A Bible verse I read recently got me thinking about choices and how they are related to asking God what to do about a situation. In the book of Joshua, there's a part about how a tribe was intimidated by the nation of Israel, so they decided to deceive the Israelite's leader by saying they were from far away and wanted a peace treaty, when in fact they were a neighboring country. The Israelites figured out they had been fooled too late, after they made the vow of peace with them. Here's the verse (Joshua 9:14): "So the Israelites examined their food but they did not consult the LORD." Basically they rushed into a vow without basing it on any "evidence" other than what they saw with their own eyes. Interesting, huh? And very convicting for me. I think I do this all the time: proceed in haste, purposely bypassing asking God about it because I am afraid He will direct me otherwise, or because it's just a painful and sometimes confusing process to consider alternatives. On the other hand, I am also reading a short book right now that argues that "waiting" on God to show you His will to make any decisions in your life is no good, either, because a lot of the decisions we make in life are non-ethical decisions -- i.e., should I take job A or job B.
Thus, seeking God's will becomes less of a frightening waiting game in which I fear His thunderous proclamation of "NO YOU CAN'T, DAUGHTER," and becomes rather more of a task that requires time, as I analyze how a given situation makes me either more or less likely to follow God, be willing to obey what He has already written to us in His Word, or whether it hinders my ability to glorify Him by causing me to sin. What I really really love to discover is when that particular situation under scrutiny is an avenue by which I discover who I am, have a new-found sense of how God created me and is creating my life's story, and sense anew my great need for God's grace.
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