In today’s Gospel our Lord goes up to a mountain to pray, spends all night in prayer, then as soon as day arrives He picks His 12 apostles. In this Gospel, Christ gives us a model to follow in our own lives with discernment of big decisions! Vocation, job, where to live, are just a few examples of tough decisions you may have to make, and many sincerely want to follow God’s will but don’t know how. So how do you discern God’s will? First, we must go somewhere we won’t be distracted and can be alone with God like Christ does when He goes up the mountain. “But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.” -Matthew 6:6
Time in Prayer
Second, we must spend a good amount of time in prayer. Our Lord spends all night in prayer, but for most people this will look like praying for many days about your decision. A helpful way is to pray for 30 minutes every day about it for 4 days in a row. During your prayer, you should see if God gives you interior consolation or peace about a certain decision. This is a good sign you are on the right path. Anxiety is not from God and if persistent, may indicate that God is calling you in a different direction.
After praying about it for several days and taking counsel from those you trust with good judgement, then make a decision and act. For vocation or other decisions that may take longer to discern, bring it to prayer often and ask for God’s guidance. Remember, God wants to make His will known you. God wants to guide you and make the beautiful path He has planned for you known! But in order for Him to do that we must be spending time alone with Him to give Him a chance to make clear His will! Below are some helpful verses to meditate on for discernment:
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.” -Ps 119:105
“My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” -John 10:27
