Decision time? Look to the Psalms

We all want to take things into our own hands and make our own decisions. This goes for everybody, whether we are leaders or not. The pressure to make decisions is more for those who hold positions of influence because organisations and followers require that direction is given about where the organisation is going, about the followers, and about the leader’s personal life and problems.

If we really believe in God as our guide in the decisions we make and the troubles we meet in life, we will know that No one who hopes in you [that is, in God], will ever be put to shame (Psalm 25: 3).(CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)

“If we really believe in God as our guide in the decisions we make and the troubles we meet in life, we will know that  No one who hopes in you [that is, in God], will ever be put to shame (Psalm 25: 3).”(CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)

In all of these situations we might make our own decisions without reference to God.

If all is going well for us and there is no particular problem, our inclination is to make our own decisions. If we are in big trouble, then we may find ourselves appealing to God for help.

In other words, God becomes a factor in our lives to the extent that he can perform miracles and save us from the problems of life. God becomes a factor in our lives, not for his sake as God, but as that machine that we use to solve our problems when it has become clear that our power to resolve these problems is limited.

The psalms have much to teach us about how important it is to depend on God, and not on our own power, in all that we do and in all the decision-making processes of our lives. A large majority of the psalms was written by David who had serious problems in life, and who was just as sinful as we are.

One of the lessons we learn from David is that he put his trust in God in the decisions he made and when he was facing trouble. We learn this from Psalms 4 and 25.

Psalm 4 advises us: Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the Lord (verse 5). This theme is more fully developed in Psalm 25, which opens with the words: In you, LORD, my God, I put my trust (verse 1).

What these two psalms teach us is that we should put our trust neither in our own wisdom nor in the wisdom and power of those who wield political and economic power.

There is no harm in seeking assistance from the powerful, but as servants of the Lord we should not yearn for complete dependence on the powerful, for in the final analysis it is the power of God that will redeem us from all our problems. This demands of us that we surrender ourselves to God and have true faith in him.

If we really believe in God as our guide in the decisions we make and the troubles we meet in life, we will know that No one who hopes in you [that is, in God], will ever be put to shame (Psalm 25: 3).

Putting our trust in God requires that we learn to know the difference between the ways of human beings (or man’s ways) and God’s ways. We should ask God to teach us to discern the difference between his ways and our ways.

We should pray with the psalmist: Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me. This is because, unlike our ways, all the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful towards those who keep the demands of his covenant (25:10).

There is no deception in the ways of the Lord; there is no room for fear in following the ways of the Lord, for the decisions based on his commands are based on truth and love, and the Lord himself is good and upright.

Among the lessons we learn from the psalms today are the following: If we depend on our own power, we may make major mistakes, and mistakes that have the potential to do harm to those over whom we have authority.

On the other hand, if we depend too much on the power and authority of the powerful, not only are we likely to make mistakes to our detriment and to the detriment of others; we are also likely to be ruled by fear and slavish dependence on the powerful.