How to Make Wise Decisions: 3 Biblical Principles for Trusting God

Written By Ray Hintz

Every day, we make hundreds of decisions. Some are so small that we barely think about them, while others have the potential to change the direction of our lives. We decide what to eat, what to wear, how to spend our time, and how to respond to the people around us. Then there are the bigger questions: Should I take this job? Is it time to make a change? Should I have that difficult conversation? How do I know if I'm making the right decision?

I've discovered that even the simplest decisions can become unnecessarily complicated.

Every Sunday morning, before I come to church, I have to decide what I'm going to wear. Now, I'm a pretty simple guy. If it were completely up to me, I'd wear a black T-shirt, black jacket, black jeans, and the same shoes every single week. It would be my uniform, and I'd have one less decision to make.

But my wife, Carol, thinks I should mix things up a little.

So I stand in front of my closet trying to remember what I wore the last few Sundays. And because I genuinely can't remember, I've actually pulled up our church's YouTube channel and looked through previous sermon thumbnails to figure it out. Then I have to decide how much time needs to pass before I can wear the same jacket again. Four weeks? Six weeks? Does it count if I change the shirt underneath?

All that effort just to decide what to wear on Sunday morning.

Of course, most decisions aren't that complicated. But life has a way of presenting us with situations where the answers aren't nearly as obvious.

You can pray, research, talk with people you trust, and consider every possible outcome, yet still find yourself saying, "God, I don't know what to do."

That's why I love the wisdom found in Proverbs 3:5–6:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

As we concluded our Walking in Wisdom series at Abundant Life Church, we explored what these familiar verses teach us about making everyday decisions. Solomon isn't offering a formula that guarantees we'll always know what comes next. He's showing us where to turn when we don't have all the answers.

And his instruction begins with something that challenges our natural instincts.

Trust God More Than Yourself

Proverbs 3:5 begins with a simple but challenging instruction: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."

The word lean creates a helpful picture. When you lean against something, you're placing your weight on it and trusting it to support you. Solomon is telling us to consider what we're relying on to support our decisions.

Every one of us has our own understanding. We have experiences, opinions, preferences, and instincts that influence how we see the world. Sometimes those things serve us well. Experience can help us recognize patterns, avoid mistakes, and make thoughtful choices.

But we also have blind spots.

We don't always recognize how our emotions are influencing us. We can convince ourselves that something is right simply because it's what we want. And sometimes, the more confident we feel about a decision, the less willing we are to question our assumptions.

Why Our Own Understanding Isn't Always Reliable

Think about how easily we can talk ourselves into buying something online.

You go online looking for a phone charger. That's it. You know exactly what you need, and you're determined not to get distracted. But then the website starts recommending other products.

Suddenly, there's a flashlight.

You weren't looking for a flashlight. You don't need a flashlight. But it has 4.8 stars, thousands of reviews, and apparently it's on sale.

Then you read a review from a guy named Steve who says it's the best flashlight he's ever owned.

Now, you don't know Steve. For all you know, this could be the only flashlight Steve has ever owned. Maybe he received it for free. Maybe Steve has absolutely no idea what he's talking about.

But before long, you're convinced that you can't afford not to buy this flashlight.

It's amazing how quickly we can justify something when we already want it.

And that tendency extends far beyond online shopping.

We can convince ourselves that we need to confront someone because "somebody has to tell them the truth," when we're actually speaking out of anger. We can tell ourselves that we're waiting on God when we're really avoiding something He's already made clear. We can claim we're protecting our peace when we're simply unwilling to have an uncomfortable conversation.

Proverbs 14:12 warns:

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."

The troubling part of that verse is that the way seems right. We can feel completely justified in our decisions and still be moving in the wrong direction.

That's why trusting God requires more than asking for His help when we're confused. It also means surrendering the decisions where we're convinced we already know what's best.

How to Trust God When Making a Decision

Trusting God doesn't mean abandoning reason, refusing to make plans, or ignoring the wisdom we've gained through experience. It means recognizing that God's perspective is greater than our own.

He sees things we cannot see. He understands our motives, our fears, our pride, and the ways our past experiences may be influencing us. He knows where a particular path can lead, even when we can only see what's immediately in front of us.

Sometimes the most important prayer we can pray is, "God, this makes sense to me. This is what I want, and this is what feels right. But I want Your wisdom more than I want my own way."

That kind of surrender isn't always easy, especially when we've already become emotionally invested in a particular outcome. But wisdom begins when we stop assuming we're always right and start trusting the One who sees the whole picture.

Invite God Into Every Part of Your Life

The next instruction in Proverbs 3:6 is just as important: "In all your ways acknowledge him."

That phrase is remarkably comprehensive. Solomon doesn't tell us to acknowledge God only when we're facing a major crisis or making an important spiritual decision. He tells us to acknowledge Him in all our ways.

The Hebrew word translated all is kol, which communicates the idea of everything or the entirety of something.

In other words, God wants to be involved in every part of our lives.

He cares about our marriages, our finances, our work, our relationships, and the way we raise our children. He cares about how we spend our time, how we respond when we're frustrated, and what we choose to do when nobody else is watching.

Yet if we're honest, most of us are more comfortable inviting God into certain areas of our lives than others.

We're happy to involve Him in our Sunday mornings. We pray when something goes wrong and ask Him to bless our meals. We may even seek His direction when we're facing a major life decision.

But other areas of our lives can become places where we quietly assume we've got everything under control.

We may never say it out loud, but our actions communicate something like, "God, I've got the finances handled. I'll let You know if I need help." Or, "I know this relationship is complicated, but I can manage it myself."

Sometimes we become so accustomed to handling certain parts of life independently that we don't even recognize how little we've invited God into them.

Are There Rooms in Your Life You've Closed Off to God?

Imagine someone unexpectedly announces they're coming over to your house.

You can probably make the living room look presentable fairly quickly. Straighten the pillows, clear off the coffee table, turn on a lamp, and maybe light a candle to create the impression that your home is always peaceful and organized.

But then there's that one room.

You know the room I'm talking about. It's where you throw everything when people are coming over. There's a laundry basket, unopened mail, random cords that don't seem to belong to anything, and an Amazon return you've been meaning to send back for a month.

The door stays closed.

And if someone starts walking toward it, you immediately redirect them. "Oh, you don't need to go in there."

Sometimes we approach our relationship with God the same way.

We're comfortable inviting Him into the visible parts of our lives. We let Him see us worship, serve, give, and participate in church. But there may be other areas we've quietly closed off.

Perhaps it's bitterness we've been carrying for years. Maybe it's a relationship we don't want to surrender, a spending habit we've been hiding, or a private struggle we've convinced ourselves isn't a big deal. It could even be a schedule that's become so full that we're constantly exhausted, yet we resist slowing down because we don't want to give anything up.

We allow God into the living room, but we're reluctant to open the doors to the places that need His attention most.

And often, the reason is shame.

We don't want to acknowledge what's happening in those areas because we're afraid of what it might mean.

But here's what we need to understand: God isn't standing outside those doors waiting to shame us. He wants to bring His wisdom and healing into the places we've been trying to manage on our own.

Whatever we continually keep away from Him can eventually become something that keeps us from walking in freedom.

God Invites Us to Ask for Wisdom

James 1:5 gives us a beautiful promise:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach."

God isn't frustrated when we come to Him with another question. He's not rolling His eyes because we're facing another difficult decision or struggling with something we thought we'd already overcome.

He invites us to ask for wisdom, and He gives generously.

That invitation applies to the big decisions we're facing, but it also applies to the everyday choices that shape our character and relationships.

Sometimes we need wisdom about a career change or an important financial commitment. Other times, we need wisdom about how to respond to a frustrating coworker, whether to apologize to someone we've hurt, or how to create healthier priorities in our family.

When we begin inviting God into those everyday moments, our relationship with Him becomes more than something we practice during a church service. It becomes the foundation for the way we live.

And that's what Solomon means when he tells us to acknowledge God in all our ways.

Walk the Path God Puts in Front of You

The final part of Proverbs 3:6 contains an encouraging promise: "And he will make straight your paths."

As we learn to trust God rather than relying entirely on ourselves, and as we acknowledge Him in every area of life, He promises to direct our path.

But we need to understand what that promise does and doesn't mean.

It doesn't mean we'll never face uncertainty, experience disappointment, or encounter difficult circumstances. And it certainly doesn't mean God will reveal every detail of our future before asking us to move forward.

Most of the time, I've found that God gives us enough wisdom for the next step rather than showing us the entire journey.

Psalm 119:105 says:

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

A lamp provides light for the ground immediately in front of you. It helps you see where to place your next footstep, but it doesn't illuminate every turn, hill, or obstacle that might be further down the road.

And that can be frustrating because most of us would prefer a stadium light.

We'd love for God to show us exactly what college to attend, which job to take, where to live, how a relationship will turn out, what our children will decide, and how every financial concern will be resolved.

We want the whole plan.

But God's guidance often comes one step at a time.

Making Plans While Trusting God's Direction

Proverbs 16:9 reminds us:

"The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."

There's nothing wrong with making plans. We should think carefully, seek wise counsel, consider our responsibilities, and pray about the decisions in front of us.

God hasn't called us to live carelessly or avoid planning for the future.

But He does invite us to hold our plans with open hands.

Sometimes a door we expected to open remains closed. Sometimes an opportunity arrives that we never anticipated. And sometimes life takes us down a road we never would have chosen for ourselves.

In those moments, trusting God doesn't mean pretending everything is easy or that we understand why things happened the way they did.

It means believing that He can still guide us, even when the path looks different from what we imagined.

Finding God's Guidance Through Pain and Uncertainty

One of the most powerful examples of this kind of faith is the story of Kim Phuc.

When Kim was just nine years old, she was caught in a napalm attack during the Vietnam War. A photograph of her running down a road after the attack became one of the most recognizable images of the war.

She survived, but the experience left her with severe burns, years of medical treatment, and deep emotional wounds.

Nobody would willingly choose that path. Nobody would choose the pain, the surgeries, or the memories of something so devastating.

Years later, Kim encountered the message of Jesus through a New Testament she found in a library. Her faith became a turning point in her life, helping her begin the difficult journey toward forgiveness.

She eventually established the Kim Foundation to help children affected by war and violence.

Reflecting on her experience, she shared how forgiveness had freed her from hatred, even though she continued to live with physical scars and pain.

Her story is a reminder that trusting God doesn't mean our suffering suddenly disappears. It doesn't require us to pretend that painful experiences were good or that the people who hurt us did nothing wrong.

Instead, it means recognizing that God can meet us in our pain and help us move forward.

Sometimes the path behind us is filled with things we never would have chosen. We didn't choose the diagnosis, the loss, the betrayal, or the unexpected circumstances that changed our lives.

We may not be able to understand everything that happened, and we may not know exactly what the future holds.

But God can still give us wisdom for the next step.

When God's Next Step Requires Letting Go

For some people, the next step of faith isn't about making a new decision. It's about releasing something they've been carrying for far too long.

I know what that's like.

Years ago, I was deeply hurt by someone I loved. The pain was significant, and for a while, I wondered whether I would ever fully recover.

I told myself that I had forgiven this person, but there was something from that season I continued holding onto. It was a reminder of what had happened, something I could return to whenever I wanted. And every time I did, it brought me right back to the hurt, the words, and the betrayal.

In many ways, it became an anchor tying me to a season God was trying to help me move beyond.

For a long time, I knew I needed to let it go, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Part of me felt that releasing it would somehow minimize what had happened. I worried that letting go meant giving up my right to acknowledge the pain.

But eventually, I realized I couldn't keep saying I trusted God with my future while holding onto something that continually pulled me back into my past.

So I got rid of it.

That decision didn't erase the pain or make what happened acceptable. It didn't instantly resolve every emotion I was carrying.

But it was an act of surrender.

It was my way of saying, "God, I don't want this thing to keep having a hold on me. I want to stop leaning on my own understanding and trust You with what comes next."

And that decision became an important step toward forgiveness and healing.

What Is the Next Step God Is Asking You to Take?

Perhaps you're facing a decision right now and desperately want God to reveal the entire outcome before you move forward.

Maybe you're waiting for certainty about a relationship, a job, a financial decision, or a difficult conversation. Or perhaps you're carrying something painful from your past that continues influencing the way you live today.

You may not know exactly how everything will turn out, but there may be a step God has already made clear.

That step could involve asking for help rather than continuing to carry a burden alone. It might mean scheduling an appointment you've been avoiding, having an honest conversation, extending forgiveness, or making a decision you've delayed because you're afraid of what comes next.

Sometimes walking in wisdom means moving forward faithfully with what God has already shown us instead of waiting until every question has been answered.

You don't have to see the whole path to trust God with your next step.

That doesn't mean acting impulsively or ignoring wise counsel. It means recognizing that faith often requires us to respond to the light God has already provided.

How to Apply Proverbs 3:5–6 to Everyday Decisions

The wisdom of Proverbs 3:5–6 is practical because it speaks to the decisions we face in ordinary life, not just the moments when everything feels uncertain.

When you're making a financial decision, trusting God may involve honestly examining your motives and considering whether your choice reflects wise stewardship.

When you're dealing with conflict, acknowledging God may mean asking whether your words are motivated by love and truth or by anger and a desire to prove yourself right.

When you're feeling overwhelmed by your schedule, seeking wisdom may involve recognizing that you've committed to more than you can reasonably sustain and that something needs to change.

And when you're facing a decision that doesn't have an obvious answer, walking in wisdom may mean praying, seeking counsel, studying Scripture, and taking the next responsible step without demanding a guarantee about the outcome.

God's guidance doesn't always arrive as a dramatic revelation. Often, it becomes clearer as we consistently surrender our hearts, seek His wisdom, and respond faithfully to what He's already made known.

The more we learn to trust Him in ordinary decisions, the more natural it becomes to depend on Him when we face extraordinary challenges.

Conclusion: Trust God With Your Next Step

Throughout our Walking in Wisdom series, we've explored how God's wisdom influences the way we speak, work, manage money, build relationships, receive correction, and raise our families.

But all those areas of life have something in common: they require us to make decisions.

And Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us that wise decisions begin with a relationship of trust.

We learn to trust God more than ourselves, recognizing that our understanding is limited and that our emotions and desires don't always lead us in the right direction.

We invite Him into every part of our lives, including the places we've been reluctant to surrender. Instead of turning to God only when something goes wrong, we begin acknowledging Him in the ordinary choices that shape who we're becoming.

And then we walk the path He places in front of us, trusting that He can guide our steps even when we cannot see the entire journey.

Maybe today you're facing a decision that feels overwhelming. Perhaps you're carrying pain from a season you never would have chosen, or you're struggling to release something that has kept you tied to the past.

Whatever you're facing, you don't have to figure everything out on your own.

God invites you to bring your questions, your fears, your plans, and your uncertainties to Him. He isn't asking you to have every answer before you take another step. He's asking you to trust Him.

At Abundant Life Church, we believe God's hope and healing can transform lives, families, and generations. That transformation often begins with the everyday decisions we make as we learn to follow Jesus more faithfully.

So whatever decision is in front of you today, remember the promise of Proverbs 3:5–6.

Trust God with all your heart. Invite Him into every part of your life. And take the next step He's placed before you.

You may not know where the entire road leads, but you can trust the One who is leading you.

Grow in Faith at Abundant Life Church

At Abundant Life Church in Wilmington, Massachusetts, we're passionate about helping people know God, find community, discover God's purpose, and make a difference.

Our Walking in Wisdom series explores how the timeless truths of Proverbs can transform our everyday lives, including our relationships, work, decisions, and finances.

Whether you're exploring Christianity for the first time or looking for a church where you can grow in your faith, we'd love to welcome you.

Visit Abundant Life Church to learn more about our church, Sunday services, small groups, and opportunities to get connected.

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Ray Hintz
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