I Need a Prophet!

A couple of years ago, my husband and I decided to take the plunge and make some changes to our house. We’d been talking about remodeling pretty much since we moved in over a decade ago.

The idea of moving was not really a consideration. First of all, the view from our back porch could be a brochure for a vacation home. Second, the sentimental mother in me can look across the lake and see the mountain where my son and his bride got married. And finally, and most importantly, we are just too dang lazy to pack up a house.

A lot of the big decisions had to be made—what we could afford, what needed to be changed, what would stay the same—but the seemingly endless options involving flooring, colors, hardware, lighting, appliances, partridges, pear trees, bright copper kettles, and whiskers on kittens were overwhelming.

We realized that we were likely in our “forever home,” so the details were magnified, at least in my mind. Individually, each decision seemed fairly insignificant, but when I have to make a lot of decisions quickly, I quickly transfer into deer in the headlights mode and I don’t always make the best choices.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites consulted their prophets about big decisions. Additionally, the High Priest carried gemstones known as the Urim and Thummim to help determine God’s will in some situations. The exact manner in which the Urim and Thummim were used is not clear, but the “rules” may have been akin to flipping a coin. If only there were prophets and gemstones to help us with the decisions that we make these days!

In Philippians 4:6-7, we are told “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand….”

The praying part and the thanking God for what He has done are both easy enough, but does God really care about tile color in my bathroom or whether the fixtures should be stainless or brushed nickel?

Additionally, we’re not supposed to worry? How does that work? If we don’t agonize over the decisions, how will anything get done? Do we just give up and quit trying?

No! God helps those who help themselves, right? (Contrary to popular opinion, that’s not a Bible verse.) But even though it’s not Biblical, it’s still good advice. Just ask Sophocles: “Heaven ne’er helps the men who will not act.”

When we’re faced with problems, large or small (even something as insignificant as backsplash patterns), God tells us to pray about them and then TRUST that He’s got us covered.

We’ll be entering the season of Lent in a couple of weeks. Some of us choose to “give up” something for Lent, with the idea being that every time we think about what we’re “giving up,” we take that as a cue to put God in the center of our lives. Maybe, this year during Lent, we could try to give up worrying. Instead, let’s pray over our problems and decisions, and then let’s turn them over to God.

I will try to practice what I’ve been preaching here, remembering that I am not in charge, but He is most definitely in control. For Lent, with God’s help, I am going to commit to praying about my decisions and my worries and then turning them over to Him. Care to join me?

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Psalm 94:19 When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy.