How To Seek The Lord's Will

After Jesus ascended to His throne in heaven the Apostles were left with a dilemma. Judas had betrayed the LORD and their numbers were reduced to eleven rather than the required twelve. So they had to find a way to replace Judas. A decision had to be made. The question, however, was how this should be done. Here's what Luke reports Peter said.

For it is written in the Book of Psalms (Psalms 69:25 and 109:15),

    "'May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it';
   and
    "'Let another take his office.' 

 ²¹So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection." ²³And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. ²⁴And they prayed and said, "You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." ²⁶And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles (Acts 1).

 My concern is how they chose Matthias: "and they cast lots for them . . . and he was numbered with the eleven apostles." Is this indeed the preferred manner for choosing leaders in the church? Is this the correct way for any Christian or group of Christians to make a decision?

Let's start by asking what it means to "cast lots." There are many examples in the Bible. For instance the High Priest cast lots over the two goats in the ritual for the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:8). In dividing up the land Joshua cast lots before the LORD in Shiloh (Joshua 18:10). When the Israelites returned to Jerusalem after the 70 years of captivity in Babylon the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to live in the holy city (Nehemiah 11:1). Altogether the practice of “casting lots” is mentioned 70 times in the Old Testament and 7 times in the New Testament.

Exactly how the lots were cast may not be the critical concern. It could have been something like rolling the dice, pulling the short straw or putting your hand in a basket to pick out a black or white stone. Regardless of how it was done, the question remains, Should Christians still make decisions by casting lots?

Say, for instance, that you have a job offer and you can't seem to make up your mind whether to take it or not. Should you prayerfully come before the Lord Jesus to ask Him what to do? Should you grab a couple dice and say, "If You want me to take this job, then show me a number below six." And so you roll your dice and up comes three on one dice and two on the other. So do you now know it is His will for you to take the job? Has He made your decision? Be very wary of demanding such things from the LORD without a clear command to do so.

Many comment that it is no longer necessary for New Testament believers to cast lots. After the choosing of Matthias, we see no more attempts to discover the LORD's will in this manner.

We do indeed have  God's revelation made complete in Christ and we have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on His people, beginning with Pentecost. Consider, for instance, God's clear command forbidding the murder of another. Yet He has indicated that the "sword" is given to certain ones to carry out His justice (Romans 13:1-5). We have the responsibility to obey that commandment. We are not permitted to murder. Yet those who bear the "sword" (e.g. magistrates, police, soldiers) have the responsibility to wield the sword that can and does result in another's death. All this involves decision making.

The point is this. In making decisions let yourself be guided by God's revelation in the Scriptures, by prayer and by the counsel of brothers and sisters in the faith. When believers gather together in prayer, the Spirit of Christ is present among us, as He promises (Matthew 18:19-20). And then commit your decisions into the hands of your living and loving Lord. He will open some paths and close others. This was the experience of the early Church (Acts 16:7; Philippians 1:19). It is still so today.

Make your decisions in the light of God's revelation and guided by His Spirit. Trust in His guidance and all will be well. Seldom, if ever, is it wise to seek the Lord's will by casting lots. Much more could be said, but let this be enough for today.