Decisions, Decisions!
Decisions, decisions, decisions! We are bombarded with choices in our lives. The decision about what to wear or what to cook for supper may be mundane, but such choices flood our lives. When faced with too many decisions or very complex choices, humans become incapacitated by indecision. Of course, there are larger, more impactful matters to decide. These range from choices around education, vocation, marriage, and more. And no one wants to be the “deer in the headlights,” struggling to take the next step. Experts even tell us that “choice overload” leads to “decision fatigue”! What is a follower of God to do? Hmmmm…now that’s a tough choice! A quick search reveals that there are many books written about discovering God’s will for our lives. This means Christians can feel crushed under the weight of decisions both earthly and eternal. And if we persist in practicing decision making based on our own wisdom, we will become choice-weary very rapidly.
The Bible challenges us to think differently about decision making. God wants His children to “put the big rocks in first”. In other words, He can help us choose His way in the large decisions. When that occurs, the believer develops a discerning heart for daily decisions. But beneath any of our deciding, Christians must live to glorify God. I Corinthians 10:31-33 tells us, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God….I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” Please notice that glorifying God is connected to living for the good of others.
Among the many principles in Scripture about guidance, I have four in mind. I believe these provide a platform on which God-glorifying decision making can be built. First, we must live with a settled-ness provided by the presence and promises of God. In Psalm 32:8 we read, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” After he penned this stanza, David noted that one should not be impatient, like a horse which strains at the bit. Nor should we be like a mule, whose tendency is to resist advancement. Glorifying God in our decision making may have challenges, but it comes with the peace and calm of His presence.
Second, and hopefully very obviously, followers of Jesus should make decisions in light of His relationship with us. This means reshaping the matter from “what is God’s will for my life” to “here is my life for God’s will.” Recently, I was leafing through a journal from my youth and young adult years. I noticed that there were many times when I recorded my wrestling with this question. I longed to know God’s direction. Yet I struggled to release my dreams and desires to His authority. In the Bible, one of the greatest “journal entries” in this regard is from a young virgin. Having just been rocked with the news that she would bear the Messiah, Mary replied, “I am the Lord’s servant…may your word to me be fulfilled.” She was an example of submissiveness to the will of God, even without full knowledge of how this would be worked out in her life.
Next, we find support in our decision making among the Body of Christ. Have you ever thought that others at Cornerstone could help you discern God’s direction in your life? In Pursuing God's Will Together, Ruth Haley Barton describes discernment as “the capacity to recognize and respond to the presence and the activity of God – both in the ordinary moments and in the larger decisions of our lives….Discernment is a quality of attentiveness to God that, over time, develops into the ability to sense God’s heart and purpose in any given moment.” (10,57) In The Celebration of Discipline, Richard J. Foster comments, “Perhaps the preoccupation with private guidance in Western cultures is the product of their emphasis upon individualism.” (177) Could it be that some of our decision fatigue is because we are not seeking the input of the church? All indications are that many believers succumb to individualism and missing out on the resource of brothers and sisters speaking into their decision making.
I once gathered several mature, trusted believers to help me shape a sabbatical leave from ministry. They listened patiently to my ideas and plans. Affirming some aspects, the group wisely redirected my focus and activities. This provided clarity and confidence. Mid-sabbatical I had the joy of realizing that I had not pursued a selfish agenda, but had experienced what we read in Acts 15:28, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”. Of course, we cannot bring the Body of Christ with us to the grocery store to help us choose between white or whole wheat bread! But more mundane, daily decisions are positively impacted when we attend to the foundational fact: all of our living and choosing can bring glorify God.
The final factor in this platform is a humble recognition that guidance is a gift from God. Paul clarifies that even the desire to do God’s will come from Him! “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13) This realization is transformative. Instead of living with confusion and panic, we can live with peace and calm. God is capable and compassionate to direct our steps. This may not always bring ease or comfort, but it is real and reassuring. This recognition helps us develop a deep, settled longing for more and more of God’s will in our lives. This same desire is reflected in a prayer-poem penned by Amy Carmichael.
Long is the way, and very steep the slope, strengthen me once again, O God of Hope
Far, very far, the summit doth appear, but Thou art near, my God, but Thou art near
And Thou wilt give me with my daily food, powers of endurance, courage, fortitude
Thy way is perfect; only let that way be clear before my feet from day to day
Thou art my Portion, saith my soul to Thee; Oh, what a Portion is my God to me