By Not Known
Many Christians believe they must be 100% certain of God’s Will before they make a decision. After all, if you are facing a life-changing decision, wouldn’t you like to know if you are doing what God wants you to do? If only angels would appear and sing us God’s answer.
The truth is, there will never be 100% certainty about decisions we make. While we might not be 100% certain, God gives us 100% assurance of His presence: He puts us exactly where He wants us to be; He arranges life details in advance; He opens doors that are closed; He is even able to take our mistakes and personal tragedies and turn them for good and for His glory.
While reading through Proverbs, I was struck by the numerous declarations of God’s assuring presence over our lives. Here are three of them:
A. Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”
‘Determines’ speaks of God’s control of every detail. We make plans, map out our lives step by step. However, in the end God determines every step we take.
B. Proverbs 16:33 “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”
The Jews used this method to determine God’s will. Although it appears to be a random act, it is God who decides which lot falls out of the bag. There are no random events in life.
C. Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”
When God intends for something to happen, it will. We make personal objectives and announce long-range plans, but it is God who always has the last word.
These passages remind us that we do not have control over every aspect of our lives, neither does everyone’s life depend solely on us. This is extremely good news! We do not have to play god, or worry about getting everything under our control anymore.
Instead Proverbs 3:5-6 advises us to “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.”
We live out this instruction when we exercise our intellect through gathering facts, studying the situation, seeking godly counsel, and when we exercise our faith through praying and entrusting the entire decision-making process to the fully dependable hands of our Lord.
We might not have 100% certainty in our decision-making, however, God gives us 100% assurance of His presence through it.
Let us faithfully lean on Him through the fog of uncertainty, while seeking to discern His Will.
Amos Lau