𝗗𝗢𝗘𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡 𝗘𝗫𝗜𝗦𝗧, 𝗢𝗥 𝗜𝗦 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗟𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟?

When something amazing or unpredictable happens, we ask, “What are the chances?” Before embarking on a tour or journey we want to put all things in place for our comfort because “We don’t want to take any chances.” Others sit at the Bet-Niger for hours trying to beat the slim chances of winning. Believing in luck, chance or coincidence (whatever you want to call it) is a random, chaotic way to live. Your life is buffeted by whichever way the wind blows. However, as Christians, we know that what happens to us is more than just coincidence. Believing that God has a plan for our lives and for the world is comforting. Since God is deeply involved in our lives and working to orchestrate events in our lives, we can be confident that life has deep meaning. It is more than a random series of events that lead to the day we die and our time is up. Knowing God is in control gives us a sense of purpose and a certainty about our future. Don’t take the chance that God isn’t in control. Submit to him, and watch his plan for you unfold so that your life will be meaningful and fulfilling.

𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴? 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲?

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light . . .Genesis 1:3

We understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Hebrews 11:3

We make things with our hands, as directed by our minds. But the Bible is clear that God made the universe by command. We did not happen by chance, but by design of a loving Creator.

I have observed something else in this world of ours. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise are often poor, 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 at the right place at the right time. Ecclesiastes 9:11

Sometimes life’s events do seem to be random. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race; the most competent applicant doesn’t get the job. At times like that, remember that your life is part of a bigger picture—God’s master plan. Things that happen to you are not always about you, but instead are a piece in a puzzle that will only make sense from an eternal perspective.

For the Lord is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. “I am the Lord,” he says, “and there is no other. Isaiah 45:18

And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Ephesians 1:10

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

While some things just happen, much of what determines the direction of your life is part of God’s plan for you. God opens doors of opportunity, but you must walk through them. If all things happened merely by chance, it would point to either no God at all or a God who is impersonal and detached from the human race. What a depressing and hopeless view of life that would be. However, the Bible says that God is compassionate and deeply involved in his creation, so much so, that he has an eternal plan for it and for you. While you may not understand how certain life events fit into God’s perfect plan, you can be confident that God is watching over your life and guiding you in a specific direction—will you follow where he leads?

Speaking among themselves, they said, “Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this trouble.” Genesis 42:21

So now I hate life because everything done here under the sun is so irrational. Everything is meaningless, like chasing the wind. I am disgusted that I must leave the fruits of my hard work to others. And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? And yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work. How meaningless! Ecclesiastes 2:17-19

When faced with confusing, random, or chaotic circumstances you will try to determine what happened and why. You try to find any reason that might bring order or understanding to the situation. Sometimes there is no good reason—it just happened because you live in a fallen world where bad things affect both good and bad people. But often there is a reason. Sin comes back to haunt everyone, even sins committed long ago because harmful actions always cause harmful reactions. God may be disciplining you, or he may be trying to teach you something. Before you just write off an event to chance, ask yourself if something you did might have caused this. Ask yourself what God might be trying to teach you. Ask him to show you what you might learn from it. Then ask him to help you move on with a fresh start.

𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻, 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲?

But don’t be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives . . . Genesis 45:5

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

God used even the seemingly unjust treatment of Joseph by his own brothers to fulfill his plan. He promises that everything—the good and the bad, the fun and the difficult—works together for the good of God’s great plan for his people.

the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. The wisdom we speak of is the secret wisdom of God, which was hidden in former times, though he made it for our benefit before the world began . . . 1 Corinthians 2:7

And this is the secret plan: The Gentiles have an equal share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God’s children . . . Ephesians 3:6

God’s plan of redemption was established even before Creation itself. Jesus didn’t come by chance. God knew what would happen, and he made a plan to fix it from the very beginning. That’s how much he loves his people, his creation. God’s plan to save humankind included a provision for all people, both Jew and Gentile.

𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹?

Now build a new cart, and find two cows that have just had calves. Make sure the cows have never been yoked to a cart. Hitch the cows to the cart, but shut their calves away from them in a pen. Put the Ark of the Lord on the cart, and beside it place a chest containing gold rats and gold tumors. Then let the cows go wherever they want. If they cross the boarder of our land and go to Beth-shemesh, we will know it was the Lord who brought this great disaster upon us. If they don’t we will know that the plague was simply a coincidence and was not sent by the Lord at all. 1 Samuel 6:7-9

Some enemies of Israel, the Philistines, had stolen the Ark of the Covenant and then faced a horrible plague. They wondered if the plague was a coincidence or if it was caused by Israel’s God who was angry with them. So the Philistine leaders came up with a test: They sent the Ark back to Israel by putting it on a cart drawn by cows who had just had calves. Normally, the cows would follow their natural instincts and return to their newborns. The leaders figured that if the cows drew the cart toward Israel, then it meant that God was overpowering their natural instincts. Indeed, the cows headed down the road toward Israel, which meant that God indeed had caused the plague. It had not been a coincidence; God showed his power over the laws of nature and chance.

Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, Jonah lost the toss. Jonah 1:7

Then they cast lots, and in this way Matthias was chosen and became an apostle with the other eleven. Acts 1:26

We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.

You may try to leave your decisions or future up to chance by throwing dice or flipping a coin, but God already knows the outcome. Nothing can happen that he doesn’t allow. Proverbs 16:33

𝗢𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 “𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻.” 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁?

Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and will have nothing to do with evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you persuaded me to harm him without cause.” Job 2:3

Job was a man of integrity who lived obediently and pleased God. From Job’s perspective, his suffering must have seemed random—all a big mistake. However it was part of God’s plan to demonstrate to future generations an example of a godly person who trusts God despite present circumstances.

“Where did you gather all this grain today? Where did you work? May the Lord bless the one who helped you!” So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. And she said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.” “May the Lord bless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law, “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband. That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers. Ruth 2:19-20

Life had been difficult for Ruth. She had lost her husband and had to move to a foreign land with her mother-in-law where she was forced to work to provide for the two of them. Ruth might have felt like her life was a string of random events. God was working behind the scenes, however, leading and guiding Ruth to meet Boaz, who would later become her husband and eventually an ancestor of the Messiah. Even when things seems disconnected or chaotic, take heart that God is working in your life even now, guiding you to the day when you will see how he was working for your good.

𝗜𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲?

So why are you trying to find out the future by consulting mediums and psychics? Do not listen to their whisperings and mutterings. Can the living find out the future from the dead? Why not ask your God? Isaiah 8:19-20

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Only the God of the universe can know the answers to life’s hardest questions. Don’t trivialize God by attributing his plan for you as nothing more than chance or by only seeking answers from those who have a finite knowledge of how life really works. Ask the God who has all the answers, and he will reveal more and more to you.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗚𝗼𝗱

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

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. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! Psalm 139:16-18