3. Pray for wisdom and discernment

Thankfully, we all have some baseline for practical discernment. We make decisions every day without worrying about the eternal implications. But there are times when we want to draw upon God’s wisdom in our lives. James tells us that all we need to do is pray for it.

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. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:5-6).

It’s James’ conviction that God is so committed to filling us with wisdom that all we need to do is ask for it. And when you ask God for wisdom, you can trust that He’s going to give it to you. That’s quite a promise.

Seeking wisdom from God doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be getting more input from others. It’s still necessary to see things from others’ perspectives, but wisdom makes a big difference when the time comes to make the actual decision.

Erick Bouwmeester