Lord, I Need Wisdom for This Decision

Good morning. This is Morning Prayer from Bearing Fruit.

Which way should I go? If that question followed you to bed last night and was waiting when you woke up, you can bring it here. James wrote one sentence for people who know they need wisdom, and this morning we're going to take him at his word. Let's bring this to God together.

In the letter of James, chapter one, verse five, we read this.

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

James was writing to believers facing trials of many kinds. Just before this verse, he tells them that the testing of their faith grows perseverance, so they'll be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Then he says, if any of you lacks wisdom.

So he means wisdom for living faithfully when the way is hard, and that includes the decision in front of you. Say there's a job offer in your inbox, and they'd like an answer by Friday. You've drawn a line down the back of an envelope, reasons to stay and reasons to go, and the two columns keep coming out even. You've asked people you trust, and they don't agree.

James doesn't promise a sign, or a message telling you which way to choose. He says God gives generously, to all and without finding fault. God won't scold you for not knowing already, or make you prove you've prayed hard enough first.

Then James adds this.

But he must ask in faith, without doubting

James 1:6

That can sound hard if your head is full of questions. A few lines later, James says who he means. He's describing a double-minded man, someone who wants God's help while his loyalty stays somewhere else. Asking in faith means coming with your whole heart. You can bring every question you've got.

Proverbs tells us where wisdom comes from.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 2:6

From His mouth. God gives wisdom through what He says, so an open Bible matters on a morning like this. You probably won't find a verse that names the job or the house. Keep reading anyway. What He loves will shape how you see every option. In Psalm one nineteen, the psalmist prays this.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105

A lamp held low lights up the ground where you're about to step. Some mornings that's all the light you'll get, and it's enough to walk by.

In Psalm thirty-two, David remembers hiding his sin until it wore him down. Then he confessed it, and God forgave him. After that the voice changes, and most likely it's God Himself who answers.

I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.

Psalm 32:8

That promise comes to a forgiven man. God's guidance isn't a prize for getting everything right.

Through Jesus, the same is true for you. He died for your sins and was raised to life, and for His sake the Father welcomes you before you've decided anything. His love for you won't rise or fall with this choice. So ask Him this morning, open His word, and take the next faithful step you can see.

Let's pray. You can pray these words with me, out loud or in your heart.

Father, I'm coming to You through Jesus. He walked the hardest road of all, to the cross for my sins, and on the third day You raised Him. Because of Him, I can come before I've worked anything out.

You're the God who sees the end of every road before I take the first step. You're wise, and You give wisdom generously to anyone who asks. And You let me come like this, with my mind still going in circles.

You know the choice I'm facing. I've gone over it so many times that the reasons have started to blur. Some mornings one way looks right, and by evening the other one does. I'm tired of not knowing, and I'm afraid of getting it wrong. I'm handing You that tiredness and that fear.

I need to be honest about my heart, too. I've talked this over with nearly everyone before I brought it to You. Some days I've wanted You to approve a choice I'd already made. Part of me wants Your will only if it looks like mine. That's a divided heart, Father. Forgive me. Make my heart whole toward You, and make me willing to follow where You lead.

Your word tells me that if I lack wisdom, I should ask You, “who gives generously to all without finding fault”. I lack it this morning. Please give it to me. Show me what matters to You here, and what matters less than I've been telling myself. Put someone wise in my path, someone who loves You enough to tell me the truth. Show me who this decision will touch, and help me love them well in how I choose.

Paul told the believers in Colossae he kept praying for them, “asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God”. That's my prayer for me, whichever way this goes.

I don't know how this will turn out, and I'm leaving that with You. Your word says, “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.” You've forgiven me, and You won't leave me to work this out alone. If I choose and the road gets hard, help me keep trusting You. If I get something wrong, You'll still be my Father, and You'll still be teaching me.

I'm praying for others with a choice to make today. For someone about to sign papers they can't take back. For a student holding two acceptance letters, with everyone's opinion in their ears. For someone across from a doctor, weighing two treatments that both cost something. Give them wisdom, Father, and give it generously. And for everyone praying with me right now, meet each of us in the choice we're carrying.

Father, I still don't know which way to go. Come with me anyway. When I open Your word, speak to me through it. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Give me light for the next faithful step, and help me take it. If there's an honest question I need to ask someone, make me brave enough to ask it. If I need to wait, keep me from deciding in a panic. In the meantime, help me do today's work well, and love the people right beside me. And if the answer is slow, I'll ask You again tomorrow. You won't find fault with me for asking.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Take a moment of quiet now, and bring Him whatever's in front of you today.

Hear this blessing from Paul's letter to the Ephesians. It was his prayer for the believers there, and it's for you too. Paul asks

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him. I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling.

Ephesians 1:17-18