Whatever Seems Best

“Do whatever seems best to you” -1 Samuel 14:36

When I was in Elementary school, and even all through the rest of school my favorite thing about school was the social part. But, especially in Elementary school I always enjoyed talking to my friends way more than doing class work or listening to the teacher.

I don’t know if teachers do this anymore, but when I was in school I had a behavior chart. The goal was to get through the whole week and be on green or get a sticker—something like that. Anytime my parents would go to a conference they would get told the same thing when it came to me, “she is a great student but, sometimes she also likes to talk a lot.” That is teacher talk for, “She talks to much and I need her to do more school work and talk less.”

As a teacher you always have to find creative ways to say what you really want  to say. For instants: you can’t tell a child “shut up” but, you can tell them “voices off.” In my case, “she is a great student but she sometimes enjoys talking to her friends more than getting her work done.” Translation: “I really need your daughter to not talk so much.”

All that said, if I had a good week and stayed on green and got all my stickers my dad would take me out for ice cream. At the time near our house was a quaint ice cream shop, and so if I had a good week that is where my dad would take me. I am also pretty sure it also allowed for him to have an excuse to eat ice cream once a week too. But, when we would go in I had the option of picking anything I wanted.

If you have ever gone into any kind of ice cream shop (Baskin Robins…etc) you know what I am talking about with all the choices. It’s overwhelming is it not? I would always get the same thing each time, mint chocolate chip. I would still look at all the choices and my dad would always say, “get whatever you want.” They were all good choices I just needed to pick one.

Flash forward to present-tense: there is an accessories story near where I live called Charming Charlie’s. If you are an accessories girl then this story would be heaven on earth to you. I absolutely love it, but rarely when I go in do I walk out with anything. Why? Because I am overwhelmed!!! I want everything in the store and my A.D.D kicks in and I can’t focus on one thing for very long to save my life. If I do buy something in that store I have to walk in like a women on mission or I will get distracted. It’s accessories overload; so most of the time I just walk out overwhelmed!

God’s will feels that way sometimes doesn’t it? There are so many choices we don’t know which one to choose. We don’t know which road to take.

I have never written anything out of expertise—I just usually figure if I am going through something or God is teaching me something I am probably not the only one. It’s the teacher in me that can’t keep what I am learning to myself. But, when it comes to the whole “What is God’s best? What is God’s will” thing I have been learning so much and one of the things that, at least for me, has been so freeing is that sometimes God simply says, “whatever seems best to you.” 

That does not mean, “do whatever you want.” It simply means when it comes to making a decision about something are you:

1)   Are you in the Word of God?

Not just on Sunday’s or occasionally, but are you daily filling your heart and mind up with God’s Word?

2)   Are you in Prayer

Not just when you need something, but you are communicating with the Lord not just daily (i.e. morning devotion time) but throughout the day. “Praying continually” simply having a heart that is open and throughout your day in communication with the Lord. 

3)   Wise Counsel

That doesn’t always mean your “best friend.” The older you get that can mean your best friends, but sometimes we need to seek age and experience but even more than that is someone who loves and fears the Lord; who gives godly wisdom.

If you have those three going on there comes a time when you simply have to make a decision. I am talking about non-revealed questions or issues. In Scripture there are clearly things that say, “This is the will of God for you…” (1 Thess)

But then there are those questions like: which school do I go to, should I date this person or not, should I take this job or that job, should I live here or there—you know just those moment of do I go right or left.

We make decisions daily and sometimes we treat God’s will like a big maze we have to “figure out.” I do not do this perfect, BY A LONG SHOT, but I have learned that if I will seek to live out the revealed things in Scripture the unrevealed are not as difficult.

I share all that to say, that sometimes God is saying, you know what to do. You have My Spirit living in you, you know My Word, you’ve prayed about it and sought wise counsel—“do whatever seems best to you.”

That is scary or freeing: depending on how you look it.

Lets take the picking a college for example: God can be glorified just as much at UGA as he can FSU. Sometimes God may simply say, “What do you want to do? Just pick one!”

Maybe take relationships: you have prayed about, sought out wise counsel, been in the Word: you know what to do, you know what God’s Word says about A,B and C.

The question rests on, “what seems best to you?”

Going back to my dad and I at the ice cream shop—all the choices were good choices. Any of them would have worked, they were all good, I just needed to make a decision and pick one.

I am not saying this is always the case, but sometimes it is.

Right not it is the case for me in praying about a situation last night, the whole phrase  “God’s best” kept coming to mind so I went and looked up that phrase and I found it interesting that that actual phrase, “God’s Best” is not in Scripture. There are verse that say, “as he saw best…” (Jeremiah 18:2-6 NIV) but that actual phrase I did not see. But, my eyes did fall upon many, many verse that said, “do whatever seems best to you.”

It reminded me of a Father putting the responsibility back on the child for a second. At least in my case, it was like I sensed the Lord saying, “you have prayed for wisdom, you have my spirit, you know what my Word says about this, now…what seems best to you.” Make a decision and trust God’s Sovereignty!

I could write about this all day because it so fascinating to me how we, at times, over analyze decisions. At least I know I do—I know at times I’m way too analytical.

I don’t know what decisions you have to make today? But have you done all you know to do? If so, maybe God ‘s will for you in this moment is to make a decision and just trust him—it’s a opportunity to walk by faith.

God’s will is not a magic ape ball- remember those? Those of us who grew up in the 90’s.  We always are asking, “Lord give me a sign.” Sometimes he will, and sometimes he will make things crystal clear, but other times...actually most of the time…he puts it back on us and says, “what seems best to you?”

Going with your heart is not always a bad thing! If we have the Spirit of the Living God in us, are daily being renewed by His Word and seeking the Lord in prayer, yes you have a sin nature and no you cannot trust your carnal heart, but you have a new nature in Christ and guess what? You can actually trust some of what you feel!!!

Not all the time, I know there are certain times each month I simply do not trust ANYTHING that I feeling (sorry guys). But majority of the time if you have those three of four things going on you can trust what you feel/think.

I just know I have done it and I see a lot of people do it to; that is fret to death over whether or not this is “God’s will and God’s best” and I am finding that sometimes God as Father is looking at me in love and saying, “my child, what seems best to you?”