Good Luck…I mean, Go With God
We should try not to allow the opinions and judgments of others get to us too much. We have to admit that we occasionally we find ourselves saying words when sending off a fellow believer with a word of encouragement as they enter into any given challenge, a sporting event or test .We are inclined to say “Good luck!” but will that cause those people to think we as Christians believe in the notion of luck? Let's set the record straight: There is no such thing as luck we should not believe in it. Nothing happens by chance we have just read it inProverbs 16:33God is sovereign over everything Ephesians 1:1111 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,[a] for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.Psalm 115:33 Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.Isaiah 46:9-109 Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me.10 Only I can tell you the future before it even happens.Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.Even the smallest of life’s occurrences are known by Him. That is a comforting thought!But in saying “good luck” does that mean that we do not acknowledging God’s sovereignty? Or if we say, “You were fortunate” or “she is lucky,” Are we showing that we have bought into a worldview that believes life happens at random? Does it mean that we believe life’s moments are at the mercy of a mere roll of the metaphysical dice?NO.Perhaps “good luck” is merely a turn of phrase. Maybe “good luck” is as harmless as saying “break a leg” when trying to encourage an actor going on stage. I suppose for some, it may mean more, but for a Christian to say “good luck,” can we agree that the words are simply a way to express the sentiment “to do well at whatever” or even “God bless you in that endeavour”?Are we now to judge someone for wishing you “good luck” as encouragement as you enter into that new job, that placement test, that doctor’s appointment?Yes but I only wished to boost his spirit. Wait…? Can’t I say “wish” either?Let's not get ourselves wrapped up in the excessive and often meaningless use of particular words.We all believe in God. We believe that God is in control. But all we want to do is boost a friend’s confidence? James 1:2626 If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.Yes, the words we say do matter, but what matters even more is the motivation and intention behind those words: Ephesians 4:29“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear”. When I say “good luck,” my intent should not be to corrupt you, but to build you up, assure you, and be hopeful of success in whatever you’re doing. Proverbs 16:2424 Kind words are like honey-sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.“
Is there such a thing as luck?
No, there is only the sovereign wisdom of the living and personal God.
How often do you here people point out the fact that an accident was avoided, healing, blessing, or other prosperous occurrences was just luck? On the flip side how often do you hear "bad things" and then we say it was unlucky? Perhaps even as a professing Christian you may say things like, "Man, he is lucky" or "It is not my lucky day".
Is this thinking biblical?
The Bible presents a God who is absolutely sovereign over all of the affairs of the world Psalm 115:33 Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes.He is in complete control and he has ordained all things to come to pass. There is absolutely nothing that escapes his notice. He is not only sovereign over your salvation but he also is the sovereign bird feeder Matthew 6:2626 Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?He is sovereign over the weather, whether 'good' or 'bad' Matthew 5.4545 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.Job 38:34-3534 "Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain?35 Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct?.For we even learn in Scripture that God is sovereign over the outcome of a role of the dice as we saw in Proverbs 16.3333 We may throw the dice, (Hebrew We may cast lots.) but the Lord determines how they fallThere is nothing that comes to pass by chance, but rather all things come to pass through the sovereign providence of God.
I am not trying to be nit-picking here. But we have been in this world to long, by saying these things without thinking we deny God of his glory through divine intervention. Think about it. How dreadful is it if we say that we've received God's blessed artwork ÔÇôHis creation by chance, which God works together for his glory, and we turn around and smudge out God's name from the authorship only to inscribe the vague, impersonal and fictional name "luck" at the bottom right corner of the artwork? Since God does all things for his glory and causes all things to work together for good for those who love him, how dare we insult God through our careless speech?!Romans 8.2828 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Let's use this as an appeal to recognize and give credit to the personal hand of God to our understanding of the universe and all things in it. Let's delete the words fate, luck, by accident, unbelievableand the like from our vocabulary and use words that reflect truth such as providence, sovereignty and God. In this understanding and application of the doctrine of divine providence we will no doubt become more aware of God's work and recognize His hand in and around our lives and we should give Him more praise for his good providence.
WHAT DOES GOD TEACH US ABOUT CHANCE?
The idea that there is something called chance is so firmly rooted in our culture that even Christians speak of it as real. Is the idea of chance taught in the Bible? Is there such a thing as "chance"? Let's see.
What is "chance" as it is used today? Chance is often associated with "the roll of the dice," or the turn of a slot machine. Statistically, when the results of a study are compared with a chance outcome, undirected events are compared with purposeful activities. As far as evolution goes, the definition of chance is clearly illustrated by Richard Dawkins' book The Blind Watchmaker. The sense is that the appearance of design by a purposeful Designer is simply the result of purposeless, unguided events ÔÇô design is an illusion.
So if we want to define "chance", perhaps the best definition we can find is that chance ÔÇô where a (or more) unguided, purposeless event ÔÇô produces some sort of result. Is the reality of this "chance" taught in the Bible? What does Scripture say about the events in human experience?
One of the first passages that comes to mind isMatthew 10:29-3029 What is the price of two sparrows-one copper coin (Greek one assarion [i.e., one "as," a Roman coin equal to 1Ôüä16 of a denarius])? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.Let's say that you are driving down the open highway. All of a sudden a sparrow darts in front of your car and you hear the sickening sound of him hitting your grill. Neither you nor, surely, the sparrow had purposefully designed this to be the outcome. Yet, does Matthew 10:29-30 leave this event a matter of blind chance? Do we know what God's purpose was in allowing this to happen? Does our lack of understanding what God's purpose might be here make it a chance event?
We hear about, and sometimes experience, events for which we can understand no purpose which God might have. Think of one or two of these. Though these are very perplexing in light of a ruling, wise and loving God, does our lack of understanding make them meaningless? Name some attributes (characteristics) of God which we don't have, which would account for our inability to find meaning in these perplexing events.
Acts 17:26-28.26 From one man (Greek From one; other manuscripts read From one blood.) he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
27 "His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him-though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your (Some manuscripts read our) own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
Is it exactly accurate for men to take full credit for the rise and fall of nations and empires? Do nations rise and fall by chance? Here, things are less perplexing, for we are told God's purpose in determining these events. What is His purpose? Can you think of some historical examples of where this purpose is easy to see?
Let's make this even more personal. Psalm 139:1616 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.Refer to the definition of chance again. Does this verse leave any room for chance in a person's life?
Scripture, in fact, never speaks of chance. However, the word "chance" does appear a few times in the King James translation. Read 1 Samuel 6:9. Let's read the surrounding verses to see the context of this verse. Who is speaking the words of verse 9? Does this lead us to believe that the Philistines believed in chance? But did the unescorted Ark head toward Beth Shamesh or in another direction? So what did the Philistines have to conclude ÔÇô was chance or purpose involved in the consequences of their contact with the Ark?
The word "chance" appears in a more difficult context in a few other passages.Ecclesiastes 9:1111 I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn't always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn't always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don't always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.2 Samuel 1:66 The man answered, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear with the enemy chariots and charioteers closing in on him. Without a little understanding of the Hebrew (and forgetting that the Bible elsewhere rules out "chance"), one might think that these verses are teaching that there is such a thing as chance. Though each of these verses use different words, in both of these verses the sense is not that of today's meaning of chance. The Hebrew words do not even hint of a purposeless, unguided event. Rather, they suggest that the actual turn of events were not the events which were anticipated by the actors ÔÇô not that the events were purposeless and/or meaningless chance.
The word "chance" is also found in the King James translation (and many others) in the New Testament. Compare the use of the word "chance", with the definition we looked at.Luke 10:3131 "By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. (Can we say it was this priests' chance to show his love and affection to his fellow man?)
A second usage for the word "chance" is found in:1 Corinthians 15:3737 And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. (it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain KJV)
Ecclesiastes 9:11-12A11 Again I looked throughout the earth and saw that the swiftest person does not always win the race, nor the strongest man the battle, and that wise men are often poor, and skillful men are not necessarily famous; but it is all by chance, by happening to be at the right place at the right time.12 A man never knows when he is going to run into bad luck. He is like a fish caught in a net, or a bird caught in a snare.What familiar English phrase appears to compare with the use of this word? The Greek here literally says "if it may be so," which compares to the English phrase: "Oh, say, for example" or, as the New King James translates it, "perhaps."By using this word does it teach us that chanceis the same as what the modern world believes it to be?
Evolutionists ÔÇô including many theistic (Who believe in God) evolutionists attribute much of the form of today's life and world in general, is a figment of the imagination. As by chance.Many ancient peoples as well as modern believed in "chance." They believed, as many still do, that there are factors a Creator is not directly guiding. This is an essential element of paganism(those who practiced a religion other than Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. Early Christians often used the term to refer to non-Christians who worshiped multiple deities. ). Chance is not a helpful scientific concept either.
The Bible and the example of God's people show us that there is no such thing as chance. No matter how small the event, God is personally involved in the entire thing in order to work out His purposes. Science, then, seeks to find the way in which He usually works in repeatable situations.
Let's close our study with a prayerful reading of Psalm 119:73-80.73 You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands.
74 May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.75 I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair; you disciplined me because I needed it.76 Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant.77 Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live, for your instructions are my delight.78 Bring disgrace upon the arrogant people who lied about me; meanwhile, I will concentrate on your commandments.79 Let me be united with all who fear you, with those who know your laws.80 May I be blameless in keeping your decrees; then I will never be ashamed.
“What does the Bible say about luck?”The American Heritage Dictionary defines "luck" as follows:1. The chance happening of fortunate or adverse events. 2. Good fortune or prosperity; success….to gain success or something desirable by chance: "I lucked out in finding that rare book."The main question is, do things happen by chance? If they do, then one can speak of someone being lucky or unlucky. But if they do not happen by chance, then it is inappropriate to use those terms.Ecclesiastes 9:11-12states, "I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them." Much of what Ecclesiastes shares is from the perspective of a person who looks at life on earth without God, or life "under the sun." From such a perspective-leaving God out of the picture-there seems to be good luck and bad luck.A runner in a race may be the swiftest, but because someone in front of him stumbles, he trips over him and falls and does not win the race. How unlucky for him? Or a warrior king may have the strongest army but some "chance" arrow shot up into the air at random by a no-name enemy soldier just happens to pierce his armor in its most vulnerable location (2 Chronicles 18:33) resulting in that king's death and the loss of the battle. How unlucky for King Ahab? Was it a matter of luck? Reading the whole of2 Chronicles 18, we find that God had His hand in the matter from the beginning. The soldier who shot the arrow was totally unaware of its trajectory, but God in His sovereignty knew all along it would mean the death of wicked King Ahab.A similar "chance" occurrence takes place in the book of Ruth. Ruth, a widow who was caring for her widowed mother-in-law, seeks a field to glean grain to provide for them. "So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech" (Ruth 2:3). Elimelech had been the husband of her mother-in-law, Naomi, so Boaz was a relative of hers and was generous to Ruth. As Ruth returns home with a great deal more grain than Naomi expected, "her mother-in-law asked her, 'Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!' Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. 'The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,' she said. 'The LORD bless him!' Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. 'He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.' She added, 'That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers.'” (Ruth 2:19-20). So Naomi did not see it as a "chance" occurrence but as the providence of God, as do others later on (Ruth 4:14).Proverbs 16:33states a general principle: "The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord." This refers to the use of casting lots (similar to the tossing of a coin or the rolling of dice) to settle certain judicial cases. The case involving AchaninJoshua 7is an example in which the principle ofProverbs 16:33is used to find the guilty party.Proverbs 18:18states something similar: "Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart." Again, the idea is that God's providence plays the determining role in the results of the casting of lots so that judicial conflicts can be resolved no matter how great the contention.Proverbs 16:33would indicate that something as random as the rolling of dice or the tossing of a coin is not outside of God's sovereign control. And, therefore, its results are not merely of chance.God's sovereignty involves two aspects. God's active will or sovereignty would involve something He causes to happen such as the leading of wicked King Ahab into battle (2 Chronicles 18:18-19). Ahab's death was not merely the result of a randomly shot arrow, but as2 Chronicles 18reveals, God actively directed the events that led Ahab into battle and used that randomly shot arrow to accomplish His intended will for Ahab that day.God's passive will involves Him allowing, rather than causing, something to happen. Chapter1 of the book of Job illustrates this in what God allowed Satan to do in the life of Job. It is also involved in the evil that God allowed Joseph's brothers to do to Joseph in order to accomplish a greater good, a good not apparent to Joseph until years later (Genesis 50:20).Because we do not have the curtains drawn back to see what is taking place in heaven, we cannot always determine whether God's active or passive will is involved in the events of our lives, but we do know that all things that take place are under the umbrella of His will, whether active or passive, and, therefore, nothing is a matter of mere chance. When a person rolls the dice to play a board game, God may sometimes cause the dice to land a certain way, but more often than not in such inconsequential matters, He may allow the dice to land as His laws of nature would determine without any active involvement. But even when He is not actively involved, how the dice land is still under His sovereignty.So it is for any event of life; no matter how small (Matthew 10:29-31) or how large (Daniel 4:35Proverbs 21:1), God is sovereign over all (Ephesians 1:11Psalm 115:3Isaiah 46:9-10), and thus nothing is merely the matter of chance.From an earthly perspective, things may seem to happen at random, but throughout the whole of Scripture, it is clear that God is in control of all of His creation and is somehow able to take the random acts of natural law, the free will of both good and evil men, and the wicked intent of demons and combine them all to accomplish His good and perfect will (Genesis 50:20; Job chapters 1 and 42;John 9:1-7). And Christians, specifically, are given the promise that God works all things, whether seemingly good or bad, together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).