Should I Make Decisions Based on Whether I Feel Peace?

Peace is a gift from God and a fruit of the Spirit. But is feeling a sense of peace necessary before making a big decision? This isn’t an easy question to answer, because there are several factors at play.

I’ve written about decision-making at other times (click here and here), so I don’t intend to cover all aspects of the decision-making process in this post. But sometimes, a certain course of action feels incredibly unsettling. Let’s think through why this might be and whether or not that should affect your decision.

The Israelites approaching Canaan provide us with a significant example of a big decision. After sending out twelve spies to survey the land, the intelligence report is grim. Two are in favor of invasion; ten recommend retreat. An agonizing night of sleepless anxiety intervenes, and then the nation comes to its decision. Because they lack peace, they refuse to invade the land.

This is a rather clear-cut case, because God’s Word is simple. It was faithless unbelief that was preventing the people from obtaining a great blessing. Yet sometimes, our own situations are similar. When our hearts are clouded by fear and unbelief, it is difficult to tell what exactly God wants from us. Even when God’s Word is not as explicit as it was to the ancient Hebrews, we can still miss the guidance of the Spirit if we are living in fear and anxiety.

This means that we need to be very careful to make decisions with a mindset of trust and belief in God. The more that we are governed by fear, the less we can rely on our own internal sense of peace. The more we are governed by faith, the more likely that a lack of peace should give us reason to pause.

A lack of peace could indicate that something is out of alignment. It may be a lack of faith in God, or a sinful fear. But it could also indicate a guilty conscience, nudging you to avoid a wrong decision. It could be as simple as feeling ‘overwhelmed’ by the speed at which life is changing. This in itself could lead to anxiety and restlessness, without indicating a problem. A lack of peace can sometimes stem from a sense that something is ‘off’ about the situation, which you can’t put your finger on. At such times, it is ideal to take the time to figure out why you feel this way.

In short, emotions—including the vague ‘sense of peace’ or ‘lack of peace’—are helpful indicators of your deepest feelings, but you should not rely on them to make decisions. 

Emotions provide valuable data, however, and you shouldn’t ignore them. Try to understand if a lack of peace comes from your own unbelief and fear, or if it springs from a legitimate concern about the situation. You need to deal with your own fear and unbelief, or you won’t have a clear mind to be able to decide well. But if the lack of peace persists, this may well be one way that the Lord is guiding you to reconsider the decision. Ask him to reveal what could be preventing peace, and trust that whatever decision you make is being guided by his hand (Proverbs 3:6).

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