison Vesterfelt's article, "What It Really Means to Submit Yourself to God", in which she writes about her journey toward discovering how submitting one’s life to God actually works, since He doesn’t often blare the answers to our problems in our faces with a bullhorn. As a writer, Allison compares submitting one's life to God to submitting a writing project to an editor:
"[W]hat if, as Christians, we looked at submission to God this way, rather than waiting for him to boss us around. What if [we] labored over our lives, day and night, trying to make them beautiful? And then, when we felt like we were really onto something, we showed them to Him and said:
'This is the best I can do. I’ve given you everything I have. But I realize I might have missed some things.'I prayed a lot about these decisions. I really wanted God’s approval on my choices; deep down I wanted to “do it all right”, be perfect, have the Lord’s backup before taking any action, make no mistakes. I’d never had to make these kinds of decisions before, and I expected Him to present me with some sort of clear, set “road map” which would show me exactly what to do and guide every action I made. Boy, was I disappointed—as well as stressed, confused, and anxious—when what I got in return for my prayers seemed to be radio silence. I asked God to show me what to do, but I didn’t get the answers I expected.
I thought that, since Jesus is the Lord of my life, my future was a blueprint that I could access just by asking for it. After all, God knows everything, including my personal history and future. He is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient—everywhere at every time in history; the all-powerful, all-knowing Creator. And it’s obvious in Scripture that God has a plan for us and knows our futures. For example:
Ephesians 2:10--“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 1:11--“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works through all things according to the counsel of his will”.
 |
| Source: http://www.confidentfaith.net/the-coming-crisis-daniel-8 |
Proverbs 19:21—“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
Romans 8:28—“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
James 4:13-17—"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
What do these verses tell us? We, as human beings, tend to make our own plans. We want to be in control, to do everything right, and the last thing most of us want to do is make a mistake. Especially if it’s a big mistake. “What if I’m dating the wrong guy?” “What if this isn’t the major I’m meant to pursue in college?” “What if this isn’t the job God really wants me to have right now?” Regardless of our plans, however, God has His own, and His plans always override ours.
How would life be a journey if we were handed all the answers? I believe that the Holy Spirit resides in us as believers for many reasons, not the least of which is to attune us to God’s nature. Rather than showing up once in a while with a clap of thunder and big announcement, He often works quietly in us day by day. The more we commune with Him and read the Word, the more familiar we become with His character, and the clearer our choices become.
What about choices that aren’t directly discussed in the Bible, though? How does one decide where to go to college, or whether or not to pursue marriage with a certain person? In these situations, the first thing that we must do is ask the Lord for guidance. Second, we need to go to the Word; what does it have to say about this situation? Third, we look to logic. Does this decision make sense? Is this a good college for your major? Does your relationship with this person line up emotionally, mentally, physically, logistically, and spiritually, and do you feel optimistic about it? If your choice corresponds to Scripture, is set in logic, and you feel good about it, then that is a green light. Take a look at Allison Vesterfelt's article, "What It Really Means to Submit Yourself to God", in which she writes about her journey toward discovering how submitting one’s life to God actually works, since He doesn’t often blare the answers to our problems in our faces with a bullhorn. As a writer, Allison compares submitting one's life to God to submitting a writing project to an editor:
"[W]hat if, as Christians, we looked at submission to God this way, rather than waiting for him to boss us around. What if [we] labored over our lives, day and night, trying to make them beautiful? And then, when we felt like we were really onto something, we showed them to Him and said:
'Will you make it better?'"
God doesn’t always prevent us from making what we in our time-limited minds call mistakes. Sometimes a major is changed, a relationship terminated; people overload themselves and have to back out of commitments, even though all the green-light signs were there. Students choose a college, then decide to switch to somewhere else. However, though we may see these changes as mistakes or “wrong choices”, they really are periods of growth that God intends for our good.
| Source: http://hubpics.com/post/god-controlhttp://hubpics.com/post/god-control |
So don't be discouraged when you don't have an "aha!" moment about God's will for a decision you're making. Don't be disappointed or feel that you've failed God when things don't pan out the way that you expected them to--He doesn't always show us where we're headed right away, and sometimes the journey of "failures" is what actually prepares us for success. Instead, focus on honoring Him with your decisions; thank Him for providing you with the Holy Spirit, who will guide your heart and, through your heart, your actions.
Colossians 3:17: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
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