Asking God for Wisdom When Making Decisions
“Anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask.” James 1:5 (CEB)
It was the spring of 2018 and I was gathering with my prayer sisters for our regular time together. In a moment of openness, I told them I would never make another important decision without first asking God.
We had just finished an amazing book by Priscilla Shirer called “Discerning the Voice of God.” It literally changed my life. Quite simply, I realized that not going to God first for, well, everything was no longer an option.
Candidly, I was somewhat shocked. I mean, 58 years old and I was just now saying this? Really?
Let’s be honest – I’m not the only one. Many believers don’t go to God first. How often do we consider His perspective when making the decisions in our lives? Why do we sometimes go to everyone else to ask for their thoughts before we ask God for His divine counsel?
Obviously, this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ask others for wise advice, particularly if they have expertise we don’t. However, before we go to them, we should first ask God for guidance and that He would lead us away from un-Godly counsel.
In the end, when we are trying to discern an important decision, God is the only one who knows what we should do. He sees all because He is above all.
Seek His guidance, ask Him for wisdom and above all listen and obey.
I’d like to share beautiful prayer originally published by Scotty Smith at www.thegospelcoalition.org that captures how we can ask God for His wisdom. I hope it brings meaning to you!
Blessings.
“Dear heavenly Father, you number our hairs and determine our days; you hang the stars and feed the sparrows; you open doors no one can shut and shut doors no one can open. Surely, we can trust you when the time comes for making big decisions, or for that matter, any decisions. I’m in just such a season again, Father, and I know I’m not alone. We will trust you for generous wisdom, straight paths and peaceful hearts, all for your glory. How we praise you for being the decision-making-God. It’s not our decisions, but yours that make all the difference. We will plan, but we trust you to order our steps. We will pray, but ask you to fix our prayers en route to heaven. We will seek counsel, but count on you to overrule faulty or incomplete input from our most trusted friends and mentors. We will search the Scriptures, but not looking for proof texts but for you, Father. All we want and need is you.
Free us from the paralysis of analysis—wanting make the right decision, more than we want to be righteous people; wanting to be known as wise people, more than we want to know you. Free us from the idolatry of assuming there’s only one “perfect” choice in any given situation. Free us from making decisions primary for our comfort and other’s approval, or fear their disapproval. Free us to know that good choices don’t always lead to the easiest outcomes, especially at first. Free us from second and twenty-second guessing our decisions.
Father, no matter if it’s wisdom about buying or selling, vocation or vacation, this place or that place, this person or that person, we know that in ALL things, your will is our sanctification—our becoming more and more like Jesus. Give us this passion; make it our delight.
So, Father, make us more and more like Jesus, even as we trust you for the opening and closing of doors that are in front of us. All for your glory—in our eating and drinking; and in our whatever’s, whenever’s and wherever’s. So very Amen we pray, in the name of our reigning King, Jesus.”