First Seek

But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.” ~ 1 Kings 22:5

In life you are going to make thousands of decisions; some big and some small and there will be some that you just aren’t sure of.  How many different people do you seek wisdom from before making that big decision?  How many people do you go to before you finally decide to ask God?  Isn’t that what we typically do; ask others before we go to Him.  He cares for you and only wants what’s best for us, so why is He often the last we seek wisdom from?  Many times we will make a decision and then ask for God’s blessing after the fact?  Where to move?  Should I take that job?  Should I ask this person to marry me?  Asking others about our life’s decisions before we ask God is a backwards approach and the pain of many bad decisions could have been prevented if only God’s wisdom was sought right from the start.  Boy, don’t I know that to be true in my own life!  Reckless decision making usually ends up being bad decision making.  We tend to want what the world wants and are easily swayed unless we are intentional about seeking His wisdom first.  The world is full of glitz, glamour, greed and nice shiny things, but that doesn't mean they are all meant for us.  God will never lead you astray and longs for us to come to Him first.  I know that in the above verse King Jehoshaphat and King Ahab are trying to decide whether or not to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead and that I will probably never be seeking advice about physical warfare, but when you think about it, our decisions can have an impact on our spiritual warfare and that can be just as powerful.  To live in God’s will for your life means you must push out the noise of the world, humble yourself, pray for guidance and direction, trust that He knows the best and obey His direction.  Not only will your eyes be opened, but your heart will be able to clearly identify the path you are supposed to take and your mind will be at peace.  And if you don’t get an answer, wait.  Wait on the Lord.  Matthew 6:33 reminds us, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”  Why not seek him first?  That’s a fabulous start! ~ Amen