Drawing a “Circle” in the Sand
A typical morning conversation with myself:
“What shoes am I going to wear?” [I look in the closet] “Hmmmmmm. Siri? What’s today’s weather?”
“Current temperature is 35 degrees.”
“Probably not sandals, then. Siri? Is it going to get warmer later?”
“Today’s high is 65 degree.”
“Typical Colorado weather. I know! Sandals with the socks!”
We make numerous decisions daily - some big, some small. Most of them are made without much effort. Mainly because we have made similar decisions many times before. There are times when we are faced with such a difficult decision that we don’t know what to do. Normally at this point we reach out to God in prayer to ask Him for His Will.
Where do we draw the “Line in the Sand”? At what point do we determine that we can no longer make the decision on our own and we seek God? How can we even know God’s Will? How does He reveal it to us? After I read the book, Decision Making and the Will of God, By Garry Friesen*, I came to the conclusion that maybe there is no line.
What I learned was that God had already shown us His Will for every decision we make in our life in HIs Word. When people look for God’s Will in the Bible, a common place to go is in the Book of Judges, Chapter6, the story of Gideon and the Fleece.
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian;s hand. Am I not sending you?”
Later in that same chapter:
37 “Look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.”
Even after God does as he’s asked, Gideon then asks God to do it the opposite way - dry fleece and wet ground. God does it. Since God had already shown His Will to Gideon in verse 14, this isn’t about God revealing His Will, but rather, a confirmation of it. In other words, Gideon lacked confidence in following God’s Will, and basically was asking God, “Are you sure? Are you really sure?!”
God not only showed His Will to Gideon, beforehand, but also, that He has already shown His Will to us, in HIs Word, for every decision we will make. True, you won’t find a passage in the Bible where God calls you by name and tells you specifically what you should do for a particular situation, but what you will find is what Garry Friesen calls, “Moral Will”. This Moral Will can be applied to your specific situation. Garry Friesen explains it this way, “The Moral Will of God is fully revealed in the Bible. One hundred percent of what God wants us to know about believing and living to please Him he has already told us. The Bible is our final and complete authority for faith and practice.”
Another aspect of decision making that Garry Friesen discusses is the Principle of Freedom. He describes it this way, “This Principle asserts three things:
There are some decisions which have multiple options, any number of which may be acceptable to God:
The final decision made must not be in violation of God’s moral will (in purpose, attitude, or execution); and
God will not dictate to the believer what he must do - the individual is free to make the decision.”
The following diagram illustrates how the two work together:
Another component of decision making is the Principle of Wisdom. Friesen defines wisdom as, “The ability to recognize what is spiritually profitable in a given situation.” Where do we get this wisdom? God supplies that too! “If any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5).
The final aspect of God’s Will is called God’s Sovereign Will. God’s Sovereign Will can be defined as God’s secret plan that determines everything that happens in the universe. It is certain, and it will be fulfilled. In other words, if God wants it to happen, it will happen. God wanted to establish the Nation of Israel. God wanted to send His Son to Earth as a baby. God wanted His Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for sin. Despite the attempts of worldly and heavenly rulers to try to prevent these events from occurring, they happened, because they were part of God’s Sovereign Will.
Let’s apply it to something many people seek God about - “Are they the one?”
Is there a moral aspect about who we should choose as a spouse? Although not exclusively about marriage, 2 Corinthians 6:14 applies, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers ...” Differing world views can cause decision-making even more difficult. Also, marriage is designed for life, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mark 10:9).
How does finding a spouse fall into the area of freedom? Nowhere in the Bible is there any limitations given to who someone marries based on race, color, height, width, etc. In fact, there are couples in the Bible that have varied backgrounds - Ruth and Boaz, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and Moses and Zipporah are just a few examples.
How can we choose a spouse wisely? First of all, don’t be in a rush! “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phillipians 4:6). Although this verse applies to more than just marriage, a rash decision can have long term consequences.
Except for a few exceptions, which would fall in the category of God’s Sovereign Will, the Bible doesn’t refer to, “The One”. Some of those exceptions are: Joseph and Mary, and Hosea and Gomer. The better question is not if the other person is, “The One”, but rather are we, “The One”? Like Ephesians 5:33 says, “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
Now let’s pull everything together: 1) Seek someone who is of like faith, and that is willing to make a lifetime commitment; 2) Don’t look for “The one”; you be “The One”; and 3) Don’t rush! Other than that, we have freedom to choose our spouse without the constraints such as race, color, and etc.
In conclusion, God’s Will has already been revealed to us in HIs Word. Therefore, we need to be familiar with it to be able to apply it to our lives. We also need to relax in the thought that we have certain freedom in the decisions that we make - as long as they fall within God’s Moral Will. God has not drawn a line in the sand dividing what we should and should not do, but rather a circle of freedom which helps to remove stress and disappointment from our decision-making process. : )
* I recommend this book, but it is a fairly thick book. So, if you’d prefer something shorter, there is a free PDF that summarizes what he shares in his book. Here is the link to the PDF - https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/Principles%20for%20Decision%20 Making%20-%20Garry%20Friesen%20and%20J.%20Robin%20Maxson,pdf
