Last Sunday, I preached my first sermon at Hope Covenant in St. Cloud, Minnesota.  My “thesis” was that we not only can, but must, trust God with the future, and was based on the example of Abraham and Sarah who, in Genesis 12, left everything that was familiar and “safe” for a future which God had not fully revealed to them.  Genesis 12 is a turning point, not only in the life of Abraham and Sarah, but in the entire trajectory of the biblical narrative and God’s plan to bring a lost, hurting, and broken world back to himself.

In the message, I pointed out that we have three basic options when it comes to turning points in life.  In fact, they are options that come to us again and again throughout life:  (i) trying to control things ourselves, (ii) letting things control us, or (iii) letting God guide us through it all.  Letting God guide us is not about switching off our brains or just “letting go and letting God.”  It is about submitting all things to him.  Nineteenth Century Harvard scholar C. H. Toy observed that apart from God human intellect will not guide us correctly.  But how do we protect ourselves against the unreliability of our own abilities?  How do we, practically-speaking, submit our decision-making (or better, our discernment) to God?  Let me offer a few quick suggestions from my own experience and from what I see in the Bible.

First, always keep God’s purposes and perspective in mind.  (I know people hate the word must, but there are no two ways about it:  there is plenty of biblical data to support me on that.)  To do that, we need to spend time in the Bible, learning and relearning all that God reveals to us there.  The better we know Scripture, the better prepared we are to recognize what is consistent with God’s purposes and (perhaps more importantly) what is not.

Second, don’t discount the importance of advice from others—and not just from those who tend to agree with you.  We need people who push and challenge us.  General George S. Patton, Jr. said that “If everybody thinks alike, somebody’s not thinking.”  When you’re contemplating a decision—particularly a big decision—don’t be afraid to get a variety of perspectives.  It can help you sharpen your thinking and make a better decision.

Third, use decision-making or discernment “tools.”  These help you see more tangibly what is at stake or what factors are in play.  They can’t make the choices for you, but they can help bring clarity.  Tools like SWOT Analyses (SWOT comes from Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), Force Field Analysis, and the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience) can all help the discernment process.

Fourth, pray.  The Bible tells us that God’s Spirit lives in those of us who follow Jesus Christ. He guides, protects, teaches, and empowers us for godly and wise living.  The stories of Jesus at prayer in the gospels often correspond to significant turning points in his own life and ministry, such as when he was preparing to choose the twelve disciples and when he was anticipating his crucifixion. If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we?

Fifth, don’t be afraid to try things.  Several times in my life I have decided to pursue something until God closed the door on it.  I think that follows the example of the Apostle Paul who tried to go first to Asia and then to Bithynia but was prevented by the Holy Spirit from doing either.  The result was that Paul opened an entirely new area of ministry with the conversion of Lydia in Philippi.  There’s no shame in trying something.

Sixth, don’t despair when doors do close.  There are times when God has not only closed a door but almost seems to have slammed it in my face!  Without a doubt, I can say that every one has been disappointing.  I can also say that, in retrospect, in almost every instance I see the wisdom of that closed door.

Finally, make the most of every situation, even if it’s not one you would have chosen. Again, hindsight helps.  We often don’t see what God is doing in the moment (we’re like Jesus’ first disciples–and many others–on that count).  But God is often doing things either in us or through us that are important and valuable, even if they’re not immediately visible.  Even if you can’t see fruit coming at the time, don’t assume it’s not there.