Acts 1:21-26: a reflection

21“Of the men therefore who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22beginning from the baptism of John to the day that he was received up from us, of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23They put forward two: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24They prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen 25to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.” 26They drew lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was counted with the eleven apostles.

When the apostles must choose someone to take the place left by Judas, they do not simply decide by their own judgment; they bring the decision to God in prayer. They put forward two suitable men, and then pray: You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen. They ask the God who knows every heart, who sees what they cannot, to reveal his choice. Rather than relying only on their own assessment, they seek God's guidance, trusting that he knows the hearts of the candidates far better than they do. In a significant decision, they turn to the God who knows all hearts, asking him to guide the choice, entrusting it to the one who sees what they cannot.

Notice how the apostles made their decision: by seeking the guidance of the God who knows all hearts. They had narrowed the choice to two suitable men; but rather than simply choosing by their own judgment, they prayed, asking the Lord, who knows the hearts of all, to show his choice. They recognized that God saw what they could not, the hearts of the candidates, and so they sought his guidance rather than relying only on their own assessment. In a weighty decision, they turned to God, trusting that he knew best and asking him to guide. The God who knows every heart was the one they sought for direction, not their own insight alone. They brought the decision to the one who sees what human judgment cannot.

That is worth taking to heart, for we do well to seek God's guidance in our decisions, trusting the God who knows every heart. When we face decisions, we can rely only on our own judgment, our own assessment of the options; but the apostles, facing a weighty choice, sought the guidance of the God who knows all hearts, trusting that he saw what they could not. There is wisdom in bringing our decisions to God, who knows every heart and every outcome we cannot foresee. Do not rely only on your own judgment in your decisions; seek God's guidance, trusting the God who knows every heart, as the apostles prayed for his choice. Seek God's guidance in your decisions, trusting the God who knows every heart and sees what you cannot, as the apostles prayed, you, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one you have chosen; for we see only in part, but God knows every heart and every outcome, and there is wisdom in bringing our decisions to him for guidance rather than relying only on our own limited judgment.

Lord, when the apostles must choose someone to take the place left by Judas, they do not simply decide by their own judgment; they bring the decision to you in prayer. They put forward two suitable men, and then pray: you, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two you have chosen. They ask you, the God who knows every heart, who sees what they cannot, to reveal your choice. Rather than relying only on their own assessment, they seek your guidance, trusting that you know the hearts of the candidates far better than they do. In a significant decision, they turn to you, asking you to guide the choice. Show me how the apostles made their decision: by seeking the guidance of you, who know all hearts. They had narrowed the choice to two suitable men; but rather than simply choosing by their own judgment, they prayed, asking you to show your choice. They recognized that you saw what they could not, and so they sought your guidance rather than relying only on their own assessment. In a weighty decision, they turned to you, trusting that you knew best. Take that to my heart, for I do well to seek your guidance in my decisions, trusting you who know every heart. When I face decisions, I can rely only on my own judgment; but the apostles sought the guidance of you, who know all hearts. There is wisdom in bringing my decisions to you, who know every heart and every outcome I cannot foresee. Keep me from relying only on my own judgment in my decisions; help me seek your guidance, Lord, trusting you who know every heart, as the apostles prayed for your choice.