That was lucky! That was fortunate! Luckily that didn’t happen! By some strange fortune! I am sure you have heard these phrases, and possibly used them yourself. They are part of most peoples every day speech and purely mean something worked out conveniently for the speaker. For that I want fault you if you use them. However, it is important to recognise that at the heart of them lies an erroneous view of the world and therefore I would encourage you to remove them from your vocabulary.

The concept of luck or fortune could be attributed to many different things, but it almost always comes back to a godless view of the world. The view that holds to luck communicates that there is no one in control. At the core, there cannot be a God who is in control. To illustrate this, if I throw a ball at you and it hits you in the head, you do not say, “A ball hit me in the face”, though that is true, you say, “You threw a ball at me and it hit me in the face.” You recognise that there is cause and effect. So too in this world, when events take place, either someone is causing it or no on is causing it.

We must recognise that at behind everything that takes place, there is someone in control. Good and evil, positive and negative, someone is bringing these things to pass. The Word of God declares consistently that this is the case and that it is the Lord our God. Eg: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”¹ “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.”² “The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.”³

God by his providence causes all things to come to pass. He guides every flying bird, falling fruit, trip and fall, success and failure, there is nothing that falls outside of his providential control. This is why you ought to banish luck/chance/fortune from your vocabulary. It fails to give due credit and praise to the sovereign Lord of the universe.

There are some very rich blessings that come from this knowledge. Since God is in control of everything by his providence, you need not fear about what is around the corner. As Jesus reminds us, the same Father who feeds the birds, clothes the plants, and causes the rain to fall, governs your life. He is looking after creation and he is looking after you. In addition to that, since the Lord is in control, you ought to give thanks in all situations, for you know that the he is providentially bringing them to pass. Don’t murmur and complain when trials come, but rather rejoice in them, for the God who loves you is in control.

1. Proverbs 16:33 ↩︎
2. Isaiah 45:7 ↩︎
3. Proverbs 16:4 ↩︎