Obvious Choices

“So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the LORD.” Joshua 9:14

The choice seemed obvious to Joshua and the Israelites. From the looks of things these people weren’t a threat and what they were offering sounded pretty good – a lifetime of servitude and no war. What they failed to recognize is that man’s heart is wicked and unless one is mastered by God then deception must always be suspected. The vow the Israelites make with the Gibeonites results in war anyway (see Joshua 10)

I wish I could say I consult with the Lord about decisions, but the reality is I more often pray after the decision has already been made seeking God’s grace and rescue from consequences I could not foresee.

As our family swelled to eight we needed a new dining table if we were going to eat as a family. We looked everywhere, or so we thought. We just happened into a furniture store that will remain nameless where we thought we had found the solution. The choice seemed obvious. The result was disastrous and eventually evolved into my first use of the Better Business Bureau, which worked just like it should have. A solution was reached almost nine months later, only a month after involving the BBB. It consumed time we didn’t have, and resulted in a loss of peace every time we sat down to eat at the defective table. After reading this verse I wonder if the Lord might have steered us away from that choice.

Here’s the reality about what I believe or don’t believe:
1. I really don’t believe God will actually communicate with me about where I should go for lunch, whether or not I should buy a car, or do business with a particular furniture store, or how I should organize my calendar.
2. Nor do I believe that any of those small choices may have really big consequences.
3. Lastly, because my tendency is to want to be satisfied immediately I will refuse to allow my wants to be suppressed, and typically I know that God almost always suppresses my wants. So, including Him in decisions regarding my wants will result in a struggle for self discipline that I would rather ignore. I almost always will be led to suspend my satisfaction in the wake of God’s direction.

What do you really believe?