“God’s Antidote to Indecision”
He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3)
In this life we will have stress. There are many, many things that cause us stress in this life. The question is, “How are we going to deal with the stress that we have to deal with in our life?”
How do you deal with the stress in your life?There are a lot of different ways to deal with stress. How about…taking a few deep breaths, or…closing your eyes, picturing yourself near a stream, birds chirping in the crisp mountain air, no one knows “your” secret place, your in total seclusion from the hectic place called “the world.” The soothing sound of the waterfall fills the air with a cascade of serenity, the water is clear, you can clearly make out the face of the person your holding under water…There now, do you feel better? Probably not. The point id, there are many ways you and I, as human beings, attempt to deal with and sooth the stress that we have so often in our lives. But all our human attempts are going to fail. All of them are going to want us desiring another deep breath, another vacation, another experience of paradise to try to ease the troubles and sooth all the stress that we deal with in our lives.
The real antidote is found in the six verses of Psalm 23, where we have an incredible picture of who God is and how He wants to interact in our lives. If we will allow these words to be eternalized and truly live out what God is sharing with us through these words, He truly gives us the antidote to dealing with stress.
God did not intent us to live at such a neck break pace!So many people think, “I am somebody because of all the things I have to do, the longer my to do list is the more important I am.” Then we race and race and become so busy to the point of exhaustion, fatigue and illness.
That is NOT where we find value, in self-esteem or in busyness. God wants to lead us beside still waters, He wants to make us lie down in green pastures, to give us rest, to restore our soul. God wants to heal all our damaged emotions. The guilt, grief and grudges we often go through in this life.
Life is a series of choices. Success is basically a matter of making wise decisions. We make our decisions, then our decisions make us, because every decision has a consequence ~ foolish or wise, good or bad.
He guides me…what does that mean? It means He wants to guide us on the right path. In the path He intended for us to live. The right path that He predestined, choose for us to live so we would have a good life and a right relationship with Him. The Lord is our Shepherd and our Guide. He keeps us on track. Because it is so easy for you and I to get off track, He wants to guide us.
Where do you turn when needing to make an important decision?There are three approaches we use in decision making.
1) The emotional approach ~ I want to “feel,” I want to have an emotion, go through some ceremony in order to “feel” right. There is a way which seems right to man, but its end is the way of death (Proverbs 14:12). At times emotions will take us down the wrong path. We cannot trust our emotions to lead us down the right path in our life.
2) The formula approach ~ a recipe. Give me a formula, a book, I’ll read the book, I’ll follow the self-help steps and I’ll be able to derive at the right conclusion…NOT! If self-help books worked, they wouldn’t have to keep writing them.
3) The mystical or magical approach ~ The, look for a sign, just show me a sign, something to help me know that the decision I’m about to make is the right one…looking to astrology, stars, horoscopes, fortune cookies, whatever, for a “sign.”
Of all the ways we have come up with to find peace in our heart in the midst of all the stress and decisions we have to make, getting guidance from God is the antidote.
If we are going to allow His guidance, we have to…
1) Admit we need a guide. We want to believe we have everything under control…All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned, every one, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6). Like that ole song, “I did it my way…”
Folks, our vision is limited. Good and upright is the Lord, therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way (Psalm 25:8-9).
2) Ask in faith for direction. Lots of things distract us into “believing” that we have the right point of view and yet we miss the whole point. Many think that they don’t need to bother God, thinking he wouldn’t be concerned with it and that they can deal with it. We’ll ask for the help (direction) of a man, but we won’t ask God to give us the directions that we need?
We major on the minors. We need God’s perspective. Ask, expecting! Ask in faith expecting the right Person’s guidance. True faith is dependant upon the Person who sent the truth and wants to give that truth to you and me if we ask “in Faith. Wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view. Ask Him to give you His point of view because we are overwhelmed by different points of view in this world.
3) Listen for God’s response. The issue isn’t, is God speaking to us, the issue is, are we listening? How many of us
really “listen” for God’s response, knowing He is going to speak to us and then give Him the time of day to speak to us?
Is there a way to tune in to God so we can hear His voice? YES…His word. It is
intended to guide us on this path of life, the right path, and if it just sits on a shelf collecting dust, it’s no wonder we are stressed out!
God also speaks through teachers; Pastors, Sunday School teachers, Bible study
Leaders, godly brothers and sisters, and even through us. He speaks through impressions, circumstances, or pain.
It is said that, God whispers to us in the good times and shouts to us in our pain
because we are more willing to listen in our pain, willing to stop and allow Him to speak to us when we are hurting. For God may speak in one way or another, yet man does not perceive it (Job 33:14).
4) Trust God when we don’t understand. Even when things don’t make sense, the not knowing, the misunderstandings, the “why’s.” Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths (Prov. 3:5-6). God sees ways we don’t see, He sees paths we don’t see. Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known (Psalm 77:19). God has ways of deliverance, of solving our problems and getting us through those things that overcome us that we cannot see. We think they are roadblocks, an obstacle. Move in faith, trust God even when you don’t see a way. He will make a way where there seems to be no way! The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines even brighter unto the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18).
God’s way is the best…not the easiest. The path of righteousness is not an easy path. We are going to have struggles, but the Shepherd will never leave you. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds him with His hand (Psalm 37:23-24). Even when we stumble He delights in us…it is those times we are usually willing to listen.
What seems like a wall, is really a door. God knows what is best for us. We don’t see what He sees. He sees the future, the end results, and we can’t. All the “why’s” we ask now will one day be clear in the light of God’s love. In the meantime, lean not on your own understanding and trust God.
We have a society that is breaking down because we are not following the right path. The path of righteousness is the road to recovery. God is the good Shepherd, the great Redeemer who restores. He takes what is broken, old and used and makes it new.
Who’s path are you following in your life? God’s path of righteousness or your path?
