Stuck at a Crossroads? How to Find God’s Wisdom for a Decision

Some decisions are pretty easy.

What should you make for dinner? Do you really need to buy that fill-in-the-blank thing you have been looking at online? We both know how that one is probably going to turn out. And should you move the laundry to the dryer now, or wait until you forget it exists and have to wash it all over again tomorrow?

Then there are the decisions that are anything but easy.

Maybe you are trying to decide whether to take a job, move somewhere new, say yes to an opportunity, or finally let something go. Sometimes the hardest decisions are not even between something obviously right and something obviously wrong. Both choices may seem reasonable, and you cannot tell which one is best.

That is when it's easy to get stuck.

You pray about it, make the pros-and-cons list, and talk to someone you trust. Eventually you think you have made up your mind. Then later that evening, you start reconsidering the other option and wonder whether you were too quick to decide.

Soon you are back at the beginning.

A big part of the struggle is that we are not simply trying to decide what to do. We are also wondering what happens if we get it wrong.

What if I misunderstand God? What if I regret my choice later? What if there really is one right answer and I somehow miss it?

That is usually about the time the wisdom of Solomon starts sounding especially useful.

What Do We Mean by Wisdom?

When we think about Solomon’s wisdom, we usually picture someone who could see the answer everyone else was missing. He could walk into a complicated situation and know what to do.

So when we ask God for wisdom, it is easy to hope He will do something similar for us. Maybe He will show us which choice will work out best or give us some kind of certainty about what comes next.

I would happily take that kind of help.

But biblical wisdom is not really about knowing the future.

The main Hebrew word for wisdom in the Old Testament is chokmah. One of the most helpful places to see what that word means is in Exodus, where God is giving instructions for building the Tabernacle.

God chose Bezalel for the work and said:

“I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in all kinds of craftsmanship.”

— Exodus 31:3 BSB

Bezalel’s wisdom came from God, but that did not mean he sat back while God did everything for him. He still worked with the materials, followed the instructions he had been given, solved the practical problems that came up, and used his skill to build.

That gives us a helpful picture of chokmah. Wisdom is not simply having more information. It is knowing how to use what God has given you well.

Solomon needed that kind of wisdom in a completely different setting. Instead of building the Tabernacle, he was leading people and making judgments in complicated situations.

Think about the two women who both claimed the same baby. Solomon did not have a verse that told him exactly how to handle that particular dispute. He had to understand what was really happening and make a wise judgment.

Bezalel was building. Solomon was ruling. Their situations were very different, but neither one was the source of his own wisdom.

God was.

That is important when you are trying to make a decision of your own.

You Are Not Supposed to Figure This Out by Yourself

One part of Bezalel’s story that I do not want us to miss is the Holy Spirit. God did not simply give Bezalel instructions and leave him on his own to carry them out. He filled him with His Spirit and equipped him for the work.

As believers in Jesus, we have not been left alone to figure out how to live wisely either. God has given us His Holy Spirit.

The Spirit works in us as we learn Scripture and put it into practice. He can convict us when something is not right, shape our character over time, and help us grow in discernment so that we begin to understand how God’s truth applies to situations that do not come with an obvious answer.

That does not mean every decision will suddenly become clear after you pray. You may not get a strong feeling one way or the other, and there may be no dramatic sign pointing toward the right door.

God can still be very present in the process even when the answer is not obvious. You are not standing at the crossroads while He watches from a distance to see whether you can guess correctly. You can bring what you are facing to Him and ask for help.

So how do we actually do that?

I think Scripture gives us four helpful ways to practice the wisdom God gives.

1. Ask God for Wisdom

James writes:

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.”

— James 1:5 BSB

This is where we begin.

James does not tell us to become smarter, analyze harder, or somehow force ourselves into certainty. He points us to God, because God is the source of wisdom.

It also helps to remember the situation James was writing into. His readers were going through trials. They needed wisdom because life was difficult and they were trying to understand how to live faithfully in circumstances they could not control.

That gives this verse a little more depth than simply, “Ask God and He will tell you which option to choose.”

Sometimes He may make the direction very clear. But James is also telling us that when we do not know how to handle what is in front of us, God will help us learn how to respond wisely.

So instead of only praying, “God, please tell me what to do,” we might pray something more like:

“God, give me wisdom for this. Through Your Spirit, help me understand what I am looking at and show me anything I may be missing.”

Now the goal is not only to get an answer as quickly as possible. We are asking God to help us see the situation differently.

2. Look at What God Has Already Given You

After asking God for wisdom, we may be tempted to start waiting for something new to happen.

Maybe there will be a sign. Perhaps a door will suddenly open. A verse might jump off the page in a way that seems to settle everything. Sometimes God does make things clear in unexpected ways. But wisdom also means paying attention to what He has already given us.

Scripture is the obvious place to begin.

If you are trying to decide whether to take a new job, the Bible will not tell you the company name. It does, however, have quite a bit to say about work, money, honesty, responsibility, contentment, relationships, and integrity.

If the decision involves a relationship, you probably will not find the person’s name in a verse either. What you will find are truths about love, faithfulness, forgiveness, character, truth, and the way we are called to treat other people.

Sometimes we keep asking God for new information when part of what we need is already in His Word.

There may even be times when Scripture settles part of the decision for us. If one choice clearly requires you to disregard something God has already said, you do not need to keep looking for another sign that makes the choice acceptable.

When neither option violates Scripture, there is more to consider. Wisdom also asks whether we are working with facts or assumptions.

Proverbs says:

“The simple man believes every word, but the prudent man watches his steps.”

— Proverbs 14:15 BSB

Imagine that you have been offered a job with a higher salary. It looks great at first, especially when you start thinking about what you could do with the additional income.

But there may be things you still do not know.

What hours will you actually work? Why did the last person leave? What will be expected once you are in the position? How much travel is involved? Is the company stable? What effect will the job have on the responsibilities you already have?

Sometimes the next wise thing is not to keep praying the same question. It is to pick up the phone and get more information.

Prayer and careful thinking work very well together. Depending on the Holy Spirit does not require us to ignore our ability to ask questions, notice patterns, or think through consequences. He can work through that process too.

Wise counsel belongs here as well.

Proverbs 15:22 says:

“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

— Proverbs 15:22 BSB

That does not mean we need everybody’s opinion. Too many opinions can make a difficult decision even more confusing.

It helps to choose one or two people who know God, know you well, and have sound judgment. A good counselor is not trying to make the decision for you. Sometimes all they do is point out something you had not noticed or ask a question you would rather not answer.

That can be exactly what you need.

The Holy Spirit can use another person’s perspective to bring something into focus that you were having trouble seeing for yourself.

3. Be Honest About What Is Influencing You

James talks about wisdom again later in his letter:

“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.”

— James 3:17 BSB

James is not giving us a checklist that tells us whether to choose A or B. He is describing the character of wisdom that comes from God.

That is helpful because sometimes the hardest part of a decision is not what is happening around us. It is what is happening inside us.

We can be very good at calling something wise when it happens to support the outcome we already want. Maybe the opportunity appeals to your ambition more than you would like to admit. You may be worried about disappointing someone, or perhaps you have become so invested in one particular outcome that any warning about it feels negative.

Fear can complicate things too. Sometimes we call ourselves cautious when what we really mean is that we are afraid to make a move.This is where honesty with God becomes important.

There is nothing wrong with wanting something. You can genuinely hope the relationship works or really want the job. You may be excited about moving or hoping an opportunity comes through.

The trouble begins when a strong preference makes it difficult to evaluate the situation fairly.

That may be the time to tell God exactly what is going on.

“God, I really want this. Help me see whether that is causing me to overlook something important.”

You might have the opposite problem and need to say:

“God, I really do not want this. Help me understand whether my hesitation is wise or whether I am just uncomfortable.”

You do not have to dress up your feelings before bringing them to God. He already knows what you want. James also describes wisdom from above as being full of “good fruit,” which gives us another way to examine a choice.

Rather than trying to predict every possible outcome, think about the direction each option seems to be taking you.

What happens to your current responsibilities if you add another commitment? If a spending pattern continues, where is it likely to leave you financially? What is a relationship producing in your life as it exists right now? If you accept an opportunity, what will it require from the people who depend on you?

You cannot see the future, but you can often see where something appears to be heading.

There is a difference between asking, “Could I do this?” and asking whether doing it would actually be wise.

4. Make the Wisest Choice You Can and Move Forward

Here is where things can get uncomfortable.

You may do all of this and still not have a completely obvious answer. Perhaps you have prayed, studied what Scripture says, gathered the facts you need, and talked with someone you trust. You have also tried to be honest about your motives and asked the Holy Spirit to help you see what you may be missing.

After all of that, neither option seems wrong.

What then?

There really may be more than one good choice. I think many of us have learned to approach God’s will as though every decision has one correct answer hidden somewhere. If we search hard enough, we will find it. If we choose incorrectly, we worry that we have stepped outside God's plan.

Scripture does not describe every decision that way. God has given clear commands about some things, and those are not ours to renegotiate. Yet life also contains plenty of situations where more than one choice can fit within what He has revealed.

You may be able to accept either job. Two different places might both be good places to live. An opportunity could be worthwhile while still being something you have the freedom to decline because it does not fit your life right now.

When more than one option is faithful, having a choice does not mean you have failed to hear God.

It may simply mean you get to choose.

This takes us back to Bezalel.

God filled him with His Spirit and gave him wisdom, but eventually Bezalel had to start building. He could not sit beside the materials waiting for God to move his hands.

God equipped him for the work, and Bezalel acted on what he had been given.

There comes a similar point in our decisions. More thinking does not always produce more clarity. Eventually you may have enough information to make a reasonable, faithful choice.

Then you move forward.

You still will not know exactly how everything will turn out, but that was never something you could control anyway.

Your security is not in choosing so perfectly that nothing difficult ever happens. It is in knowing that God remains with you after the decision is made.

The Holy Spirit is not only present while you are deciding. He will still be with you as you live with the choice.

If your circumstances change, you can come back to God for wisdom. If something happens that you did not expect, you can bring that situation to Him too. Even discovering later that you made a poor decision does not put you outside His grace or His ability to lead you from where you are.

You do not need to know the rest of your life before making one decision today.

Maybe God Is Doing More Than Giving You an Answer

When you have spent days or weeks trying to make a decision, getting the answer can start to feel like the only thing that matters. But something else may be happening while you work through it.

You are learning wisdom.

Real decisions force us to take the things we read in Scripture and figure out what they look like outside the pages of our Bible. They show us assumptions we did not realize we were making and sometimes reveal motives we would rather not admit. We learn which questions are worth asking and which people give counsel we can trust.

That kind of wisdom grows over time.

You begin to recognize situations differently because you have walked through similar ones with God before. Scripture becomes more connected to ordinary life, and you become more comfortable bringing complicated situations to Him without expecting every one of them to have an immediate or simple answer.

That is chokmah—taking what God has given you and learning how to use it faithfully.

Ultimately, biblical wisdom also brings us back to Jesus. Paul calls Christ “the wisdom of God” in 1 Corinthians 1:24.

So even though a difficult decision may be what sends you looking for wisdom, the answer is not simply a better method for choosing correctly. God is teaching you what it looks like to live closely with Him in the middle of real life.

If you are facing a decision right now, start by asking God for wisdom. Then take a good look at what He has already given you. See what Scripture says that applies to the situation, make sure you understand the facts, and ask someone wise to help you look at anything you may be missing.

Bring your preferences and fears to God honestly, and give the Holy Spirit room to show you what may be influencing your thinking.

Then, when you have done what you reasonably can to make a wise decision, choose.

There may not be one hidden answer you have somehow failed to discover. Sometimes God gives you wisdom and then gives you room to use it.

Take This With You

When I don’t know what to do, I can ask God for wisdom, depend on His Spirit, use what He has already given me, and make the wisest choice I can while trusting Him with what comes next.

And if you are in the middle of a decision right now, you do not have to work through it all at once.

This week’s Journey is designed to help you slow down, bring the decision before God, and practice what we have talked about here. We will spend time in Scripture, pray for wisdom, and look more closely at how to recognize the kind of wisdom James describes as coming “from above.”

Continue the Journey: What If I Make the Wrong Decision?

Continue the Journey Here

Come spend a little more time with God as you work through the decision in front of you.