God doesn’t whisper

Christians want to honor God in their decisions. Of course, followers of Christ must willingly admit, that isn’t always the case; because we sometimes rebel against God’s Word and do our own thing. But overall, the desire of the born-again believer is to act according to God’s will for us. And that includes, doing what pleases Him in our daily decisions. The problem that arises is that it isn’t always easy to know exactly what God would have us do in every given situation! 

The ever-reliable “Dr. Google” says that the average person makes somewhere between 33,000 and 35,000 decisions every single day. If the Christian stopped to pray about each of those options, they’d never get anything accomplished! Granted, many of the decisions we make are (seemingly) inconsequential. For example: “should I shave this morning or not? Which shirt or blouse should I wear today? What do I want for breakfast? Should I change lanes now, or wait till after the light? Where should I park?” Etc, etc.  

Other decisions that we make each day carry more weight. “Should I go to work even though I don’t want to? Should I read my Bible this morning? How much time do I need to get the kids up, dressed, and to school on time? Should I keep this doctor appointment or cancel? Do I pay these bills or not?” While these are not necessarily life and death decisions, they are a few examples of the important choices we make every day. 

There are also of course, major decisions of life. “Who should I marry? Should I attend college, and if so, where? Which house should we buy? Which career should I choose? Should I take this promotion at work?”

These are obviously far more significant decisions than, “Which color socks should I wear today? Or what flavor of coffee creamer do I want this morning?” 

But as stated above, since Christians want to honor God in their decisions, which of these choices should we pray about? All of them? Some of them? Or, only the big stuff? How do we know what the big stuff really is? Seriously, how do we know? Maybe I was supposed to park at certain place this morning because it would lead to conversation with someone who needed Christian counsel? Maybe you were supposed to wear a certain color shirt that would spark a discussion with a similarly dressed co-worker about something eternally important? Perhaps you should have chosen McDonald’s and not Chick-Fil-A, just so you’d bump into someone who needed to hear about Jesus? 

My point being, how do we know what the big stuff is versus the little stuff? The truth is, we don’t. So, are we dishonoring God by not praying about every turn we make? Every option we reject? Are we expected to pray and seek God’s perfect will about every single decision? Regardless of how insignificant it may seem? 

Let me restate my opening sentence: Christians want to honor God in their decisions. Does that mean there is only one God-honoring option for all 35,000 decisions we will make today … and somehow, I am required to figure out what exactly what each one is? 

I am challenging you with these questions because these are things I personally wrestled with for years. I am far from a perfect example of Christianity, but like other believers, I want to honor God in my actions and decisions. However, I found the weight of this whole line of thinking simply unbearable. After all, how are we supposed to know, with absolute certainty, what the perfect will of God is in every single situation? That is an honest question that merits an honest answer.  

As a confessing follower of Christ, are we supposed to be so in sync with the Holy Spirit that we yield to His divine leadership in every minute matter of life? I mean, is God truly concerned with which toothpaste I use? Whether I tie my right shoe before my left shoe? Do I need to pray and ask God whether to feed the cat first or the dog? Or which brand of hot dog chili to buy? Is there only one perfect car I should buy, and if I buy something else I am grieving the Holy Spirit and being disobedient to God? If I order Coke instead of Pepsi – am I outside God’s perfect will for my life? And again, how do I know the big stuff from the little stuff? Am I missing a Gospel opportunity if I go down this aisle at the grocery store rather than another? And further still, how am I supposed to discern God’s divine leadership in these matters? Did God reveal His will in some form or fashion and I missed it?!

These are the kind of questions that plagued my Christian journey for many years. While it is right to try and please God in our decision making … this way of thinking leads to fear, bondage, and tyranny. And isn’t from God at all. In fact, trying to serve Jesus this way is a burden none can bear. It took me years to realize this, which makes me wonder if some of you haven’t also struggled with these same difficulties. 

Thankfully, I was introduced to a book that was incredibly helpful. The book is entitled, “God Doesn’t Whisper.” While the author (Jim Osman) addresses much more than just the concerns in this article, his writing helped me to see I had placed myself under a weight that God does not require of His children. This book was one of the most freeing and liberating books I have ever read! I am not suggesting the book is perfect, there is only one perfect book, and it wasn’t written by Jim Osman. However, “God Doesn’t Whisper” is a profitable read that I have encouraged many others to dive into. 

This weekend, our church is having a special meeting with the author of this book. If you are looking for answers to some of the issues raised in this article, please join us Friday, September 12 at 7:00pm and/or Saturday, September 13 at 10:00am at Memorial Heights Baptist Church. My desire is that Christians rightly serve God while enjoying the liberties He has given, and not position themselves under impossible, self-imposed pseudo-spiritual expectations.