A Prayer for Discernment in Making Important Decisions
By Kristine Brown
Bible Reading
“You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.” - Psalm 73:24, ESV
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I’ve always loved the poem, “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost. The poet paints such a clear picture of what it’s like to stand at the divergence of two roads and wonder which one he should choose. I feel a deep connection with that place he describes each time I read it. Especially the line that says, “And be one traveler, long I stood; And looked down one as far as I could…”
I can relate to the man’s need to look as far as possible down one path and see what awaits him there. Many times in life I’ve stood paralyzed with an important decision, stretching as tall as I can to get a view of each path, hoping to see how things will turn out. I get stuck in the decision-making process, because I don’t have any idea what the outcome will be. I stare at the two roads before me, but I let fear hold me back from choosing one over the other.
Making decisions is a challenge for many of us. When it comes time to make an important decision, we experience things like decision fatigue or analysis paralysis. We want to be confident in the decisions we make, but we struggle to know what to do. We don’t want to make a mistake that could affect our life or someone else’s, so we stay stuck.
Decision-making has long been a challenge for me, too. I’ve felt like I couldn’t make a decision until I had some idea how things would turn out. I would think through every possible outcome, which only resulted in stress, worry, and sleepless nights. Of course, I knew that God was in control of the outcome, but I didn’t focus on that truth. I had to learn to reframe my thoughts about decisions— from everyday choices to the big, important ones. I learned that instead of trying to make better decisions, I needed to focus on becoming a better decision maker with God’s direction.
Psalm 73:24 says, “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.” In this psalm of Asaph, the psalmist wrestled with why the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer. Even though he struggled with understanding, he didn’t hold back his concerns. He cried out to God in his frustration. But then, he sought discernment so that he could gain understanding.
“But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.” (Psalm 73:16-17)
The psalmist knew exactly where to go with his problem. When he didn’t have the answer, he knew God would give him guidance. In the same way, we can know God will guide us through the decisions of this life. He will be with us when we stand at the place where two roads diverge. He will give us discernment to make the decision, no matter how difficult. And in the end, we can have peace in knowing we trusted God with the process and the outcome.
Let’s Pray:
Dear God,
I have an important decision to make, and I don’t know which path to choose. The more I think about the choices in front of me, the more frustrated I become. I feel stuck. Give me fresh discernment as I make this difficult decision. Lord, my struggle with decision-making has become a pattern in my life. I fear making a mistake, so I agonize over what to do. But I know you are right beside me right now, ready to guide me through this decision. I know you want what’s best for me, and you will help me gain understanding of my situation. Give me clarity, direction, and confidence through your Holy Spirit. I want to honor you with whatever I decide. Thank you, God, for helping me become a better decision maker as I seek you for discernment. Thank you for walking this road alongside me and giving me peace.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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For more spiritual growth resources, check out the 5-day email devotional, How to Be Free from Bitterness, by today’s devotion writer, Kristine Brown. Learn more about women in the Bible and find encouragement to help you “become more than yourself through God’s Word” at Kristine’s website, morethanyourself.com.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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