God Is Not a Wheel of Fortune
My cursor hovered over the word Send. My fingers felt frozen in place, unable to reply to the email and deliver my decision.
Maybe it wasn’t a life-or-death decision, but it wasn’t a trivial, what-am-I-going-to-cook-for-dinner-type decision, either.
Cautious person that I am, I’d deliberated for a long time. I’d made lists of pros and cons then asked my husband and friends for advice. For every good point they made in favor of one choice or the other, I countered with “Yes, but . . .” or “But what if . . .”
My SOS to heaven was almost an afterthought.
Lord, help me do the right thing.
Wavering back and forth, I mentally revisited my options. I became wound up in a web of indecision, paralyzed by fear.
If I didn’t get it right, would God stand by and watch as my circumstances consumed me?
I recognized my faulty reasoning. I was thinking of this decision as a puzzle to solve, with God looking on like a benevolent game show host, watching to see if I’d come up with the correct answer.
“Do you need a hint?” (Would you like to buy a vowel?)
“Oh, I’m sorry. There’s the buzzer. Time is up. Better luck next time.”
I was acting as if God was some sort of celestial Pat Sajak, wanting me to win the grand prize but unable to supply me with the answers. I had a distorted concept of who God is and how he deals with his children. The Book of James says, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8 ESV)
God generously doles out wisdom to those who ask. But I had been that unstable person described in James, unable to perceive God’s direction because I kept wavering. I was like a game show contestant so distracted by the voices of the studio audience (in my case, my fears) that I couldn’t recognize God’s counsel.
Did I really think God, who loves me so much, would allow me to unintentionally ruin my life?
I acted as if God was saying, “Spin the Wheel of Fortune,” and then, “Oh, too bad. I had the number of your days written in my book. Now I’ll have to subtract some.”
“Aw. You landed on Bankrupt. So sorry.”
But the psalmist says,
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:16 ESV)
Our lives are not governed by random rolls of the dice. We have choices, and the Holy Spirit within us is our counselor, who helps us come to the right conclusions.
God says, “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:9-13 ESV)
Every day we deal with dilemmas concerning relationships, finances, career, health. We have to make judgments.
Should I take that job?
Should I homeschool my children?
Should I confront that difficult person?
During this pandemic, even ordinary options can seem like life-and-death situations.
If I attend that baby shower, could I be exposed to a deadly virus?
When school reopens, should I send my kids back to the classroom?
Is it even safe to go to church?
When we need wisdom, we can do what Solomon did and ask for it (2 Chronicles 1). God is pleased when we ask and will reward us with an answer.
He promises to guide us as we logically assess the situation, seek advice, and read his word to see how our situation aligns with the principles he’s given us in the Bible. If we’re still stuck, we can follow Emily P. Freeman’s advice to do “the next right thing” and move forward in faith.
And by the way, difficulties are not indicators of a wrong decision.
The grand prize God wants for us isn’t a vacation in the Bahamas. He wants to make us more like Jesus (see Romans 8:29), so the best decision sometimes leads us on a trek through the jungle rather than a walk on the beach.
Sometimes there isn’t one right answer, but several equally acceptable options that will lead to eternal prizes: stronger faith, greater dependence on God, and Christlike character.
That’s what I had to remember as I hit Send.
God is not a game show host, and I’m not playing Wheel of Fortune.
Father, as we deliberate over decisions facing us, may your Holy Spirit guide us and give us wisdom and discernment. Steady our knocking knees, and strengthen our wobbly wills. Give us the confidence to obey your voice and move forward.
spends most days teaching a classroom full of lively five-and six-year-olds. She’s attracted to be fragrance of vanilla, the printed word, and all things blue and white. She delights in spending time with her husband and family, singing praises with her church choir peeps, and traveling. Her heart’s desire is to know God better and learn to trust him more.
Happy to see your writing, Margaret.