AllisonDavisBlog... Connecting Real Faith to Real Life: How to Pray About a Big Decision

What is God's will? What is the right decision?
Have you ever wondered that and fretted over those questions?

When I'm praying and needing to make a decision, I have learned to do the following few things:

1- Pray alone.
I like to wake up before anyone else in the house is up to pray!

2- Pray for an extended period of time.

Not a quick, before you eat type of prayer. Like sit down and spend some time with God.

3- Write out your prayer in a journal. Make a list of what your worried about. Write out Bible verses. Just get it off your mind, onto the paper, and over to God!
I will write at the top of my prayer journal - "God, I trust you with..." and then I'll list everything out that I'm anxious about or need to make a decision about. I also love journaling because you can go back and literately see answered prayers! .
4- Read the Bible. Ask God to speak to you through His Word.
If I'm not sure what to read, I turn to Psalms and just focus on praising Him, remembering His promises, and reminding myself of God's loving character...Psalms always helps me with this!
5- Sometimes God asks us to just take a step of action first. He doesn't always give us "signs".
I hear girls say that all the time - "OH! I think it's a sign!". But often times God withholds the signs because he's wanting you to take a step of FAITH. He wants to grow you faith in Him and grow your ability to hear Him...both are done without SEEING. Asking for a sign means you have to see it before you'll do it. That's not faith! (I'm not saying asking for a sign is wrong, just don't only ask for signs...make sense?)
6- Get advice from someone who is wise, Godly, and leads a life you admire.
For something important that I'm making a decision over, I will talk to only people who I trust will give me wise, Godly advice. So not anyone or everyone. I don't post my question on Facebook or Twitter. I don't take a poll. I don't go to people who are just going to tell me what I want to hear. Instead, I go to a wise mentor, or usually I go to my husband because he is wise and discerning and knows me inside and out. He also seeks God, so I trust what He tells me. Often, He will point me back to God and encourage me to pray and just follow God.
7- Have someone Godly pray for you.Sometimes all I need is just that confidence and encouragement from another Christian that God hears me and will answer.
8- Sometimes the only thing I can do is pray that I will TRUST God that He will lead me. I'll pray this verse: But I trust You, O LORD, my times are in Your Hands - Psalm 31:14-15a.

I don't always know God's will right away. I don't always have a perfectly clear answer from Him. But I do KNOW that He will lead me. I do KNOW that I can trust Him. I can put my heart in His hands. I don't have to hold back, try to control, or try to push things. He won't let me go down the wrong path if I'm following Him!

Think it over:
- What decision are you worrying/thinking about?
- What is holding you back from giving it to God?
- Do you need to pray about it? Is there someone you can ask to pray with you?
- Is God asking you to take a step of faith first?
- What Bible verse could you write out and keep with you to remind you that you can trust Him?

Thank you for letting me share. This post today is very near to my heart and right-now experience - I hope it's helpful to others! xoxo

Love & Blessings,
Allison

Other Posts from October Prayer Month: