Decisions, everyday, everyone of us have decisions to make. Some small and some seem insurmountable when trying to determine the right move to make and when. We have work decisions, family decisions, financial decisions, personal decisions and God wants us to bring those questions to Him. Not just once, but every time we are presented with a decision to make. Do you ask God before you make a decision?
In 2 Samuel we see the Philistines chasing after King David and David ask God “What should I do?” 2 Samuel 5:18-19 Now the Philistines had arrived and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. 19 So David asked the Lord, “Should I march up against the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord said to David, “March up, for I will indeed hand the Philistines over to you.” We see the first thing King David did when he needed to make a decision – go to God for the answer.
How many decisions do you have to make this week? As I sit here this evening, I find myself with a multitude of decisions to make. Some I have asked God to guide me to make the right decisions, others I have not. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God’s help. Now you’re in trouble-one round of war after another. So why don’t we go to Him for every decision?
Now let’s look just a little further in 2 Samuel 5 and see that David did what God told him to do and he defeated the Philistine army. 2 Samuel 5:20 So David marched against Baal Perazim and defeated them there. Then he said, “The Lord has burst out against my enemies like waters burst out.” So he called the name of that place Baal Perzim. Then we will see David confronted with the same situation again, starting in verse 22 The Philistines again came up and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. 23 So David asked the Lord what he should do. This time the Lord said to him, “Don’t march straight up. Instead, circle behind them and come against them opposite the trees. 24 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, act decisively. For at that moment the Lord is going before you to strike down the army of the Philistines. 25 David did just as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines from Gibeon all the way to Gezar.
David was faced with the same decision to make. How many times are we faced with the same decision and we merely make the assumption, God told us to handle it this way before so let’s do it again. If David had made that assumption, he would have gone up straight at the Philistines and may have been defeated. But instead, He asked God, “what should I do?”
So how long do you wait for God to give you an answer before you just handle it yourself? Do you wait on Him, or give Him a deadline to give you an answer? Those were hard questions for me to ask myself!! If you are a follower of Christ, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you to guide you in making decisions. How many times do you find yourself on your knees asking God, “what should I do?” In James, scripture says But if any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt. For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. God will give you wisdom, He will show you what to do, but you must ask believing that He will give you His answer. It might not be your answer on your timeline, but He will answer.
