The Shepherd of Our Decisions: A Simple Guide for the Indecisive

Mary Margaret Flook

Mary Margaret Flook

Mary Margaret Flook is social media manager and staff writer for The Baptist Courier.

In college, it seems every decision is a catastrophe — at least it is for those trying to decipher God’s will as if we’re Nicolas Cage in “National Treasure,” always looking for another clue. Two decisions that seemed catastrophic for me in college were my decision to quit the track team and my decision to change churches. But what made those decisions so difficult? Why are we so anxious about making decisions?

CAUSE OF ANXIETY 1:

A Misunderstanding of God’s Will

One cause of anxiety-laden decision-making is the false belief that I must figure out God’s sovereign will for my life in any given situation. We falsely believe that we need specific directions to be obedient. The first step to reducing anxiety in decision-making is a proper understanding of God’s will.

During my sophomore year of college, I was given the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Estonia. I hadn’t met the team in person, and only knew about the trip about a month prior. The question was, “Should I go?”

I stood on the steps of the world globe statue at North Greenville University, while on the phone with my dad. I asked him whether I should go. And he said (my paraphrase), “That’s your decision. You have all the information you need to make the decision. Mom and I have raised you and brought you up … .”

In that moment, it all clicked. “Oh … that’s how it works with God, too.”

My parents have been teaching me since I came out of the womb, and now it was time to put into practice what they taught me. It was no longer my parents’ responsibility to make decisions for me. It was my turn. I had a chance to honor my parents by making a decision in accordance with the values in which they’d instructed.

I think it’s similar with God.

God has given us His Word, which is sufficient for us to make wise decisions without having exact directions for every situation. God has saved us and is sanctifying us. He’ll never let us go. Decisions are a way to glorify God by putting our faith into practice.

We are blessed when we hear God’s Word and keep it (Lk. 11:28). God is glorified when we don’t have all the answers but step out and trust Him anyway (Gen. 12:1–5, Heb. 11:8). God is even glorified when we make the wrong decision, and He shows that His grace is sufficient. He leads us even after we go the wrong way — maybe even deliberately (remember Jonah?). God is glorified when we ask in faith for wisdom and He gives it to us (Jas. 1:5–8).

If God gave us specific directions every time we faced a decision, then we’d never need to ask God for wisdom. We’d never have the opportunity to apply the wisdom He generously gives (Jas. 1:5–8). If God told us exactly what to do, then how would we learn to apply God’s Word?

Where would the testing of our faith be? We’d have few mistakes to look back and see God’s grace and faithfulness.

We’d never grow into maturity. We’d stay infants.

We’re not responsible to know every specific plan that God has for our lives. You may not know. God is glorified in your “I don’t know,” because it magnifies His knowledge over yours. What do you know? What has God given you? He’s given you His Word. There are also other tools He’s allowed you to have, such as a mind that reasons and plans, fellow believers, wisdom from past experiences, circumstances, and prayer. Use those tools faithfully and obediently, and leave the outcome in the Lord’s hands.

But how do we know we’re doing God’s will?

We’re not going to delve into all the details of the “will of God” in this article. But John Piper explains God’s will in two ways — God’s will of decree, and God’s will of command.

God’s will of decree is God’s sovereign control over all things. Nothing happens apart from His will.

God’s will of command are all the commandments we find in the Bible, which are all summed up by the greatest commandment — loving God with all of our heart, soul, and mind — followed by loving our neighbor as ourselves. It’s also helpful to look at all the Scriptures that speak of God’s will for our lives (1 Thess. 4:3, 1 Thess. 5:16–24). Therefore, God’s will for our lives is to love Him with all of who we are and be conformed to the image of His Son (2 Cor. 3:18).

We don’t know God’s will of decree in full. We see what happens in our lives, but we don’t know what tomorrow holds. Think of God’s response to Job (Job 38–41). We aren’t held accountable for deciphering God’s specific plan for our lives. We cannot have infinite knowledge, for He is the Creator and sustainer of all things, and we are mere created beings (Is. 40:12–31).

But we are responsible for obeying His revealed will for our lives. Our responsibility is obedience to His revealed will, in His Word, not in some form of “extra” revelation.

God’s Word is the primary ruler for measuring our decisions rightly. So we read, meditate, and study it. And we pray for God’s wisdom. The Bible may not tell us specifically what to do, but it will give us the wisdom to apply biblical principles to present situations.

Piper rightly acknowledges, “The Bible does not tell you which person to marry, or which car to drive, or whether to own a home, where you take your vacation, what cell phone plan to buy, or which brand of orange juice to drink. Or a thousand other choices you must make.” (See Piper’s article: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/what-is-the-will-of-god-and-how-do-we-know-it.)

But Piper says that a renewed mind helps us rightly discern God’s will of command (His applied Word) to our lives.

Anxiety around decision-making should lessen when we realize that God has given us a new heart that is set free to do good works in Christ — free within the walls of Scripture. Let go of trying to find God’s will of decree. Instead, obediently follow His will of command and decide in faith and in freedom, even though you’re not 100 percent certain.

CAUSE OF ANXIETY 2:

A Faulty View of God

What if some decision-making anxiety is caused by a faulty view of God?

God as Father

When we fret and worry over every little decision, we’re viewing God like a master of a slave rather than a loving Father to a child. In a way, we’re viewing our decision as a way to rightly perform before God. But believers are already justified in His sight, and He is already pleased with us solely based on His Son, Jesus. Our performance isn’t necessary, just faith in Him. And out of that faith will come good works that please God (Heb. 11:6).

We must begin to see God as our Father. How did the father respond to the prodigal son in Luke 15:11–32? The prodigal son made a bad decision, but the father embraced him before the son even admitted his sin.

God is our Father, not a slave master. We are His children. Remember what He’s taught you in His Word, and make a decision that honors Your Father. And if somehow you fail, know that your Father will always welcome you back home.

God as Shepherd

Do you view God like a harsh commander of an army and fear you won’t obey the right order? Or do you view Jesus as a loving Shepherd, who is there with you every step of the way?

A humble, gospel-centered woman once told me, “God isn’t your mapmaker, He’s your shepherd.” By saying that, she wasn’t implying that God doesn’t have a “map” or plan for our lives. She was saying that, in our perspective, God leads us like a shepherd and doesn’t show us the whole map of our lives.

He leads us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Ps. 23:3). He’s with us in the valley of the shadow of death (Ps. 23:4). He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies (Ps. 23:5). He keeps His sheep. No one can snatch the sheep out of His hand (Jn. 10:27–30).

God as Sovereign

God is all-knowing and completely in control (even of our decisions):

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it” (Ps. 139:1–6).

God is acquainted with all our ways. He knows it all. Read Psalm 139 and begin to cherish the depth of His loving knowledge.

I’ve spent a long time explaining to God all that was troubling me, trying to get Him to understand my situation and the reason for my doubt. But He already gets it. What’s dark to us is light to Him (Ps. 139:11–12).

Everything down here is still murky, mucky, and confusing (1 Cor. 13:12). But God sees everything as clear as day. Praise God for that! His knowledge gives us peace in our “unknowing.”

We don’t have to figure out every single little detail. God gets it. We can rest in His understanding, His knowledge, His plans, His providence, His control over ours (Prov. 3:5–6).

God is the ultimate determiner of your decisions. You’re not bigger than God.

  • “The heart of man plans his way,but the Lord establishes his steps” (Prov. 16:9).
  •  “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Prov. 19:21).
  • “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Prov. 16:33).

Do you realize how not in control you are of your life?

God as Judge

Do you view God like a grandfather who will only reward and never discipline, like no decision you make really matters anyway?

A truth that goes along with God’s sovereignty is man’s responsibility. Yes, God is in control, but we are also accountable to God for our works. When David committed adultery, there were hard and painful consequences. When Moses disobeyed God, he couldn’t enter the promised land. There are real consequences to our actions. There is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, but there is loving discipline (Rom. 8:1, Heb. 12:4–11). This discipline goes back to viewing God as our loving Father. For the Christian, all discipline is done in love. But we will stand before God and be judged one day (2 Cor. 5:10).

We are responsible to obey the revelation we have: the Bible. We are responsible to ask God for wisdom and apply it to our situation. We pray, seek God in His Word, ask for wise biblical counsel, and decide. And, yes, we are responsible for the decisions we make. Decisions to sin and go against God’s Word are deadly and will destroy you. Never go against God’s Word in any decision. Instead, follow the Shepherd, by following His Word.

And following His Word doesn’t guarantee an easy outcome. Often obeying God’s will is the road that leads right to the cross.

“… Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Lk. 22:42).

But don’t forget about His glorious resurrection … a resurrection that guarantees our own.

God as Faithful

The Lord Jesus Christ is faithful. Yes, and He is faithful even when we are not. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5).

“The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (Ps. 121:7–8).

“[I]f we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim. 2:13).

CAUSE OF ANXIETY 3:

A Lack of Trust

Unbelief causes worry, anxiety, and fear. Peter was walking on the water, and when Jesus said, “Come,” he got out of the boat. Then he saw the wind; he was afraid and began to sink (Matt. 14:22–32). When Sarah doubted God’s promise, she sought to accomplish God’s plan her own way by having her husband sleep with her maidservant, Hagar. Instead of faith in God’s promise, she relied on her own works to bear the promised son. Unbelief breeds fear and sin.

But faith breeds peace and obedience. When Abraham didn’t consider the deadness of his body, but instead believed God’s promise, his faith was accounted to him as righteousness (Rom. 4:18–25). When God called Abraham, “he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8b).

There may not be a specific promise catered to our specific situation. But there are promises that apply to how we respond in our situation. One of the simplest Scriptures says, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Ps. 56:3).

When we demand extensive knowledge and are paralyzed in anxious fear, we aren’t trusting God. Friend, trust God enough to make a decision, even when you don’t understand (Prov. 3:5–6).

My seemingly catastrophic decisions to quit the track team and change churches have brought me closer to Jesus. What decision will bring you closer to Him?