“God, the one and only – I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not?” Psalm 62.1
In most turning points in life, there are two ways to conclude a decision. The more traditional method is to apply good decision techniques. Method examples include decision trees or plus and minus tables. Frequently people assume that the only way to make better decisions is to become more proficient at these methods.
There is a different way; hypothesis based decisions. One can state what must be true if the decision is yes and then look around to understand what evidence supports this conclusion. The advantage this method is twofold. One does not need to have in depth knowledge of alternatives or need to rely on getting perfect or complete information.
For example, look at how we make a simple decision about lunch. Decision trees require that we understand the alternatives, compare cost, food quality, and service. Hypothesis based decision-making uses the following steps:
If eating here is a good decision, I know the following is true;
I will like the establishment’s decor (it is a good idea)
The quality of the food I receive will be good (it can work)
The value for the food I eat will be excellent (what is going to happen)
The time I spend in the restaurant will be worthwhile (how is success measured)
I will be satisfied with my experience (more of how success is measured)
The only question to explore is what evidence do I have to validate or challenge my statements of truth! If there is information to support then I may go with confidence, if not then it is a gamble at best.
We often make our decision for God more difficult. You do not need to know evil to decide for God! Trying listing the things that must be true if God is a good idea. Why is God a good idea? Why can God work? What do I know will happen?
David said yes. I say yes. What do you say?
