But you're reading this post instead. Why? All too often in my life I try to get ahead of God. Instead of relying on Him minute-by-minute for everything, I try to plan things out my way. I know what I want, and I know how to get it. I shut Him out. This is the attitude that characterized about five years of my life. I didn't stop believing in God, I just didn't have time for Him. I still prayed sometimes, and read the Bible occasionally, but it was either out of a sense of duty, or else it was in the hope that God would affirm the decisions that I had already made for my life. I made choices based on what I thought was best for me. Sometimes I even told myself that it was what God wanted for me.
Even if the things I plan for my life are done in the best of intentions, it is still wrong to take control of my future out of God's hands. James 4:13-16 says:
"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.' (NIV)This is a sin that I fall into all too often. I make decisions without the leading of the Lord. Sometimes they seem like such small decisions that it doesn't really matter. But every decision I make either brings me closer to God by relying on Him in everything, or it pushes me away from Him by trusting my own sinful nature. God uses even the smallest of decisions in my life to teach me more about Himself.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)The time spent in prayer seeking God's will in each and every decision is what draws us into a deeper relationship with Him. It is a humble reliance on God for everything. Not just the big decision. Not just the things we don't feel like we can handle on our own. We should recognize that we can't make any decisions in our own wisdom and strength.
Paul tells us that 'the peace of God... will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.' This peace comes only when we place all our decisions at the feet of God and humbly wait for His guidance. Decisions made without Him don't bring peace into our lives. They are the source of our anxiety; they distance us from Him.
Sometimes God allows us to make decisions based on the good judgment that He gives us through His Spirit. Sometimes He calls us to wait for divine guidance or intervention. Each decision is different, but we need to present each and every one to Him in prayer. This should not be a burden to us. It should be a joyful experience as we wait on the Lord. Sometimes the answers come right away. Sometimes it takes longer. Often the answer God gives is not what we had hoped for. But if we trust Him with the entirety of our lives, the answers are always the right ones, and that is what matters.
Lord, thank You for not leaving me with the decisions of my life. Thank You for the wisdom that You give us through Your Spirit. Thank You for always listening to our prayers, no matter how small or insignificant they might seem. Lord, let me never rely on my own strength. Let me always seek Your will, and give me the patience and humility to wait for Your response. I pray that in everything I do, say and think about, You would be glorified. Lord, I desire that You be made greater and I be made lesser. Remind me always to seek Your glory in everything, not my own.
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