When we think of big decisions versus small decisions in our lives, we think God acts differently when a big decision is at hand. We somehow think he sits up straighter, focuses more, and really pays attention to what we are saying and asking. This perception is simply untrue. God wants us to seek him in the small decisions just like the big ones. Another example is sin. God looks at sin as sin, meaning that he looks at lying the same as adultery. We, however, obviously think one is much worse than the other, but God only sees sin as sin.
When we go to God with a big decision or a sin, we somehow think he is surprised when we bring it up as though he didn’t already know. Think with me for a minute and imagine yourself praying over a situation and God raises his eyebrows, taking a big breath, and says, “wow, I didn’t know that.” Sounds silly, right? Well, that is how we sometimes act when we pray; we don’t think God knows every detail and every intention of the heart. You cannot hide the intentions of the heart from God. God knows if you are asking for something because you just want it versus a situation when you really need something. See many times we try to “sell” God on our ideas and what we want instead of really wanting what is best for us.
My advice when praying over a big decision is to simply say, “God, if this is in your will for my life, please open the door, but if this is not in your will, then please shut the door.” This prayer, at times, is very tough to pray because regardless of what we say, we want the control over the decision. True?
Praying for God to lead you is like driving a car around a mountain. You know you are on the right road, but you cannot see around the curve. In the most simplistic of terms, you need to be ok with what is around the curve and completely trust God that what he has planned for you around the curve is the best thing for you long term. We think in terms of days and weeks, and God thinks in terms of years. He is the only one that knows what a decision today will result in 10 years from now.
Some people mistake this faith approach as it being ok to not try your hardest at anything. Wrong. God sees the heart and the intention of the heart, and he says in his Word that if you put him first, he will give you the desires of your heart. I believe the desires of the heart are defined as what you are working toward and trying to accomplish as compared to what you are just wishing for. There is a big difference between what we really want and what we wish for.
My advice is to ask God to lead your life and then go try as hard as you can to get in line with what his desires are for you. He has a perfect plan for each of our lives, but he will only lead you if you are willing to follow. KT