As Christians it seems as if more weight is put on our decisions because we don’t know if we have God’s seal of approval on our choice or not. So after going back and forth, we are left with the what if. What if this job isn’t for me? What if the man that I’m about to marry is not the husband God wants for me? What if I fail because of this decision? Let’s be honest, we all go through this, whether a believer or a non-believer. The wonderful thing about God though, is that he will not allow something to come into our lives without purpose. This means that even if you think you’ve made the wrong decision, if God’s plan is to right it, he will do so, one way or another. God’s always there to pick you up and there’s always a purpose behind every decision made whether it’s to teach you or to help you grow in a certain area.
So how do we stop questioning the decisions that we make every day? In order to be at rest with a decision, we must be sure that our decision aligns with the Word of God and we must go to God in prayer.
God has supplied Christians with his Word, the Bible, for a reason. When making a decision, you should ask yourself, does this coincide with who God is, as represented in the Bible? Does this new job hurt or help people? Does the man I’m about to marry mirror God? If the answer is the antithesis of who God is, then it is not the right move.
As people, we tend to see what is right in front of us. Remember when God called Moses to deliver a speech to the children of Israel and Moses had a conversation with God about his eloquence? Moses didn’t see himself as a leader. He saw himself as someone who was never eloquent in speech; in fact he said he was “slow of speech and tongue.” But God saw his potential and said, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” (Exodus 4:11, NIV) We may question a decision because it seems as if we are not equipped with the tools we need to succeed, but we must be hopeful and believe that “with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) After all, as his children, God has our backs.
When Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, he says to ask God for our “daily bread.” That means that God supplies us with just enough for that day. No more, no less. Also, he makes sure that we are fed every day. For those in a place of privilege, this may mean physical nourishment, but there are also those throughout the world who pray but don’t get fed every day in that respect. Might it also mean a spiritual appetite? Giving us the spiritual strength and perseverance for another day and hope for the future? This hope allows us to rely more on God. This includes not beating ourselves up with what ifs. Is this easy? Sitting back and watching God do his thing? Um…no. But is life easy? The Bible says in Acts 14:22, “…We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
Prayer is the most effective tool because God urges us to come boldly to him. That means that we can take anything to him in prayer, anything. Before praying, recount the times in your life when God showed up and showed all that he is and what he can do. Make sure you also “lay aside every weight,” (Hebrews 12:1) meaning that you will not allow any anger, disappointment, or issue of the day to cloud your prayer time. Ask God for what you want, but ask that above all else, his will be done.
What ifs only lead to worry, trouble, and disbelief. Dare yourself to step out of what you see and mediate on who God is. When making your next small or big decision remember these words, straight from the Father’s mouth, to his children’s ears:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27, NIV).
Since God’s hand is in what you will eat, drink, and wear, he is surely in every decision that you make if you let him lead you.
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