In my daily devotional and Bible reading I came across this verse of scripture: “Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the lord will soon arrive.” (Joel 3:14) I’m sure Bible scholars have assigned prophetic significance to that verse, but my immediate reaction was, “I have lived in that valley my entire life.” In a way I think we all have.
We face a multitude of decisions each and every day. Some are easy and some are difficult. Some are insignificant and some are of vital importance. Technology provides us with a menu of options for just about everything. In our land of plenty there are options available for every purchase we make. It is easy to become overwhelmed when we have so many choices. I have witnessed a person blocking the grocery store aisle for fifteen minutes trying to decide what brand of peanut butter to buy. When we avoid or delay making a decision even that is a decision. When we repeatedly make the same mistake it is no longer a mistake, it is a decision. We make most of our minor decisions automatically without giving them much thought otherwise we would become paralyzed with fear of making wrong choices.
There is one life or death decision that each of us must make and it is that decision to which the verse in Joel refers. We must decide to accept or reject God’s grace, mercy and salvation from sin through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Once we decide to put our faith in Jesus, God provides us with the Holy Spirit to help us make the best decisions for ourselves, our family and His kingdom (not in that order of course). I have said many times that when the Holy Spirit prompts you to do something you only have two options (one decision) – do it or regret it.
Love sometimes makes decisions for us. About eight years ago I retired because of limited mobility due to arthritis in my knees and sciatic nerve pain from my lower back shooting down my legs. I had great health insurance and Carol was there to help me through rehab so I was seriously considering knee replacement surgery on both knees (there was no sure cure available then for my sciatica). Around that time Carol found out she had cancer and all of my attention immediately shifted to her health instead. God has healed my sciatica, but I recently discovered that knee surgery is no longer an option due to deterioration of the bones in my knees and my current age. I trust God for complete healing whether it comes now or when I transition to life with Him, but I will never regret the decision to put off the surgery even if it means pain and mobility problems for the rest of my life on earth. This experience has given me a small insight into what Jesus went through in the Garden of Gethsemane. When faced with painful torture and death Jesus’ love for us made the decision for Him.