My brother James and I decided to venture into downtown Manous via bus.

He got onto his computer and looked up what buses took what routes, then made a list of bus numbers we could take to our destination and a list of bus number possibilities for our return. This was new territory for us, especially for me, since it was my first city bus ride. We made it from the bus stop we got on to our destination without trouble, though. There was a large clock next to a big church building for a landmark.

The ride back promised to be a bit more challenging. We would have to be looking for street signs. Finding the right bus took more looking, too. Many buses went through that particular destination; the road split with bus stop islands in the middle to accommodate them all.

We found a likely spot in the middle and got out the list to start looking.

A man standing nearby asked which bus we were looking for. James showed him the list.

“Terminal 2,” he said.

James tried explaining we didn’t want to go there. That had been our original departure place, but we wanted to get on a bus with a different route that had a stop slightly closer to the end point. The man listened as James taxed his Portuguese to try to explain our end point, then concluded we needed a bus for Terminal 2. “Come with me,” he said.

A bus came by from the second list. I pointed it out.

“No, no, no, that’s the wrong one,” the man told us.

The question boiled down to, who were we going to trust? James’ research on the internet, or a friendly stranger on the street?

The question of who to trust is not an uncommon one. Everywhere there are decisions to be made, there are varying opinions as to what to do. Whether dealing with medical issues, child training, or planning for the future, trying to make a decision can be overwhelming. Advice is great, but who should you listen to?

There is one sure source of wisdom, though: God, and His word, the Bible. I know, there is not going to be a verse saying, “Thou shalt wait for bus 218”, but we are assured that He has given to us everything pertaining to life and godliness by knowing Him (2 Peter 1:3), and are promised wisdom if we ask in faith. (James 1:5-6) So I want to encourage you as decisions perplex you—pray. Ask for wisdom. Follow God and get to know Him. Whichever way you end up going, Jesus Christ is there for you. You can trust Him.

You may be wondering what James and I did. Who did we trust? Well, we ended up waiting and getting into the same bus as our new acquaintance. It did indeed say Terminal 2, though it was not the first one by that said such. We ended up at the bus station not far from our destination. It was open at both sides, and as we started to walk out, the fellow rushed after us, led us out the other side, and gave instructions several times on how to get where we were going (though, once outside, James knew where we were).

But I can tell you I was praying a good deal of the bus ride.