When You're Overthinking Every Decision - Your Nightly Prayer - September 10

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When You're Overthinking Every Decision
Your Nightly Prayer
by Jennifer Slattery

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." -  Proverbs 3:5

SOMETHING TO PONDER

When faced with important decisions, I’m prone to procrastinate for fear of making the wrong decision. Because I longed to honor God with my choices, I also spent way too much time waiting for that “special word” delivered with such clarity that it would leave no room for doubt. But while I have received numerous instructions over the years, some of my greatest blessings and opportunities came from God quietly working behind the scenes of my life to lovingly nudge me, step by step, further on the path He forged for me. 

When it feels like the Lord meets my requests for guidance with silence, I find comfort in the fact that His ability to lead me is even greater than my ability to hear Him. I’m reminded of David, ancient Israel’s second king’s words in Psalm 139. In verses 9-10, he wrote, 

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

Even in the most remote and unlikely place in which we find ourselves, still there, He guides us, and He holds us fast, secure. And verse 16 states, 

"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

God knew where we’d be at each moment, and He knows where we’ll land tomorrow. He doesn’t play mind games, twenty questions, or force us to work through a bunch of complicated riddles. 

He’s not watching over us with arms crossed, thinking, “Ha! You really blew that one. Failure.” He’s a patient, attentive and loving Father who wants what’s best for His children. He’s more concerned with the condition of our hearts and our desire to honor Him than He is with every choice we make. I’ve also found, when leading us toward a specific decision, say to pray with a neighbor, send money to a missionary, or serve in a particular ministry, He tends to repeat Himself as often as necessary until we understand. 

What’s more, as we grow closer to Him and do our part to prioritize our relationship with Him, He’ll increase our spiritual sensitivity and will teach us to recognize His voice. Jesus promised, in John 10, that we, His sheep, would hear His voice, and that we’d run from a stranger—anyone or anything that attempts to pull us from Him. That’s not to say we can’t deceive ourselves. But in my experience and from what I read in Scripture, that involves a deliberate choice, a determined closing of the ears, so to speak, and usually, motivated by sin. 

Cooperate with Him in that process by recognizing and acknowledging the foolishness of human logic. Our perspective is limited and often clouded by insecurity, self-deception, and sin. Our wisest response in every situation, then, is to turn from our “understanding” and to trust, instead, in His as revealed in Scripture, through a sermon, song on the radio, or a Christ-following friend. But again, realizing that, even if we “get it wrong,” so long as we want to honor and obey Him, He will orchestrate our steps. As Proverbs 19:21 states, "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails."

We can rebel against His will. We can deny His voice. We can consciously choose the path we know in our souls He never intended. But all who truly want to follow Him can trust Him to lead, day by day, decision by decision. Because His heart is for us, and He longs for us to thrive.  

He invites us to cooperate with Him by continually turning our hearts toward Him. Let’s do that now.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Father,
Thank you for how faithfully you care for us, your children. Throughout Scripture, you’ve promised to lead, guide, and transform us through the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. You see every decision we must make and understand how heavy each one feels. You also know how much we long to live in a way that pleases you. We know and trust that that desire comes from You and is, in fact, evidence of Your involvement in our lives. You will never leave us, forsake us, or abandon us to faulty thinking. Instead, you bring clarity to our confusion, peace to our inner angst, truth to our deception, and the joy of an ever-deepening relationship with you. Remove our deception, close our ears to the lies of the enemy, and draw us to Your unchanging, life-giving truth. In seasons when You appear silent, remind us of Your faithfulness, and help us to trust Your heart.
In Jesus’ Name we pray, amen. 

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. God has good plans for you.

2. He holds no favorites. This means the same God who faithfully led the heroes of our faith will lead us just as faithfully.

3. The Lord takes joy in lavishing His grace upon us that we might live abundant, flourishing lives.  

Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Josh Hild

Jennifer Slattery is a writer and speaker who co-hosts the Faith Over Fear podcast and, along with a team of 6, the Your Daily Bible Verse podcast. She’s addressed women’s groups, Bible studies, and taught at writers conferences across the nation. She’s the author of Building a Family and numerous other titles and maintains a devotional blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com.

She’s passionate about helping people experience Christ’s freedom in all areas of their lives. Visit her online to learn more about her speaking or to book her for your next women’s event, and sign up for her free quarterly newsletter HERE and make sure to connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and GodTube.

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