When you’re stuck in making a decision, maybe flipping a coin isn’t a test not of gravity and physics, but of God’s sovereignty. A test of whether or not we truly believe in God’s sovereignty. Here’s the power of it: leaving something to apparent chance removes me from the equation of decision-making. It nullifies the influence of my biases, my desires, my attachments.
It’s surprising how often chance is employed in the Bible as a means of making some rather significant decisions. King Saul was chosen by casting lots. Jonah was identified as the cause of the storm by drawing straws. Zechariah (father of John the Baptist) was called upon for priestly duties because the dice rolled his way. Even the choosing of Matthias to replace Judas as one of the twelve was decided my chance.
It’s easy to dismiss this as a relic of practices from a more superstitious time. After all, we are more sophisticated now. We’re smarter now. We have more data now. We’re wiser now.
Or not.
If you — in all your sophistication, intelligence, data, and wisdom — have whittled down a myriad options to two, yet feel stuck, what do you do? Maybe flipping a coin is the most faithful thing you can do. Instead of fretting for months, bouncing back and forth, experiencing the frustrating paralysis of indecision, maybe flipping a coin is your next step.
Flip a coin. Trust God. Move on.