Some people seem so confident in their decisions but I often question "Did I/ Will I make the "right" decision?" To give you an idea of how I wrestle at times, following are some quotes I underlined in one of my alltime favorite books/stories ... bc I could relate to some degree:
Just bc you can't make a decision until it's been wrestled to death, doesn't mean others can't & shouldn't.
Why did she always doubt herself halfway through a thing? It was her curse - one among many.
Doubt's a poison taken from a snake.
She wished she knew for certain, when bad things happened, whether it was part of God's guidance or just a consequence of one's own will.
Just yesterday I found myself trying to decide if I should take my daughter to the ER for a very painful ear infection or wait to get into the doctor's office that would open in a couple hours or so (given the horror stories, we might well have had to wait that long in the ER). You'd think after being a mom for 22 years, I'd have this stuff figured out & know what a real emergency is & isn't! Anyhow, I wrestled ... as usual - so it's more than coincidence that a friend forwarded this story to me via e-mail - that I just took the time to read yesterday - (my bold emphasis added on the Scripture bc that's what God really used to speak to my heart. Hmm ... Perhaps, in my case, I should read it -- everyday!:
The Inventor Of The Telegraph
If you need wisdom . . . ask him (James 1:5, NLT).
Dear Friends,
It occurred to me one day that God can do more in one second than man can do in a thousand years, or a million years.
Trying to accomplish things in our own strength and wisdom can be fruitless and time-wasting.
Many successful people have acknowledged in their memoirs that whenever they came to an impasse in their work and were completely baffled, they sought wisdom from the Lord.
Abraham Lincoln once told an intimate newspaper friend, Noah Brooks, "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go."
This was also true in the life of the famous inventor of the telegraph, Samuel F. B. Morse (1791-1872). In an interview, he was once asked, "Professor Morse, when you were making your experiments at the university, did you ever come to a standstill, not knowing what to do next?"
"I've never discussed this with anyone, so the public knows nothing about it. But now that you ask me, I'll tell you frankly -- I prayed for more light."
"And did God give you the wisdom and knowledge you needed?"
"Yes, He did," said Morse. "That's why I never felt I deserved the honors that came to me from America and Europe because of the invention associated with my name. I had made a valuable application of the use of electrical power, but it was all through God's help. It wasn't because I was superior to other scientists. When the Lord wanted to bestow this gift on mankind, He had to use someone. I'm just grateful He chose to reveal it to me."
In view of these facts, it's not surprising that the inventor's first message over the telegraph -- the very first transmitted message in history -- was: "What hath God wrought!"
Every time you face a perplexing problem, seek wisdom from above. And when the answer comes, always be sure to thank God and give Him all the glory.
"If you need wisdom -- if you want to know what God wants you to do -- ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do (James 1:5-8, NLT).
Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,
Bill Bright
flowers in my garden
a sign in my corner of the world
a favorite book
