Decision Making and God’s Will

The book I am going to reference in this article may offend you or challenge you. It may even overwhelm you. But bear with me as you read, for I offer this out of a desire to share a little part of my own journey. Consider this article as a reflection, a peek, into another perspective that you may find valuable.

God’s Best Plan for Your Life

I remember in college, years ago, grappling with finding the will of God for my life. I came across a book entitled Decision Making and The Will of God by Garry Friesen and J. Robin Maxson. This book challenged the traditional notion – or at least the notion that I had grown up in the church with – that there is a specific “best plan” for your life, and you simply have to find it. Anything else is settling for “second best.” This idea caused such anxiety in me that I often found myself paralyzed by decision making.

As I read through the book, I was initially uncomfortable about adopting any other idea than the traditional one I had grown up with. As a young woman who was whole-heartedly in love with Jesus, I wanted God’s best and nothing less. But, as I kept reading, I felt myself opening up and calming down. God desires a worshipful heart. And even in my pursuit of Him, God was honored. That was His best plan for me: That I know and love Him and glorify Him forever.

Learning to Wait on God

As I considered specific decisions – what to major in, where to do an internship, what my first job should be, whether I should travel with missions for a time, who I would marry? – I learned to sit quietly and wait. This was not a waiting in paralysis for a specific nudge or sign from God. Rather, I was waiting on God, waiting to be immersed in His presence, and to grow more like Jesus in all my living and deciding.

I am brought back further in my memory to a time when I was agonizing over which high school to attend. My parents were equally paralyzed by decision making and left many major decisions up to me. While I appreciated their support, I did not have much of a role model in this arena. So there I was, in Physics class, asking my teacher which school she thought I should attend. At that time, I was in a very small, private Christian school with teachers who not only taught us content but also modeled faith to us.

God is Concerned with Your Heart

This Physics teacher looked at me, put her book aside, and sat next to me for a minute. She said, “Lisa, I really don’t think God is as concerned with your physical circumstances as with your heart.” For some reason, this was exactly what I needed to hear. I was encouraged to trust that I was hearing from the God Whom I loved and sought after with all my young, naïve heart. I needed to be reminded of exactly that: That God was honored in my pursuit. And that was my goal. “Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” (Jim Elliott)

Basic Principles of Decision Making

Allow me to share a few basic principles that you will find about decision-making in Friesen and Maxson’s book. Again, this is a big book and you may not completely agree, but I love how much Scripture the authors reference. The book serves as a general guide within which you can make those difficult decisions.

The goal of the Christian is to make decisions that are pleasing to God. What we have seen is that His Word establishes four principles for decision making according to God’s will.

1)Obedience – Where God commands, we must obey.

2)Freedom – Where there is no command, God gives us freedom (and responsibility) to choose.

3)Wisdom – Where there is no command, God gives us wisdom to choose.

4)Humble Trust – When we have chosen what is moral and wise, we must trust the sovereign God to work all the details together for good.

The following link is an extremely condensed and helpful overview of these four principles, complete with lots of Scripture. Enjoy.
http://www.gfriesen.net/sections/willofgod_principles.php

A Christian Counselor Can Help You with Decision Making

If you find yourself in a major transition in life and/or in the midst of some difficult decisions, a Christian counselor can provide valuable support and guidance.