Exposing the false choice dilemma

“Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.”  Proverbs 19:21

Are you familiar with the “false choice dilemma”?  We in our society have been exposed to it a lot over the past several years, although we’ve not always recognized it as such.  The false choice dilemma is a rhetorical technique in which one argues for a certain position by suggesting that there is only one other alternative – an inferior one, at that – when, in fact, there are several other possibilities.  We might hear a politician, for instance, insist, “We must raise taxes or leave a huge deficit for future generations!”  Framing the issue in only two alternatives ignores other possibilities, such as eliminating wasteful spending (and others).

Sometimes, we believers engage in one false choice battle, in particular: to plan our steps on our own, or just to trust God to illumine our path as we go.  Planning seems practical and responsible, while trusting seems faithful and submissive to God.  So which way are we to choose?

Ever wise, King Solomon exposed this either/or fallacy in today’s verse ... and perhaps even more clearly in Proverbs 16:9, a close corollary that reads, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”  The fact of the matter is, there is room for both our planning and God’s sovereignty!  Not only can we make plans, we should make them … and make them prayerfully.  At the same time, we need to understand that God is sovereign and that it is he who ultimately determines our steps.

For sure, there are legitimate either/or scenarios.  Jesus said, for instance, that if we are not for him, we are against him.  (Argue with him if you wish; just prepare to be humbled.)  But we shouldn’t see planning and submitting as mutually exclusive.

Plan all we want to!  Pray as we plan!  Then honor and trust God’s sovereignty.

And when his path diverges from ours, follow him.

[To see today’s daily reading in Proverbs 19:17-23, click here.]