Pray First and Then Decide

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Congratulations to all the graduates! Remember the excitement and apprehension before your graduation? The future looked like a wide open field of countless possibilities and opportunities. So many decisions to make! More school? Get a job? Stay close to home or move away? These are just a few questions that young adults have to answer.

Graduates aren’t the only ones facing life decisions. Over time we may decide to go back to school, change jobs, or move. No matter our age or education level, we’re always called to give to society in a positive way. Deciding on what that looks like can be a challenge. 

We may ask ourselves: “How does our Lord want me to use my particular skills? How can I use my gifts to contribute to society and to the needs of others?” As we get older, our questions may switch from “What career do I want to pursue?” to “Now that the kids are grown and gone, what’s my role?” or “Now that I’m retired, how will I use my time?” 

Our Lord has given each of us a unique combination of our personality, talents, and circumstances. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your strengths, your weaknesses, and your potential. He knows what brings you toward Him and what pulls you away from Him. He knows your heart, and He knows your motives. He sees you, He knows you, and He loves you. He wants you to have His peace – the peace that comes from following Him and uniting your will with His.

Regardless of your age, whenever you’re presented with an opportunity, or are facing a dilemma, pray first. Let Christ guide your mind and heart toward Him and what He wants you to do. Pray, and ask Him what He wants for you. Pray, and ask what He wants from you. Pay attention to what comes to mind. When you consider your options prayerfully, you allow our Lord to direct your steps toward what will bring you and others closer to Him. The key is to make these decisions with prayer. Christ will lead you to His peace if you ask Him to. 

Praying before deciding isn’t just for life decisions. Every day, we’re presented with situations that require a decision. For example, we decide what to watch on TV and what sites to visit on the internet. We decide whether to be kind or irritable toward the wait staff when the service is slow. In how we treat our coworkers and family members, in the emails and texts we send, and in how we spend our time, we have countless decisions to make. Stop and ask our Lord if what you’re about to do or say is pleasing to Him. Then, pay attention to how your mind and heart respond. 

Pray first. Then, you can decide.

“You, Lord… know the hearts of all.” – Acts 1:24

“Lord, guide my decisions on what I do and say today.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

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P.S.

Pray for peace in Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East, at home, and around the world. Donate toward a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

Our Inner GPS

Photo credit: Free-images.com

Taking a road trip has become almost worry-free now that we have GPS to guide us. We’ve learned to trust the GPS’ directions. We’ve also had to decide on which routes to take: some routes are faster, others slower and more scenic; some have paved roads, others include bumpy dirt roads; some take us through construction zones, others avoid them. If there’s trouble up ahead, the GPS will give us the option to take a detour to avoid that area. Also, if we take a wrong turn or miss an exit, it gives us directions on how to get back on course. 

God’s guidance is kind of like our GPS for life. Living in His love is our constant goal; we learn to trust that He’ll guide us toward that goal if we ask Him to. He gives us free will to choose different paths. And when we make choices that aren’t loving, He’ll forgive us and lead us back toward Him and His love. 

To stay on this road of Love, we’ve learned to ask, “What does God want me to do?” We consider this when we’re deciding on significant issues like employment, housing, schools, what to say or do in our relationships, or voting. It also applies to smaller decisions like how we spend our free time. We can look for His guidance even when shopping by examining how our buying habits affect the environment, our community, and the people across the globe who make the items we purchase. 

We pray for clarity in our decision-making. While prayerfully weighing different options, we do our part by learning all we can from credible sources and asking questions from people we respect who don’t automatically tell us what we want to hear. In some cases, there’s more than one acceptable option. God can see the ‘road conditions’ or ‘detours’ ahead in each choice; He’ll steer us toward the better option for us if we listen to His direction. 

How do we know when we’re on the route God wants us to take? God uses our thoughts and feelings to guide us. When we pay attention to the promptings of His Spirit and follow His guidance, we’ll feel at peace with our decision – peace that is long-lasting. If our decision goes against His guidance, we may feel happy briefly but that joy will soon be replaced by more stress and more confusion.

God loves us; He has given us His Spirit to lead us toward everything that will bring us closer to Him. When we follow His lead, His peace and joy will accompany us – no matter where we travel.

“To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!” – Psalm 40:8

“Lord, help me to trust Your promptings in my heart.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

You can also find my posts on Facebook!

P.S.

Pray for peace around the world. Donate toward a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

A Farmer's Prayer for Peace

 

 

“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7

Does this mean we shouldn’t feel anxious? No! All of our emotions – worry, joy, sadness, and all the rest -- are valid. This reminds us, in every situation, with all your emotions, to make your requests known to God. Ask Him to show you how to handle the given situation in a helpful and healthy way. Thank Him for His love and tell Him what’s on your mind. Ask Him for whatever it is you need. Invite Him to guide your thoughts, words, and deeds to handle whatever is going on. When you do this, you’ll be addressing the issue that’s causing your anxiety or other feelings, and not just stewing over it. This guidance and the actions that follow will bring you God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding.

A Farmer’s Prayer for Peace

The story goes that a pastor visiting a rural area was invited to share in a men’s breakfast with the local farmers. The group had asked an older farmer, wearing his usual bib overalls, to say grace for the morning meal.

“Lord, I hate buttermilk,” the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye and wondered where this was going.

The farmer loudly proclaimed, “Lord, I hate lard.”

Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, “And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw white flour.” The pastor glanced around the room and saw that he wasn’t the only one beginning to feel uncomfortable.

Then the farmer added, “But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits.”

And he continued, “So, Lord, when things come up that we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what you’re saying to us, help us to relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits. Amen.”

 

“Lord, help me remember that You love me, and You want to bring me closer to You so that I experience Your love. I know You hear my prayers. Let this assurance and confidence give me Your peace.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

If you would like to receive these reflections directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...