4 Steps For Making Decisions Even When You Don't Hear the Booming Voice of the Lord

What do you do when you don't hear the booming voice of the Lord? When you're in the middle of a decision, or trying to decide what path to go down - and you don't see the clouds opening up, a big glorified hand reaching down; angels descending up and down singing: "GO THIIIIS WAY, THUS SAYS THE LORD."

Okay but really. Sometimes I have this paralysis where I feel like I need to make a decision on something - but I am not having a CLEAR decision in my head. And of course I pray and ask the Lord and I don't necessarily hear anything back.

Case in point: My photography business.

For a long time I've loved doing photography and I've always wanted to be in business. So when I graduated from college - I started this business. Although photography was something I was interested in, I never heard the Lord boom down and say: "YES FATIMA, DO NOT GO INTO THE CORPORATE WORLD. STARTETH YOUR OWN PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS."

And although I got words of encouragement from godly counsel that said: "Yes, the Lord has really gifted you in this...etc, etc, etc." It wasn't exactly the big thumbs up in the sky I was yearning for and really needing for exact conformation.

So what do you do when there's a million ways you can go and you're not hearing a clear, direct answer from the Lord? There has been supporting evidence on both sides - but it's still up in the air.

The answer is: Give it to God & Trust that He will direct your steps. In the meantime, Follow your heart and move forward.

STEP ONE: Stop worrying & give your thoughts over to the Lord. Why worry, contemplate and race through the same scenario over and over again? The Lord tells us not to worry because nothing fruitful comes of it. (Matthew 6:25-34) It literally cannot change anything, except your blood pressure level. Instead give it over to Him, because He can handle it and move mountains.

Say something like this: Lord, you know how much this decision is weighing on my heart. But I'm giving it over to you - trusting that you will open the doors that need to be open - and close others. Thank you for lifting this burden and directing my steps!

STEP TWO: Trust and BELIEVE that the Lord is Sovereign and will direct your path! Next trust that the Lord is working everything out for the good of you - who loves him. (Romans 8:28) That means he can open certain doors & shut other ones. He can move mountains. And he can direct you in the smallest ways, from someone coming up to you, to unspeakable favor at your workplace. He's God! If you knew you had someone you could always trust to make good decisions. If they knew your past, present and future - wouldn't you trust them? Well, the Lord promises this:

"We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps." Proverbs 16:9

STEP THREE: Be objective & weigh the cons vs the pros.

If you're faced with a hard decision - it is often times wise to write out the pros and cons. I like to think of: Opportunities and Challenges. For example if I was trying to figure out whether I should go to USC or Clemson - I may write out this: USC

Opportunities: Close to home. Can work part time. Scholarship.

Challenges: Getting gas money to commute back and forth.

CLEMSON

Opportunities: Get away from home. Be out on my own.

Challenges: More expensive. No scholarship.

And then weigh these against your own values. To me, USC seems like the better option because being financially secure is more important to me to being out on my own, right now.

This can help you narrow things down, a bit.

STEP FOUR: Follow your heart and take imperfect action.

After all that - give it some rest! I've learned the hard way that sitting there running over scenario after scenario accomplishes nothing. (Good thing we got rid of that behavior in Step 1!)

And then find some quiet time to really just breathe and follow your heart! Consider each and go with what feels right in your heart and your spirit and take small steps in that direction.

So if I felt better about USC I would just fill out the application. Or go visit it. Something, anything. And keep going.

I've learned, it's not about being right or wrong. It's about learning to trust.

Trust the Lord, trust and learn your own voice. And just to go with the flow and figure things out as you go. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be.

And worst case scenario - USC doesn't accept me. Or turns out to be a bummer. Oh well! There is no failure - only lessons learned!

Trust and believe that the Lord is working everything together for good. And that this isn't the end of the world! It's only one chapter in a long, beautiful life of learning!

Photo by: Wix