The Lord said to Samuel, “Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Prayer and God’s word are essential for the decisions we make. Yet, these two ingredients are often left out, cooking up much regret in our life. A significant thing we can learn about prayer from Samuel’s task to anoint Israel’s second king is that: we need prayer to make good decisions. And a good decision is one that’s in harmony with God’s will.
This is what we see with the prophet Samuel, as he journeys to Bethlehem. God wanted to choose and anoint a king for himself, and so Samuel needed to make sure he didn’t mess it up. I mean, nobody wants to be known as the guy who crowned the wrong king, right?
And if it wasn’t for prayer and the Lord’s words to Samuel, he would have done just that. Samuel was a drop of anointing oil away from making a really bad decision. “But everything lined up!” he thought. Eliab was the oldest, most experienced, and wisest of the eight sons. Logically speaking Samuel’s decision made a lot of sense. Yet, God immediately stops him in his tracks and says, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him [Eliab]. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). And this is why we need prayer and God’s word—we’re too easily persuaded by appearances.
We’re quick to jump at an opportunity that looks good. More money? Must be good! Good looking? He’s the one! Better school? Perfect!
The decision you need to make about your current job, or how to resolve a conflict with your coworker, or what project to take on next, or what middle school to send your sixth grader to—stop and pray. And when you come to God, praying through the Scriptures, and ask him to reveal the motives of your heart. Then tell him why you want to choose this or that, and ask him if your reasoning is in step with his word. And as you’re talking with him, the Holy Spirit will begin to peel back the onion of your heart, and help you see if your intentions are in harmony with his will, which is his word. So spend some time praying about a decision you need to make very soon, and let Philippians 2:3-4 be a filter for you to run your choices through, and you’ll come to a good decision.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)