DECISION MAKING
Every day of your life, you are called upon to make decisions, and you must respond to decisions other people make that affect you. Some decisions facing you are how to respond to tragedy, death, some event beyond your control, or a dirty trick.
This whole area of decision-making is a common subject in the consulting room. Most of my clients who bring up this subject are anxious about a decision to be made or are disturbed and angry over the outcome of a decision or event that has already occurred, whether my client participated in it or was only affected by it.
Following are some Bible verses that have proven useful in managing the mental activity involved in decision-making:
Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes (Psalm 37:4-7).
Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established (Proverbs 16:3).
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Some reflection on those verses makes it clear that we err if we try to evaluate the immediate outcome of a decision or event.
The emphasis in these verses is not on the outcome of the decisions, but on the attitude of the decision maker.
- Delight yourself in the Lord.
- Commit your way to the Lord.
- Trust in Him.
- Rest in the Lord.
- Wait patiently for Him.
- Fret not yourself.
- God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him.
LIFE’S A DRAMA…AND YOU’RE THE STAR!
If you meet the conditions just mentioned, life will become more like watching a drama or a movie. You know before you begin watching that the script has already been written.
There will be happy times, crisis times, even tragic times. Part of the reason for watching is to enjoy the suspense and some of the emotion as the story line develops.
You will enjoy watching how things turn out. You won’t be anxious about making plans or pursuing the desires of your heart. You know that His thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are His ways your ways. It’s fun to see how close you can come to His plans and to see how all things work together for good.
Let me emphasize again that these verses stress the attitude of the decision maker rather than evaluate the immediate outcome of a decision or an event. It takes months or even years to see how all things work together.
I have stood by many people who have gone through crisis times. Everyone eventually sees his problem work out. Let me share one such story with you that covers a period of six years.
RONALD’S STORY
Ronald was in his early 50s when his wife died in a car accident. There is no way to explain such a tragedy. Ronald was a man committed to trusting God, and his faith sustained him as he went through the process of building a new life.
Two years later, he accepted a job in another state. This meant selling his house, leasing an apartment in another state, and getting settled there. The new job never did work out, and after struggling with it for two years, he finally gave up.
This development seemed like such a needless event for a Christian who was committed to trusting and resting in God. His friends wondered why God was treating Ronald this way. He went on trusting, insisting that one of these days everything would make sense.
He found a job in another city, which meant another move. As it turned out, he fit that job like a hand and glove. Better yet, he found a circle of Christian friends with whom he was more compatible than any group of friends he ever had.
Another unexpected event happened to Ronald. A lovely Christian widow showed up seemingly out of nowhere. After a few months they announced their plans to get married. What a happy marriage it turned out to be!
This story is like thousands of others. The events of life are bittersweet. They make sense only over the long haul. If you were to ask Ronald what he thought about the Christian life, he would quote Romans 8:28 to you:
We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.