“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called his disciples to Himself and from them He chose twelve whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Phillip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became His traitor.” (Luke 6:12-16, NKJV)
Do you have any important decisions you need to make right now? Do you think you may have some important decisions to make in the future? I am pretty sure the answer is yes to one of those questions. It is just as important how you go about making those decisions as it is what decision you will make. God wants to be involved with you to help you during this important time of your life. How you execute this process and the decisions you make says a lot about what you believe about God and His Son Jesus. Bob Sorge in his book, Secrets of the Secret Place, has these awesome thoughts abouts how you and I can allow the Creator of the Universe to help us make not only a good decision, but the best decision!
“When making major decisions, Jesus showed us how by going to the secret place. For example, when it was time to appoint the twelve apostles, those choices were so important–historic in implications–that He got alone with His Father in prayer.
Even the choice of Judas, His betrayer, was bathed in prayer. In fact, the selection of Judas was especially bathed in prayer because he knew that choice would culminate in his horrific destruction. Such a weighty decision necessitated a nightlong of solitary prayer.
Disciples of Jesus make important decisions from that same place of intimate prayer. Your loving Father is deeply invested in all your affairs and He wants to help in all your decision making. He said so here:
‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.’ (Psalm 32:8-9)
Notice the final phrase, ‘Else they will not come near you.’ The horse and the mule must be harnessed with a bit and bridle if you’re going to get them close. They won’t draw near volitionally. The passage describes divine guidance received from a place of relational closeness. The Lord is saying, I don’t want to yank you and jerk you around in order to get you on course. I want you to draw close–real close–so I can direct your steps in the context of an enjoyable relationship.
The Lord says the horse and the mule have no understanding, and that’s why they don’t come near. They don’t understand, for starters, that proximity to the Master is wisdom. An unharnessed horse is likely to charge ahead of its master; an unharnessed mule is likely to drag behind. Either mode makes their energies counter-productive to the master.
Some people are mulish. They just don’t get it. They pull away foolishly from their source of life and care. It hasn’t penetrated their thick skulls that the smartest place in the universe is right next to Him. The wisest thing you'll ever do is draw close to God and lean on Him with all your heart.
As you pursue this proximity, you’ll begin to unlock the greatest secrets of life. Here He guides with an eye that sees everything from beginning to end. Sometimes we make lif choices based on our analysis of all the pros and cons, but there is a better way.Instead of looking outward, we’re invited to look upward. What an adventure–to receive life direction by beholding His beauty, enjoying His company, and receiving the guidance of His gaze. Consider the vantage His throne gives Him. His eyes miss nothing! Gaze on His mouth until He speaks to you. Look into His eye until He shows you the way to walk.
Those who make decisions based on observable data become thermometers of society; but those who decide based on what they see in God become thermostats of society. They shape their world by bringing heavenly initiatives to earthly spheres.
Intimacy precedes insight. Passion precedes purpose; First comes the secret place, then comes divine guidance. God doesn’t simply want to get you on the right path, He wants to enjoy you in the journey. When some folks know His will, they’re finished with prayer and take off running. But He wants to keep the conversation going during the mission. He wants to know you and be known.
Again, pursuing an intimate relationship with God in the secret place is the smartest thing you’ll do. You’ll discover your destiny in life and you'll come to know Him. So stop right here. No need to read the next chapter just yet. Set this book down and find a quiet corner with your Friend. Talk to Him about the options in front of you. He wants you to make this decision together. Get close and catch His eye! (Secrets of the Secret Place, by Bob Sorge, pp.37-39)
PRAY:
Lord, I come before You to humbly praise You and thank You for being such a loving andl wise God that created me in Your image and wants to have fellowship with me right now.
Help me to be faithful to set some time apart with You every day in a secret place so that I can get to know You better and share with You my dreams, my needs, and my love for You.
Teach me to always make my decisions with Your help so that You can point me in the right direction and that my decisions will not only be best for me and my family but will bring Glory to Your Holy Name, a “name which is above all names."
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