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"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."
(James 1:15)
What's the biggest decision you've ever had to make? Mine is probably deciding to leave my job, my friends, my family, and my country to move to Germany with my husband. I prayed and prayed about that decision so much because it was not my original plan. I knew it would change everything for me, so it wasn't a decision I was going to leave the Lord out of! But what about smaller decisions? Are you as quick to submit those decisions to the Lord as well? What does it mean to have Jesus at the center of my decisions?
Keeping Jesus at the center of your decisions looks like holding all of your plans with an open hand and a willing heart for the Lord to change any of your plans if it brings Him more glory. Indeed, Jesus at the center of my decisions is motivated by that goal: the glory of God. Over what is easy, or comfortable, or serves self the most, the glory of God is a far greater and more important goal than all others combined.
What does it look like when something else takes the place as the center of our decisions? We become easily swayed by what is easy over what is right. We are likely to be led by fear or other emotions over the will of God. We will look to our own interests before the interests of others.
Have you ever made a decision and then asked God to bless it? The heart with Christ at the center consults the Lord about the decision first. Sometimes, the Lord doesn't give a clear answer one way or the other, and I do believe that the Lord often allows us to choose between two good things, though He always knows what the outcome will be. But when we stop to pray and consult the wisdom and will of God before we make decisions, we are submitting our hearts and our wills to the will of God. I am reminded of the words of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane: "Not My will, but Yours be done."
I am also reminded of a teaching from the book of James:
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'"
(James 4:13-15)
The arrogant heart makes decisions without considering the will of the Lord. The heart with Christ at the center keeps His will and His glory at the forefront. I've made it a habit to audibly say "Lord willing" when I speak of decisions I have made to teach my heart that though I make plans, even through prayer, I am not infallible and must always hold those decisions with an open hand.
The best way to ensure that we keep Christ at the center of our decisions is to walk closely with Him, seeking His presence through the Scriptures and through prayer, not just when a decision needs to be made, but after one has been made as well, holding it with an open hand trusting God if He chooses to redirect. May we always be ready to be redirected by God. As German pastor during World War II, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, once said, "We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God."
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