The Bible: Indispensable guide for making decisions
A Christian Science perspective: Inspiration to help guide us to make the right decision.
Opinions abound regarding virtually every topical subject in the news, not to mention the US presidential election. Amid conflicting viewpoints, how can we decide what’s best for ourselves, our countries, and our world?
These Bible verses have helped me gain clarity of thought: “In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort” (Psalms 71:1-3).
This passage reveals God as the source of all righteousness and intelligence. Because God is infinite, this points us to the truth that there is but one intelligence, which is unified and harmonious. God created all His children, inseparable from Him: All of us are made to continually express His intelligence. We can prove this when we turn to Him for guidance. The Scriptures are full of assurances and examples of our innate ability to do what’s right and just for all.
Take for example the story of King Solomon, who prayed for an understanding heart to judge the people – to be able to discern between right and wrong (see I Kings 3:5-12). Solomon’s devotion to God enabled him to do just that. For example, in his adjudication of a particular dispute, he was faced with one woman’s word against another. Solomon found an inspired way to expose which one of them was telling the truth (see I Kings 3:16-28). His wisdom and fairness came to be renowned and respected throughout the kingdom.
And Christ Jesus’ constant reliance on God enabled him to know how to handle each situation with grace and authority. Christ Jesus’ example and teachings in the Bible guide us, provide clarity, and give us practical insight for any situation – even today.
In my own life, I had a career-altering decision to make. Initially, I sought advice from others to weigh the pros and cons, but this human reasoning seemed to lead nowhere except to further confusion.
So I turned to my Bible to gain a sense of clarity. In addition to the passage above from Psalms, I prayed deeply with another Bible passage: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). God constantly imparts His infinite wisdom to His children. We can turn to God for the necessary spiritual intuition to feel and know what needs to be revealed to us. These verses reassured me that, just as God directed King Solomon and Christ Jesus, He would guide and direct me.
Seeking input from advisors as I had done is certainly a reasonable thing to do. But knowing the way to proceed requires taking a step back to see the broader view – the spiritual view – which God reveals to us through prayer. The wonderful thing about seeking that broader view is that God’s perspective is always impartial – free from personality and human opinion. God loves and blesses all His children equally, so leaning on divine Mind enables us to reach conclusions that embrace and benefit everyone.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, wrote: “God has endowed man with inalienable rights, among which are self-government, reason, and conscience. Man is properly self-governed only when he is guided rightly and governed by his Maker, divine Truth and Love” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 106). Making good decisions requires thinking independently and creatively, guided not by politics and polls, but by our God-given ability to discern what’s right and just. Solutions that come from the wisdom of divine Mind may sometimes seem surprising, but they never fail to bring blessings.
As I continued praying about my decision, an approach occurred to me that was completely different from anything I had considered. I immediately recognized this unconventional approach as the right solution, and I thanked God for enabling me to discern this intelligent insight. It took considerable effort and deeper prayer to execute the plan, but it proved to be right in every way. It eventually brought even broader benefits than I could have foreseen, which blessed not just me and my department, but the whole organization.
Men and women in the Bible demonstrated thousands of years ago that turning to God for guidance in making decisions results in the greatest good. How wonderful that we can still do that today.