I have a decision to make today. It’s a decision that has about as many “cons” as it has “pros” and I’m waffling.
When I waffle on decisions, every bit of advice in my head revolves around “pray about it”.
And I have.
That’s about all I’ve done actually. And I’m still not confident if “yes” or “no” is the right answer. Every time I think God might be confirming the “yes”, something else seems to confirm that God wants me to say “no”.
The thing is…everything in me wants to make the “right” decision here. I want to do the thing that glorifies God. I want to do the thing that is best for the people I love. I want to do the thing that is best for me. I want to choose right, even if I am choosing hard.
Despite what people have told me over the years about God’s Way being the difficult way…it hasn’t always been. Sometimes, but not always.
Sometimes God’s Way has been the way that my heart was already leaning…sometimes it has been the easier choice…and always it has been rejecting the condemnation and choosing the peace.
I don’t think there is any “hack” when it comes to making decisions that please God. He doesn’t write on walls these days…and even back when He did, He didn’t write the answer to every decision that ever had to be made.
As a matter of fact, even back in the Old Testament when we read about God speaking out loud and directly to people, we also read that they “cast lots”…they drew straws sometimes…the Urim and Thummim were part of the priestly garment that were used to determine the divine will of God. They had other “human” tools to make their decisions.
Now, we have the Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all Truth, but we also have the world, the flesh, and the devil fighting against that wisdom when we make decisions. I often fight fear, overwhelm, and condemnation that can, ironically, just as easily come through Bible verses and other Christians as the right answer can.
”Just pray about it” is overly simple Christianese to a complicated problem.
But hear me loud and clear! Of course, we always start with prayer. We are always better with guidance from the Holy Spirit. And so much trouble results from making decisions without a thought to pray first.
Please reach out to me, though, if you have prayed about all your decisions and have always gotten an immediate response and clear direction from the Lord…cause I want to meet you and know all your secrets.
What I have found in my 30 years of walking with the Lord is that the point isn’t always the decision. Sometimes He will make it clear. Sometimes He will draw me near. The search for any answer with Him is always growth in our relationship whether I end up with the answer or not.
There are things that I can do when making decisions that help me to make good ones. I can pray. I can filter the decision through the Word of Truth. I can get wise counsel from trustworthy, safe people around me. I can watch and wait for God to confirm my direction.
But there are still times when I’ve done all of that or I don’t have time to do all of that, and I end up waffling.
I get so frazzled and upset when I don’t know the answer…when I’m unsure that the outcome will be perfect…when I can’t predict how this decision is going to play out or how all others will be affected by it. And I miss the entire point in all my angst to control.
I’m not God. My decisions will be wrong sometimes. But because I am a child of God, He will always work even the worst of them together for my good.
That, by no means, allows me to be flippant with what I decide because “God will work it out”, but it does allow me to rest when I’ve finally decided. No good Father will allow a willing and listening child to venture down the wrong path for very long…there will be course correction up ahead if I’ve chosen the wrong way.
I’m going to make the decision today, because procrastinating it will only lead to pile up and overwhelm. I’m going to “cast the lot” and pray that God will ultimately guide and direct. I know He will. He always has. He’s a good Father like that.
But as I was praying about this decision, God made it clear that I needed to stop by here to tell you this. You won’t always get a clear, immediate answer from God when you pray about your decision. Sometimes, He is using the process to do a work in you. Sometimes, He might even allow you to choose wrongly to work some needed humility into you. Sometimes, you won’t get the “perfect answer” because you need to depend on the Perfect One. I’m raising my waffling hand to all of these!
Pray about it, but God might not write on the wall…and that’s perfectly normal for even the most faith-filled people. It doesn’t reflect on your status in the Kingdom. It doesn’t mean you are failing or need to try harder. It may even mean that you are right in the center of God’s Will, no matter which way you choose.
Make those decisions, sibs, and keep pursing Jesus. He’s not going to let you wander down any unnecessary roads.