Prayer and Priorities in Goal-Setting

In the Pathway program, we're currently learning about choices and goal-setting. As part of this learning, we're participating in a discussion in which we of us responds to one of a number of prompts, and then we each respond to each other. For my initial discussion board post, I had to choose between writing about prayer and goal-setting, and priorities in goal-setting. Right now, I'd like to blog about both.

In my discussion board post, I wrote about how our priorities shape our goal-setting and our individual choices. If you have to choose between doing either of two things in one afternoon, you have to choose whichever one you want to do more than the other. This pattern holds true on a larger scale as well. If you have to choose between doing either of two things with your one lifetime, you have to choose whichever one you want to accomplish more than the other. Then, you should set goals and make plans to remind you of the priority you set for yourself.

The trouble is that there aren't only two choices. There are thousands, and picking the best set of priorities and goals to match your own talents, abilities, personality, and future opportunities can be impossible, especially if you make your choices at random, or based on your own thoughts and feelings. It's better to set our goals on priorities established by Someone with greater foresight than ours, Someone who knows us and our futures better than we do, and Someone who desires less for us than the best future we could possibly have.

By seeking God's help in setting our goals and priorities, we can make more wise and inspired decisions, leading to a better future than we could have had by making choices at random. Must successful people became successful by making plans and following them with determination. If we enlist God's help in making our plans, all the better. We need to establish our priorities before we set firm goals, and we're far more likely to set the right priorities if we try to do so through prayer.