“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”
Psalm 32:8 niv
Whenever we are making decisions, we must go to the scriptures. It is the wisest thing we can do because in the word of God we will find the wisest advice for our lives. After seeking the Lord in prayer, seek advice in the Bible. Our decisions should agree with the scriptures every time. We should ask ourselves, does the Bible make any clear statements that would just settle the decision? Does it identify one pathway as sin and the other as righteous? If so, then the decision is easy. Absent from this, we can ask what principles the Bible gives us by which we can make this decision. Some of those principles will involve good, sound counseling.
Our hearts are not a trustworthy guide. We do not look inside ourselves—not to our emotions, experiences, or even judgments. We have to know the limitations of our own perspective. We do not know anything, but the scriptures are inerrant.
What the psalms offer us is help to un-hide: to stand honestly before God without fear, to face one another vulnerably without shame, and to encounter life in the world without any of the secrets that would demean and distort our humanity. The psalms invite us therefore to stand in the light, to see ourselves truly and to receive the reformative work of God through the formative words of the psalmist, so that we might be rehumanized in Christ.
The Bible has many hidden truths that can guide us and help us make wise decisions; the only way to discover them is by reading. We should make it a daily habit to read our Bibles. It says in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” God wants to help us make wise decisions, teach us where to go, and counsel us. We could miss all of that if we do not read the Bible.
When we make a decision that agrees with what the Bible says, then we can rest assured it is a wise decision. The Word of God is like a lamp guiding us where we should go. The Word of God is living and active, and it can help us discern the intentions of our hearts.
Daily Prayer: Father, I come to you today with an open heart and mind, ready to receive all that you have for me. I thank you for your love, your grace, and your provision in my life. I thank you for the gift of your son Jesus and for the hope and the future that he brings. I ask that you guide me in the plans you have for me. I know that you have a great purpose and a bright future for me. I ask that you would give me the wisdom and the understanding to know your will for my life and the courage and the determination to follow it.
Daily Action: In what way do you feel the Lord has decided to move you recently? What kind of resistance did you have to break through during this time?
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