One Bible Passage that Relieves the Anxiety of Decision-Making
By Michael Kelley
Life is, in a sense, about making decisions. Granted, some of those decisions are more consequential than others, but whether big or small, we make thousands of decisions every day:
What to eat
What to wear
Which item on the to-do list to tackle first
Whether to make the phone call or text
We make most of those daily decisions without even thinking about doing so. We just act, and for the most part, that’s fine - we really don’t need an hour-long deliberation over whether to have the burger or chicken for lunch. We just need to choose, and move forward.
But every so often we come to a significant decision that we know will alter the trajectory of not only our lives, but the lives of those we live. These are decisions about career, relationships, and even our perceived calling from the Lord.
While every decision really does matter, these types of decisions seem to matter more. Because they do, we often experience a lot of anxiety leading up to them, and an equal amount after them.
Before the decision, we ask questions:
What are the implications of going this way or that?
How will making this decision affect my lifestyle?
Is there one choice that sets me and my family up better for the future?
To be clear, these are not decisions of morality; it’s not as if we are choosing whether to help someone in need or place a huge bet on a football game (though that, too, is a choice). These are decisions that are murkier - you can see the good in either choice, and neither one is inherently sinful or disobedient to God’s revealed will. And because there isn’t really a “bad” decision in that scenario, the questions that come after are almost always worse:
Did I do the right thing?
Would it have been better if I had made a different choice?
Have I messed up my future by going this way?
There is a Bible passage that can help with the anxiety that comes both before and after those decisions. It comes from Acts 16, and it involves one of Paul’s missionary journeys:
They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. Passing by Mysia they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!” After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them (Acts 16:6-10).
Paul’s ambition was to preach Christ where He had never been preached before. For that reason, he wanted to go into Asia, though we don’t know exactly where. He had the most noble of noble intentions, and yet the Lord stopped him. So he tried again. And again, the intentions were noble. And yet again he was prevented.
We don’t know how the Holy Spirit forbade Paul and his companions, nor do we know how the Spirit of Jesus refused them entrance. We just know He did. And that is the pin that bursts the bubble in our own anxiety around decision-making.
Put simply, as good and right as Paul’s intentions were, God had other plans. That truth helps reframe what we are really doing - and not doing - when we make decisions.
Our job in making decisions is to do all the things we know we should do. We should weigh possible implications. We should seek counsel from others. We should pray and ask God to search our hearts for any offensive or self-centered purpose in us. But our job is not to anticipate every potential outcome. That’s the job of the Lord.
And because it is, we can make our choices and then trust. As He did with Paul, the Lord will get us where He wants us one way or another. So when we choose in the best way we can, we can move forward in confidence. We don’t have to burden ourselves with endless second-guessing.
The Lord is faithful. He will accomplish His purposes.
Michael Kelley is a husband, father of three, author, and speaker from Nashville, TN. His latest book is a year-long family devotional guide called The Whole Story for the Whole Family. Find his personal blog at michaelkelley.co.
