Balancing Seeking God's Guidance with Decision Making
Seeking God's guidance and making personal decisions are complementary aspects of Christian life, not opposing forces. The Bible frequently exhorts believers to seek God, encompassing various dimensions of His being and will [4]. This pursuit involves seeking His name, His word, His face, His strength, His commandments, and His precepts [4]. It also extends to seeking His kingdom and righteousness, and even Christ Himself [4].
The act of seeking God is often described as a deliberate and active process. Isaiah 55:6 commands, "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near" [9]. This implies an urgency and an intentionality in the search. Similarly, the prophet Jeremiah urges, "Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see" [8]. This imagery suggests a pause for reflection and discernment, akin to someone at a crossroads consulting a waymark to determine the correct path [8]. The Scriptures serve as this waymark, guiding individuals in their decisions [8].
Decision-making in the Christian life is characterized by a commitment to God's service. Torrey's Topical Textbook emphasizes that decision is "necessary to the service of God" [1]. This includes exhibiting a heart that seeks God, keeping His commandments, being on His side, following Him fully, serving Him, and loving Him perfectly [1]. Such decision-making stands in contrast to a "divided service," "double-mindedness," or "halting between two opinions" [1]. The psalmist David exemplifies this deliberate choice, stating, "I have chosen the way of truth" [7]. This choice implies a recognition that the path of godliness is founded on eternal truth and is the only true way to happiness [7].
While seeking God's guidance is paramount, human reason and effort in decision-making are also acknowledged. The author of Ecclesiastes describes applying his mind to "seek and to search by wisdom all that is done under the heavens" [2]. This pursuit of wisdom and understanding, though sometimes described as a "grievous task," can lead to valuable discoveries even when the ultimate answers remain elusive [2, 6]. Matthew Henry, commenting on Ecclesiastes, compares this to the search for the philosopher's stone, where the search itself yields other useful insights [6].
Prayer is a primary means of seeking God's guidance [5]. It is commanded and involves addressing God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, always through Christ [5]. God is depicted as hearing and answering prayers [5]. This aligns with the idea that seeking God includes seeking His strength and His face [4].
However, seeking God's guidance is not about expecting God to simply endorse one's own pre-determined decisions. Instead, it involves obedience, submission, and patient waiting for God to lead, provide, and protect [10]. Those who are obedient are guided by God along the "right path of wisdom" [10].
The balance between seeking divine guidance and human decision-making is also evident in situations where matters are "too hard" for human judgment. Deuteronomy 17:8 describes a process where complex legal or controversial issues are brought to a designated place, implying a reliance on higher authority or divine wisdom for resolution [3].
Sources
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Decision — Necessary to the service of God -- Lu 9:62. Exhortations to -- Jos 24:14,15. Exhibited in Seeking God with the heart. -- 2Ch 15:12. Keeping the commandments of God. -- Ne 10:29. Being on the Lord's side. -- Ex 32:26. Following God fully. -- Nu 14:24; 32:12; Jos 14:8. Serving God. -- Isa 56:6. Loving God perfectly. -- De 6:5. Blessedness of. -- Jos 1:7. Opposed to A divided service. -- Mt 6:24. Double-mindedness. -- Jas 1:8. Halting between two opinions. -- 1Ki 18:21. Turning to the right or left. -- De 5:32. Not setting the heart aright. -- Ps 78:8,37. Exe”
- Ecclesiastes “Ecclesiastes 1:13 (LEB) — I applied my mind to seek and to search by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. It is a grievous task God has given to ⌞humans⌟.”
- Deuteronomy “If there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates; then you shall arise, and go up to the place which Yahweh your God chooses. -- Deuteronomy 17:8”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Seeking God — Commanded -- Isa 55:6; Mt 7:7. Includes seeking His Name. -- Ps 83:16. His word. -- Isa 34:16. His face. -- Ps 27:8; 105:4. His strength. -- 1Ch 16:11; Ps 105:4. His commandments. -- 1Ch 28:8; Mal 2:7. His precepts. -- Ps 119:45,94. His kingdom. -- Mt 6:33; Lu 12:31. His righteousness. -- Mt 6:33. Christ. -- Mal 3:1; Lu 2:15,16. Honour which comes from him. -- Joh 5:44. Justification by Christ. -- Ga 2:16,17. The city which God has prepared. -- Heb 11:10,16; 13:14. By prayer -- Job 8:5; Da 9:3. In his house -- De 12:5; Ps 27:4. Should be Immediate. -- H”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Prayer — Commanded -- Isa 55:6; Mt 7:7; Php 4:6. To be offered To God. -- Ps 5:2; Mt 4:10. To Christ. -- Lu 23:42; Ac 7:59. To the Holy Spirit. -- 2Th 3:5. Through Christ. -- Eph 2:18; Heb 10:19. God hears -- Ps 10:17; 65:2. God answers -- Ps 99:6; Isa 58:9. Is described as Bowing the knees. -- Eph 3:14. Looking up. -- Ps 5:3. Lifting up the soul. -- Ps 25:1. Lifting up the heart. -- La 3:41. Pouring out the heart. -- Ps 62:8. Pouring out the soul. -- 1Sa 1:15. Calling upon the name of the Lord. -- Ge 12:8; Ps 116:4; Ac 22:16. Crying to God. -- Ps 27:7; 34:6. Drawing”
- Ecclesiastes (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 9:1: It has been observed concerning those who have pretended to search for the philosophers' stone that, though they could never find what they sought for, yet in the search they have hit upon many other useful discoveries and experiments. Thus Solomon, when, in the close of the foregoing chapter, he applied his heart to know the work of God, and took a great deal of pains to search into it, though he despaired of finding it out, yet he found out that which abundantly recompensed him for the search, and gave him some satisfaction, which he here gives us; for ther”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 119:30: Observe, I. That those who will make anything to purpose of their religion must first make it their serious and deliberate choice; so David did: I have chosen the way of truth. Note, 1. The way of serious godliness is the way of truth; the principles it is founded on are principles of eternal truth, and it is the only true way to happiness. 2. We must choose to walk in this way, not because we know no other way, but because we know no better; nay we know no other safe and good way. Let us choose that way for our way, which we will walk in, though it be narrow. I”
- Jeremiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Jeremiah 6:16: Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see,.... These are the words of the Lord to the people, whom he would have judge for themselves, and not be blindly led by the false prophets and priests; directing them to do what men should, when they are in a place where two or more ways meet, and know not which way to take; they should make a short stop, and look to the way mark or way post, which points whither each path leads, and so accordingly proceed. Now, in religious things, the Scriptures are the way mark to direct us which way we should take: if the inquiry”
- Isaiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Isaiah 55:6: The condition and limit in the obtaining of the spiritual benefits (Isa 55:1-3): (1) Seek the Lord. (2) Seek Him while He is to be found (Isa 65:1; Psa 32:6; Mat 25:1-13; Joh 7:34; Joh 8:21; Co2 6:2; Heb 2:3; Heb 3:13, Heb 3:15). call--casting yourselves wholly on His mercy (Rom 10:13). Stronger than "seek"; so "near" is more positive than "while He may be found" (Rom 10:8-9). near--propitious (Psa 34:18; Psa 145:18).”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 5:8: 5:8 God guides those who are obedient, submissive, and patient in waiting for him to lead, provide, and protect them (27:11; 43:3; 143:10), not those who expect God simply to endorse their own decisions. • Following the right path of wisdom leads to the Lord (27:11; 61:2; 139:24).”