Bryan Chapell says seeking God's will in prayer can be a bit like driving through a blinding snowstorm in the country with fenceposts your only clue where the road is located.
He uses the analogy in his book Praying Backwards to describe how he determines what God wants him to do in important - and sometimes puzzling - situations.
The fenceposts he uses are "righteousness" and "prudence".
In effect, he asks two questions:
For example, I can think of a few cases from the Book of Acts. Jesus spoke out loud from heaven to Saul - later called the apostle Paul - as he was walking to Damascus to persecute Christians. And the apostle Paul was diverted from preaching the gospel in what is modern-day Turkey when he saw a vision of a man from Macedonia in Greece beckoning him to come there.
But, in most situations, things are not so clear. You may be faced with a choice between two jobs which seem equally attractive. Or, you may wonder whether God wants you to marry someone you are in love with.
In using "righteousness" as a guide, it's easy to see that you should not pray for bad things to happen to someone you are in conflict with. That is against the word of God - the scriptures.
The word of God is a key guide for our prayers.
"God's word is more authoritative than personal feelings or priorities," says Chapell.
So, we need to be familiar with what the Bible says in our circumstances. There are broad principles which can help point us to the "righteous" choice. Ultimately, we must submit ourselves to carrying out God's will through obeying him.
"As we obey him and pray for his purposes, [God] perfects his will in and through us. We see his will through the events that unfold, but their significance may not be apparent for years or until we see the Lord."
Chapell says that if we face several choices that are equally "righteous", we can be confident that God will work things out for our good.
As for the fencepost of "prudence", Chapell says that here again the Bible plays an important role. Knowing the principles of the Bible helped him decide on the pastorate after considering two other equally good professions. For him, it was the right choice.
"Christian prudence involves seeking wisdom from God's word, counsel from godly advisors, and insight from the Holy Spirit to make decisions according to the priorities of the Bible."
He offers several questions to ask when we're considering the wise and godly approach to decisions:
Wise counsel, indeed.
He uses the analogy in his book Praying Backwards to describe how he determines what God wants him to do in important - and sometimes puzzling - situations.
The fenceposts he uses are "righteousness" and "prudence".
In effect, he asks two questions:
- What is the righteous thing to do in these circumstances?
- What is the prudent - or wise - thing to do?
For example, I can think of a few cases from the Book of Acts. Jesus spoke out loud from heaven to Saul - later called the apostle Paul - as he was walking to Damascus to persecute Christians. And the apostle Paul was diverted from preaching the gospel in what is modern-day Turkey when he saw a vision of a man from Macedonia in Greece beckoning him to come there.
But, in most situations, things are not so clear. You may be faced with a choice between two jobs which seem equally attractive. Or, you may wonder whether God wants you to marry someone you are in love with.
In using "righteousness" as a guide, it's easy to see that you should not pray for bad things to happen to someone you are in conflict with. That is against the word of God - the scriptures.
The word of God is a key guide for our prayers.
"God's word is more authoritative than personal feelings or priorities," says Chapell.
So, we need to be familiar with what the Bible says in our circumstances. There are broad principles which can help point us to the "righteous" choice. Ultimately, we must submit ourselves to carrying out God's will through obeying him.
"As we obey him and pray for his purposes, [God] perfects his will in and through us. We see his will through the events that unfold, but their significance may not be apparent for years or until we see the Lord."
Chapell says that if we face several choices that are equally "righteous", we can be confident that God will work things out for our good.
As for the fencepost of "prudence", Chapell says that here again the Bible plays an important role. Knowing the principles of the Bible helped him decide on the pastorate after considering two other equally good professions. For him, it was the right choice.
"Christian prudence involves seeking wisdom from God's word, counsel from godly advisors, and insight from the Holy Spirit to make decisions according to the priorities of the Bible."
He offers several questions to ask when we're considering the wise and godly approach to decisions:
- Is the action we're considering loving?
- Is it legitimate? For example, is it a wise use of our gifts?
- Is it responsible?
Wise counsel, indeed.
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