A Prayer When You're Afraid to Make the Wrong Decision
By Ashley Moore
“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” - Isaiah 30:21, ESV
When I was younger, it was much easier for me to distinguish between right and wrong. Doing what God commanded was right, and giving in to sin was bad. In the early days after my conversion, my sins were evident and easy to recognize. But now, I spend less time struggling with God to avoid committing terrible sins and more time wondering what He wants me to do.
Do you feel that way too? Do you want to make the right decision about how to educate your children? Do you want to know whether you need to stay at your current job or take a chance on starting a business? Or maybe you wonder if now is the right time to start leading a small group or hosting a Bible study. The struggle to make the “right” decision is real when choosing between two seemingly good options.
But as we see in our key verse, God provides direction for us. He shows us the way to walk when things are unclear. Here are a few ways we can make decisions that honor the Lord when we are unsure of what to do:
Pray & Read the Word
Prayer and reading Scripture are the most obvious answers, but when we need direction, we have to talk to God. We talk to God by praying. We can pray and ask for wisdom, and the Word says the Lord gives it generously (James 1:5). We can fast and see what the Lord reveals to us during that time of abstaining from food or other distractions. When we want to hear from God, we open His Word and listen to what He has to say. Hebrews 4:12 says God’s Word is alive and active. These timeless truths have a way of coming to life right on the page, often illuminating principles that help us make decisions in our present moments.
When we read, God speaks to us through His Spirit, and He illuminates the truth we need to hear. However, this does not occur every time we open His Word. This is why we must make it a daily discipline, training and familiarizing ourselves with God’s Word a little at a time. John 10:12 says that God’s sheep know His voice, and they follow Him. It gets easier to discern God’s voice over the noise in our heads when we have practiced listening to Him daily!
Seek Wise Counsel
Sometimes, even though we are in God’s Word continuously, we still experience periods of silence for whatever reason. Those seasons when God is quiet are why we must be in regular community with people who love God and bear His fruit. When facing decisions we are unsure about, it is wise to reach out to a few trusted friends and mentors to ask them to pray and help you think through the options. Proverbs 19:20 says that when we listen to advice and accept instruction, we gain wisdom in the future. Many of our mentors and friends likely have some experience they can share with us to help us take our next step. Even if they don’t have specific wisdom, these friends can join in praying and possibly fast alongside us as we weigh our options.
Look for Confirmation & Move Forward
Sometimes, we do everything possible and still need more clarity. As we wait patiently to hear from the Lord, we can tune our hearts to His Spirit and seek confirmation. I have often experienced reassurance in the form of little signs that don’t mean much to other people but are very meaningful to me. These confirmations remind me that the Lord sees me and wants me to take the next step. There are other times when I never receive confirmation. I often compare these situations to what it would be like to parent my kids when they are adults. I will no longer be managing their every decision. Instead, I have invested years of principles, wisdom, and guidance in them, and I am trusting them to use that knowledge to make the best decision for their situation. Sometimes, God may want us to move forward in faith without much reassurance from Him or others.
Psalm 16:6 says, the boundary lines have fallen for us in pleasant places. The boundaries of sin are often obvious. But when the options are neutral or good choices, we can experience fear of making the wrong decision. Rest assured, we are not alone. The Lord will show us the way to walk through abiding in Him, the counsel of others, or tapping into our faith reserves. May we move forward without fear in light of these truths.
Let’s pray:
Jesus, you see that our heart’s desire is to honor you with our decisions. Tune our hearts to hear when you offer us directions through your word, answered prayers, wise counsel, or some other confirmation. Thank you for directing our steps even when there is no obvious reassurance. Help us rest in your sovereignty, and know we can’t mess up your purposes for our lives as long as we try our best to obey you. In your name, Jesus, amen.
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