A Prayer to Overcome Decision Fatigue - Your Daily Prayer - May 5

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A Prayer to Overcome Decision Fatigue
By: Whitney Hopler

Bible Reading:
“Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” – Psalm 25:4-5, NIV 

Listen or Read Below:

Have you ever found yourself standing in the middle of a grocery store aisle, staring at the wide variety of breakfast cereal or pasta sauce all around you, and feeling burned out from having to make yet another decision? If you’ve already spent hours making high-stakes decisions at work or going over tricky choices, talking with a friend, you can become so stressed that just one more choice feels like too much. Our world is full of options. That’s good in some ways, but it can also lead to decision fatigue. Every decision requires a withdrawal from your mental bank account, and eventually, you hit a zero balance. 

Decision fatigue is the mental exhaustion that sets in when you’ve had too many choices to make without enough time to rest. Those decisions can be major (like whether to have another child or switch jobs) or everyday (like what to wear or what to cook for dinner). Decision fatigue is caused by the overwhelming number of decisions you have to make at a given time. 

In Psalm 25:4-5, the Bible offers you a prayer that can help you overcome decision fatigue. These verses emphasize God’s personal guidance and teaching. They point to the reality that God doesn’t just hand out maps; God walks with you as your personal guide. When you’re exhausted by the huge number of choices you face, the prayer in Psalm 25:4-5 can help you clear the way to move forward. 

Asking God to show you his ways, as these verses encourage you to do, is an act of faith that actually simplifies your life. It moves the burdens from you to God. Instead of trying to calculate every possible outcome of an important decision you need to make, you can just trust that God will lead you to make the best choice. 

These verses end by telling God: “My hope is in you all day long.” God is present with you throughout each day, and you can rely on him to help you make decisions. You can connect with God’s presence and pray about every decision you need to make – from a morning decision about a work project to an afternoon decision while parenting your children after school. 

So, when you feel overwhelmed because you’re facing too many choices, stop to remind yourself of where your hope really comes from. Your hope doesn’t come from your ability to make a perfect choice. Your hope is in Jesus, who has already secured your future. 

You don’t need to worry that making a wrong choice will take away what’s most important in your life – God’s love and peace. No matter if you make a wise decision or make a mistake, God will still give you love and peace. That reality can relieve a lot of pressure. You can simply ask God to show you the next best decision, and then trust that God will give you just enough light for the step you are taking. 

You also don’t need to get stuck in “analysis paralysis” because you’re trying to see the end from the beginning. Only God can do that. But when you pray, “teach me your paths,” you can break free from the pressure of trying to know what only God knows. 

God is an expert at taking your messy, fatigued decisions and weaving them into his good plans. God is your Savior – not just from your sins, but from the stressful burden of having to be your own guide. Today, let God’s truth be the filter through which you see your options. If a choice doesn’t line up with God’s truth, you can let it go. If it does, you can move forward with the confidence that God is walking right beside you. 

Let’s Pray:

Dear God, I’m tired. My mind feels like a computer with too many tabs open. I’m so stressed that I’m struggling to find the quiet space I need to hear your voice. From the big questions about my future to the small details of my daily routine, the weight of deciding feels like too much to carry.

Right now, I choose to place my hope in you. Show me your ways and teach me how to walk every step along with you as you guide me. Please give me the strong peace that only you can provide. Keep guiding me, and help me trust that even when I feel lost, I can ask you for help and you’ll show me the way.

Thank you, God. Amen.

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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Klaus Vedfelt 

Whitney Hopler helps people discover God's wonder and experience awe. She is the author of several books, including the nonfiction books Wake Up to Wonder and Wonder Through the Year: A Daily Devotional for Every Year, and the young adult novel Dream Factory. Whitney has served as an editor at leading media organizations, including Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national publications, and Dotdash.com (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She currently leads the communications work at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Connect with Whitney on her website at www.whitneyhopler.com and on her Facebook author page.

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