When you woke up this morning, did you spend several minutes in prayer in order to determine what you should wear or whether or not to have cereal or waffles for breakfast? Chances are, that wasn't part of your agenda. And if it was, I hope the waffles tasted great. The fact is, most of us don't spend an awful lot of time praying when it comes to the everyday "normal" choices that we face. I've heard this point discussed many times with the consensus being that, if we are walking with the Lord as we should, then our daily decisions will be tinged with His wisdom and the common sense that He gives to us. Prayer for God's wisdom and guidance is a part of that and it serves as our compass in our daily decisions.
But what about the big decisions that life brings your way? You know, those times when you are faced with a new job opportunity or where you want to further your education or who you are going to spend the rest of your life with in marriage. These are more than just everyday normal life occurrences; they are life altering events. How do you decide what to do? What exactly are you supposed to pray for?
If you are like me, then you may have been driven in the past to be more earnest about prayer and seeking God's direction when the situation warrants it. And certainly we want to be intentional in prayer about life's bigger issues so that we can discern where God desires to use us most for His glory. None of us want to wind up in the exact opposite location that God intended for us. Fortunately for us, the Bible directs us beyond praying just for the "big" things, crafting for us an even more intentional method of living when it comes to handling the many decisions life brings our way.
Psalm 37:4-5 is loaded with great insight and direction into the whole decision making process:
Can't we do the same with God? If we do not truly delight in Him then should we expect for Him to give us the desires of our hearts? When we do not delight in Him, then perhaps our heart's desires are not worth granting in the first place, for they are more than likely focused on self and not on seeking the glory of the Lord.
Not only are we to delight in the Lord but we are also to commit our ways to Him. Literally, this means that we are to "roll upon Jehovah our ways." When we fully commit everything that we have to Him - totally trusting in Him - then we are promised that He will act. Not just that He hears us but that He will certainly act on our behalf. This tells us that He wants to move on our behalf, to shift us in a certain direction that is ultimately for our good.
Delighting yourself in the Lord and committing your ways to Him flies in the face of the desire to float up drive-by prayers that are fueled by necessity. The decisions that we face in life will be a lot easier to face if we are all that more intimately connected with the decision maker. When we do come to Him in prayer, much of that agony of the unknown will be washed away. That should not be too hard of a decision to make.
But what about the big decisions that life brings your way? You know, those times when you are faced with a new job opportunity or where you want to further your education or who you are going to spend the rest of your life with in marriage. These are more than just everyday normal life occurrences; they are life altering events. How do you decide what to do? What exactly are you supposed to pray for?
If you are like me, then you may have been driven in the past to be more earnest about prayer and seeking God's direction when the situation warrants it. And certainly we want to be intentional in prayer about life's bigger issues so that we can discern where God desires to use us most for His glory. None of us want to wind up in the exact opposite location that God intended for us. Fortunately for us, the Bible directs us beyond praying just for the "big" things, crafting for us an even more intentional method of living when it comes to handling the many decisions life brings our way.
Psalm 37:4-5 is loaded with great insight and direction into the whole decision making process:
Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.The prerequisite for knowing what God desires for us begins in our desire for Him. To desire in this sense is to be exceeding joyful about God, to rejoice in knowing Him. Think for a minute how your feelings flutter when you dwell on someone special in your life or when you are in the midst of your favorite activity. Those times drive your emotions to respond and we often do so with exceeding happiness and joy. And then there are times when we can fake an attitude in order to get something that we want out of a situation. For instance, if you want a passing grade in school you can strive to butter the teacher up in hopes that her favor will come your way. Or if you desire a special favor from someone you might flatter them incessantly or embellish your true feelings just to get your way.
Can't we do the same with God? If we do not truly delight in Him then should we expect for Him to give us the desires of our hearts? When we do not delight in Him, then perhaps our heart's desires are not worth granting in the first place, for they are more than likely focused on self and not on seeking the glory of the Lord.
Not only are we to delight in the Lord but we are also to commit our ways to Him. Literally, this means that we are to "roll upon Jehovah our ways." When we fully commit everything that we have to Him - totally trusting in Him - then we are promised that He will act. Not just that He hears us but that He will certainly act on our behalf. This tells us that He wants to move on our behalf, to shift us in a certain direction that is ultimately for our good.
Delighting yourself in the Lord and committing your ways to Him flies in the face of the desire to float up drive-by prayers that are fueled by necessity. The decisions that we face in life will be a lot easier to face if we are all that more intimately connected with the decision maker. When we do come to Him in prayer, much of that agony of the unknown will be washed away. That should not be too hard of a decision to make.
No comments:
Post a Comment