In Acts 1 the apostles were faced with the difficult decision of who to choose to replace Judas, who had betrayed Jesus. They had narrowed their options down to two people, but didn’t know which one to choose. So what did they do? Acts 1:24-25 says “…they prayed, [and here’s what they prayed] ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.’”
When the apostles had an important decision to make, they prayed about it. We would do well to follow their example.
- Should I date/marry this person? Pray about it!
- Should I sell my home and move? Pray about it!
- Should I quit my job and take a new one? Pray about it!
- Should I buy this car/home? Pray about it!
We sometimes do everything but pray!
- We worry, but we don’t pray. But worrying is like a rocking chair, it will give you something to do but it won’t get you anywhere. Philippians 4:6 says “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.” Instead of worrying we ought to pray.
- We consult others, but we don’t pray. While it’s not wrong to consult others, we ought to run to the Throne before we run to the phone! Pray first.
- We makes plans, but we don’t pray. Isaiah 30:1 says “‘What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,’ says the Lord. ‘You make plans that are contrary to mine.’ You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.” When we pray we avoid making plans contrary to God, and spare ourselves the sorrow that comes with making poor decisions.
Some Christians make decisions and then ask God to bless the path they’ve chosen. But this is backwards. We ought to discern through prayer which path God is blessing and then choose that path. When you have a decision to make, you don’t have to shake a magic 8 ball, flip a coin or consult a psychic. The Bible gives us a better way…pray.
Here are two prayers you can pray when you need to make a decision:
- God, please give me wisdom (James 1:5).
- God, I don’t know what do, but my eyes are on you (2 Chronicles 20:12).