Question: Are you saying that God doesn't care about decisions that aren't specified in the Bible? For instance, does He really not care whom I might choose as a marriage partner?

Answer: I avoid saying "God doesn't care" about a non-commanded decision because that terminology implies indifference (though 1 Corinthians 7:19 and 8:8 come very close to that wording). I affirm with Scripture that God cares about every aspect of the life of His child (Matthew 6:25-34; 1 Peter 5:7). But that concern doesn't require Him to dictate our decisions. The positive way to express it is to say that God is equally pleased with two options that equally conform to His moral will.

Furthermore, as we shall see, there are at least two ways in which He is actively involved in our decision making-even in the area of freedom. First, He promises to give us wisdom to recognize if one option is more profitable than another (see the next chapter). Second, He sovereignly directs all things (including our freely chosen decisions) so that they work together for good. God cares that we believe Him when He says that we are free, and He cares that we enjoy and use that freedom to His glory. Remember the freedom given to Adam and Eve? It was in God's gracious and perfect guidance that He said, "of every tree of the garden you may freely eat"-not because He did not care.