The (hopefully fictional) story is told of the man who was seeking God’s will for his life. With all good intentions, he decided to open the Bible randomly and follow whatever instruction he found there. Closing his eyes, he allowed his Bible to fall open and placed his finger on the page. When he opened his eyes, he read, “And Judas went out and hanged himself.” Eyes bulging with fear, he tried again, and this time his finger landed on the verse, “Go and do thou likewise.” Trembling, he tried yet once more. “What thou doest, do quickly.”
This method of randomly opening the Scripture has been employed through the years by many well-meaning Christians. Unfortunately, when making a decision, it is not the best method of allowing the Word of God to guide you.
Used properly, the Bible is indeed a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). It can and ought to be a help in governing what we do. So, what are some correct methods for letting the Word of God shine light on our pathway?
(1) Start with clear commands in Scripture.
If you are single, for example, and wondering if a certain person is God’s will for your life, you must be guided by the command in 2 Corinthians 6:14: Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Widows considering remarriage should consider Paul’s injunction in 1 Corinthians 7:39 to marry only in the Lord.
If you want to know whether you should pay taxes, read Romans 13:7.
Pondering if it is acceptable to grouch your way through trials? Apply James 1:2.
Where God gives a clear command, the decision is already made for you. It is always God’s will that we do His will, and His will always coincides with what He has revealed in His Word!
(2) Study passages that relate specifically to your decision or circumstance.
Need advice on disciplining your children? Study passages in Proverbs such as the following: 3:12; 13:24; 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; 29:15, 17.
Is your spending out of control? Again, head to Proverbs with a colored pencil or highlighter and mark all those verses that relate to wealth, work, and business. Filling your mind with these passages will provide a chiropractic-like adjustment of your spending habits and even your financial priorities.
If you are newly married and want to find out how to be a virtuous wife, you can turn to Proverbs 31: 10-31. A new husband should memorize Ephesians 5:25-33 and 1 Peter 3:7. A pastor concerned about the growth and unity of his church should take his cues from Ephesians 4:1-16.
Of course, mere study is not enough. As we study what the Bible says about our decisions, we need to remember James’ wise words of counsel: Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (1:22).
(3) Reflect on biblical principles found in Scripture.
Perhaps there is no clear command and you can't think of a single passage that relates specifically to your circumstances. Are there any general principles in Scripture that would relate to your dilemma?
I have found the following six principles in 1 Corinthians to be extremely probing when making decisions. I’ll state them as questions:
- Does it injure or impair my body’s function as God’s Temple? (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
- Is it truly beneficial for my Christian life? (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23)
- Will it build me (or those around me) up spiritually? (1 Corinthians 10:23)
- Does it give others the right opinion of my God? (1 Corinthians 10:31)
- Will it be a stumbling block to other believers? (1 Corinthians 8:13)
- Is it addicting or all-consuming? (1 Corinthians 6:12)
These six questions have wide-ranging application—from sexual purity to what we eat. They also reflect the spirit of a more mature believer. In choosing things that are helpful, God-glorifying, non-addicting, and edifying, Paul is admitting that there are other options available to him. All things are lawful for me. Yet even among these kinds of things, Paul is arguing that a mature believer will not just indulge because “after all, there’s no chapter and verse” to govern me. As a believer there are some things one could do that one should not do.
(4) Look for biblical examples of people in life circumstances that are similar to yours.
You will find committed Christian men who had serious disagreements (Paul and Barnabas), women who could not have children (Hannah and Elizabeth), wives whose husbands put them in difficult situations (Sarah and Michal), teenagers torn from their families and thrust into foreign settings (Joseph and Daniel), leaders who sinned greatly (King Saul, King David, and Peter), men called upon to exercise great faith in God (Abraham), and believers thrust into severe trials for reasons beyond their realm of experience or understanding (Job).
As you study these people’s lives in Scripture, do not merely focus on their responses. Bring God into the picture. What was God teaching that person? What was God revealing about Himself? Our goal is not to mimic morals but to better understand the God who oversaw their circumstances and is superintending yours.
(5) Contemplate what God is teaching you in your personal devotional time.
God is so absolutely and completely sovereign that He even guides and works through where we are currently reading in our devotional time. When you are praying over a decision or facing a certain crisis, many times He will lead you (at least in part) through what He is teaching you in your personal time with Him. My wife could tell you about how the Lord neon-highlighted Psalm 18:30 the day before her first (of five) C-sections. I could take you to Genesis 26, where God ministered a much-needed truth to me before we spent a summer in Cambodia, or to Psalm 20:4-5, which provided assurance that God had heard my prayers. All these examples were from our regular reading of Scripture.
A key takeaway from these five ways to light our paths with Scripture is that the Bible is alive (Hebrews 4:12). It is powerful. It is piercing. It is discerning. It speaks. It is still God’s mouth.[i]
[i] Sinclair B. Ferguson, From the Mouth of God: Trusting, Reading, and Applying the Bible (Banner of Truth Trust, 2014), p. ix.
This series is adapted from my book Planning Your Life God's Way.