Have you ever had to make a big decision, but struggled to hear God’s voice in that situation?

You are not alone.

Making decisions that please God and are aligned with His will are desires all Christian should have. We want to hear God’s voice. We want to follow His plan for our lives, but sometimes it feels muddy and unclear. So, we stay put waiting on some divine sign or interaction to tell us what to do.

Or, even worse, we rely on our feelings to tell us what we should do. I’m not saying your emotions aren’t a factor in making a decision, but they are not the priority most of the time.

This concept of trying to hear God’s voice to make a decision became very real for me just a few weeks ago.

My husband and I were faced with making a really big decision: stay in Springfield, Missouri where God called us to move 4 years ago for him to go to school or take the opportunity to move back home and be with family and friends again.

Now, we moved to Springfield so my husband, Mark, could work on getting his Master’s of Divinity to become qualified to be an Army Chaplain, where we both believe God has called us to serve. Because of that, we will be moving around every 2-5 years, likely very far away from our families.

When we discovered that Mark was going to graduate from school in December and not the following May as we had originally thought, we began to weigh our options. Most of his classes were online and we were both frustrated with our jobs. We knew something had to change, we just weren’t sure what that was.

We were exhausted and tired of missing our friends and families.

So, when we began praying about this decision, we wanted to be sure that whatever decision we made was what God wanted and not just what was easiest. We wanted to follow His will and not our emotions. We resolved that if He called us to continue to endure, we would, but if we were given the option to move home for a while, that’s what we wanted to do.

During this time, I got some really wise pieces of advice from a couple of friends I was seeking counsel from that helped me to begin to hear God’s voice in this decision.

Sometimes There Isn’t a Right Choice

Often when we need to make a decision, it feels huge and life-changing for us, when in reality neither choice will derail us or take us off course. We have free will and the ability to exercise choice. Sometimes, when praying through a decision and seeking counseling, you may feel like God is silent or vague.

So often we just want a clear, step by step roadmap and I’ve found in my life that more often than not, the steps remain unclear most of the time. I believe that sometimes, God lets us decide because the decision is minute in the grand scheme of eternity and the plan He has for us here.

Sometimes, there isn’t a right choice and either decision will sow a positive outcome. And sometimes, we may be given a choice with little or no direction to see where our faith really lies or to help us grow for our next season.

Ultimately, our decision had no right answer. Both staying in Springfield and moving back home were good options that would allow us to grow in our faith and serve God’s Kingdom.

Take Steps Forward and Be Open to Redirection

This was one piece of advice I got from my friend and it was invaluable to us as we were working through this decision.

Essentially, the idea is to act as if you’ve made a decision and start taking some steps forward. Start doing the research, fill out that job application, buy that domain name, apply to that school and feel out what choosing that path would look like. Voice the decision to a trusted friend and talk it out.

You don’t have to tell everyone or announce on social media or put in official notices to anyone, but you can take some small steps forward in one direction and posture your heart to be open to redirection or confirmation.

In our situation, this is what we did. We took some small steps in the direction of moving home instead of staying in Springfield and doors for that opportunity just opened left and right for us.

We serve a good and faithful God and I have no doubt that if we are seeking Him diligently, he will keep us on the right path.

The Bible is Not a Magic 8 Ball

Scripture is something precious we have to comfort us, teach us, guide us and correct us, but it is not a magic 8 ball. We can’t just open to a random page hoping for an answer to our decision. I’m not saying God can’t use that to speak to someone, but in general, the Bible gives us as much as we put into it.

What I mean is, if we are regularly studying God’s Word, meditating on His Truth’s and learning about who God is as a whole, we will become more wise decision-makers overall. We won’t have to open to a random page hoping to hear an answer or get direction. It’ll be a part of our routine to be in tune with what God has for us.

When we’re regularly learning about the life God wants us to have, the Godly decisions will more easily to us. Over time, we will hear God’s voice more clearly.

Hearing God’s Voice Requires Stillness & Discipline

Have you ever tried to tell a friend or a spouse something important while they were distracted with the kids, a chore or their phone? They may hear you but they aren’t really listening. Or tried carrying on an important conversation in a loud restaurant or with loud music in the background? All that noise makes it hard to really hear and understand.

Its the same with listening to God and working to hear His voice.

If we don’t take the time to be still, it is harder to be in tune with the Holy Spirit and hear promptings and guidance. If we don’t do the work to cultivate that closeness and intimacy regularly, we won’t be close enough to hear Him.

If you’re in the midst of making a big decision or just want to be prepared for future decisions, this week’s Featured Post will encourage you.

Stacey Pardoe of StaceyPardoe.Com has an encouraging reminder today about seeking God’s Will in your decisions.

Hold Onto This Truth In Your Decision-Making

by Stacey Pardoe

I like making plans. I thrive when I have a sense of what’s in store for the upcoming year, month, or, at the very least, what might happen in the next few days.

I take a long walk with a friend on a clear weekday morning with white rays of summer sunlight falling fresh through verdant beech leaves. We talk about what God is doing in our lives – about plans and the future and how we want to be on board with whatever he has for us.  We want to be holy women, women sold out for a kingdom-purpose that’s bigger than ourselves – women who love well and listen well and aren’t afraid to climb difficult summits for the sake of what matters.

We’re sorting through these very desires when we finally get to the bottom of a struggle that’s been plaguing us both – in our own individual ways – for the past few weeks: We want to honor and glorify God in all we say, do, and think . . . and we’d also appreciate it if he’d show us exactly how we can help him bring his plans for our lives to pass.

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