Corona Devo 1857

Have you ever had a (choice) deadline looming and you had to make a decision?  Soon.  

Of course we have all been in that dilemma.  And sometimes both options are good options.  And sometimes both options are Godly options.  But how to know?  How do we discern what is best?

Simply put, we cannot know what is best for our lives.  But we are blessed to be children of our Heavenly Father.  He does know what is best for our lives and He sees much more than we are able to see.  But only in yielding to the Father's will are we able to step into His best plans for us. Many times the plans in our mind and heart that make the most sense, and that we believe will do the most good...are sometimes not what His best plans are. 

And so what must we do?  

We already know that answer.  Pray.   

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (7) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ~Philippians 4:6-7

Pray without ceasing. 

Rejoice always, (17) pray without ceasing, (18) give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  ~I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Ask.  Seek.  Knock.  

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  

This sounds like modern, savvy, hip advice doesn't it?  Well, it's actually the words of Jesus and He is directing us to the Father when we have questions that we need help answering and decisions that we need direction in discerning.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  ~Matthew 7:7

What are we deciding about today?  Do we have some decisions on the horizon?  Or choices that demand a choice? 

There is no magic formula or special spiritual equation.  We must (simply) ask God, read His Word (the Bible), and then listen for his prompting. 

He does direct our steps. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. ~Proverbs 3:5-6  

God does have a good plan for us (and our decisions), if we are willing and patient enough to tap into Him.  Are we?  And what does that "look like"?

~~~

As summer approaches, our oldest son had two great camp-counselor options for (the same) week during the summer: he had to make a difficult choice, and he was praying about it.

One camp teaches science and technology to young students, and he has been a counselor and a leader with this camp for the past three years. This would be his capstone experience with the kids and the staff alike: I know he would be great here. 

The other camp is a youth church camp.  Sleeping in cabins, adventures outside, and managing (and discipling) young boys for a week through fun and (when necessary) firmness: I know he would be great here. 

But (thank goodness): it wasn't my decision to make.  It was his, and he has been praying all about it.

In the end, Scripture is what God used to speak to his heart, and I was blessed to read the text that he shared with the church camp organizer:  

Well, I’ve been praying and talking to God about this exact decision recently.  After reading scripture and praying...I think I’m going to have to now commit to the other camp, I’m sorry. 

God gave me this verse this morning and it helped guide my decision: 

And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” ~1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There are going to be a ton of amazing counselors at (church) junior camp, but I fear that there will be no strong Christian influences at the other (science) camp.  I think that God wants me to do what I did last year, and keep trying my best to pour into these kids who come from very non-religious families.  I hope you can understand where I’m coming from.  We can talk about it more on Sunday as well when I am serving...

My son is (much!) younger than me, but sometimes I think he is way more spiritually mature than me, and he knows how to make his decisions: by allowing God to make them for him.

~~~

Do we have a (choice) deadline looming and we have to make a decision? 

Pray about it.  Pray all about it.   

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (7) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ~Philippians 4:6-7

Pray without ceasing. 

Rejoice always, (17) pray without ceasing, (18) give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  ~I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Ask.  Seek.  Knock.  

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  ~Matthew 7:7

Read the Bible today.  The answers are in there, God promises.  

Blessings,  

sarah  

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Corona Devo 1156

Image
At work, we provide Trainings for customers, so that they can be updated and educated on all of the latest features (and how to use them) within our product.  Many companies do this--sharing "Best Practices" are a way to ensure positive outcomes on the customer and vendor sides of things. My kids often offer me "life hacks" that they have learned from watching an online video promising to "save time" and "make your life easier".  And just this week, my husband enlightened me about the "tear-away" feature built into most plastic rings holding cans/bottles of pop or Gatorade together.  When separated, the plastic rips open easily, releasing the bottle--saving wildlife that might be caught if it is discarded as trash, and saving me  frustration or angst because I no longer have to pull with all my might to get a bottle out of the plastic rings.  ( Who knew? )  Life hacks do save time and make your life easier! Who couldn't benefit from...
Read more

Corona Devo 1217

Image
The unanswered “why’s” of life, the disorder of our days, and even the unfairness of our struggles can cause us to question ourselves and also to question our God. But the order-of-Creation and the systems that God has set in place are undeniable answers that swing back and forth like God’s pendulum-reminder that He set the world in motion, and He continues to keep order, even when it seems as if we and our world are in dis- order.   Job was a man going through some heavy and hard stuff.   Maybe we are too.   Job’s trials had caused him to question the order of life, and possibly God’s dominion over it.   We can relate.   The “Why’s?” and the “Why Me’s” can stack up in our minds and hearts, but like a parent exercising loving-authority over a child, God reminds Job and us--of His power, omniscience and of His ultimate authority over everything: Creation… and us today .   Then the  Lord  answered Job from the whirlwind: (2) “Who i...
Read more

Corona Devo 991

Running low on " good things " today?  Doesn't it (sometimes) seem like/trend like/read like/tweet like/water-cooler-chat or backyard-fence-visit like/intimidate like/depress like... there are no  good things in the land? . I know. It's no secret that many have abandoned  the Law of the  Lord,  and at times, that's us .   It is evident all around us that people have  followed each other  in this sin.  When we look around...or when we live our days...we can wonder: Are there  any  good things  left in the land? There are still some good things in the land ...and no matter how bleak we feel the "forecast" for today is...there will always  be  some good things in the land, because God is in the land.   T he Bible reminds us of that today.   ~~~ The Israelites (and their king, Rehoboam ) were God's people, but like all of us at times/seasons of our lives...they wandered from Lord and His ways....
Read more