Decisions, Decisions — Morning Devotions

Subscribe to Morning Devotions podcast

How many decisions have you made today? What will I wear today, and eat for breakfast? They may not seem earth-shattering decisions, but they are real nonetheless, and make up the ‘stuff’ of life.

Each Day We Are Confronted with Decisions

Some have no real significance, although have you ever chosen the wrong pair of shoes to wear on a formal occasion? That can be quite embarrassing. I’m sure you know that sometimes some very important decisions have to be made. They have consequences, which we take time to weigh up, and then we move forward, perhaps reluctantly.

Have I made the right decision? It can be scary not being 100% sure I’ve made the correct decision. There are times when we are at the cross roads, facing some difficult decisions and we’re not sure which way to go:

• Do we marry or not?
• Do we quit our job or not?
• Do we move house or not?

Sometimes we just don’t know what to do. Is it any wonder many of us are chronic procrastinators wishing there was someone who could just tell us what to do. Of course there are lots of people who are ready to tell us what to do. But therein lies the problem. Where one person tells us to do one thing another person tells us to do something very different, if not the opposite. So we are back to square one asking the same question, What do I do?

Robert Saehloff wrote a simple poem:

Every day, no matter what you do,
Will be the result of decisions made by you.
Like what time you get up in the morning,
or go to bed at night,
Whether you travel to the left
or turn to the right,
If you say yes, or if you say no,
Whatever you decide is the way you’ll go.
After reading the letters you get in the mail
creates another decision trail.
Each daily decision, made in joy or strife,
Helps form the foundation of your life.

Men, our wives can help. Take for example a husband who finds a great deal on a used car and goes to his wife to ask her opinion. She meets the guy selling the vehicle, sees the car and afterwards says, I don’t know, there is something about this guy I don’t trust. I don’t think you should buy the car. The husband asks, What do you mean? It’s a perfectly good car. She responds, I just don’t feel right about it.

Hope 103.2 is proudly supported by

Any man who’s been married long enough knows how this story can sadly end. He goes against his wife’s intuition, buys the car and a week later it breaks down. I know that’s a strange illustration, but in many cases it’s true. People we love and trust can help us with decisions we have to make.

Scripture is the Best Counsel for Our Decisions

I believe the Bible is the best way to make decisions. After all, God has your best interest in mind as it says in Jeremiah 29:11 (CEV): “I will bless you with a future filled with hope – a future of success, not of suffering”. I’m not talking of financial success, but a life full of his presence and protection. We all want hope in our lives.

Have you entrusted God with your life? Have you ever read these verses from Proverbs 3:5-6 (CEV): “With all your heart you must trust the Lord and not your own judgement. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow”. Trusting in the Lord with all your heart is comparable to a child who is walking with his father, and they have their arms around each other. That child is not going to go in the wrong direction, or the wrong way. And he is not going to fall. He is safe and secure. If the ground is uneven or unstable, the father will support the child, and he will guide him onto safe paths.

What does the proverb mean when it says that we should not trust our own judgement? I think it means we have to be patient. God knows what he’s doing. God knows what’s best for you. He can see the end result—you can’t. All those problems, heartaches, difficulties and delays—all the things that make you ask Why?—one day it will all be clear in the light of God’s love. Decisions still have to be made.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Speak to people you respect and admire—those whose opinion you value. But be careful! Someone said, “Good advice costs nothing and it’s worth the price.” While it is true that some advice is worthless it is also true that some advice is priceless. Proverbs 15:22 (CEV) says, “Without good advice everything goes wrong—it takes careful planning for things to go right”.

Once you do make a decision, and ask God to lead you, move ahead with confidence. How can that be? You can know that God will work out everything for you. Romans 8:28 says, “We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan.” (The Voice translation).

I like that version of that verse. It gives me confidence to go ahead with decisions, because it really means I can never fail with him. I can learn from my many mistakes.