I wish you good luck!!

The above mentioned phrase is usually used in our society as a kind way of saying you wish someone well in whatever it is they are doing; whether it is a new job, their education, or perhaps a new business venture. But, what is luck? What does it mean to be lucky or unlucky? Is there actually a thing in our world called luck? And if so, where does it come from?

Permit me to be technical in this article. To some, I may even be annoying. I will accept that. I am going to attempt to break this idea down so we can see if luck really exists. 

A definition of luck: Success or failure brought by chance rather than through one's own actions.

Definition of chance: a force that causes good or bad things to happen.

When we say things happen by chance, we are saying things happen for no reason at all. That is impossible. Absolutely everything that happens in our lives is for a reason even when we do not understand why they happen good or bad. If we are depending on "the luck of the draw" as many count on when gambling, or on the ghost of a chance, then you are depending on false deities that obviously do not exist. This equates to idolatry.

Chance is a word used when dealing with mathematical probabilities. When one flips a coin, we say its a 50-50 chance that the coin will land on heads or tails. Actually, it's a 100-100 reality that the coin will land on heads or tails - think about it.  So, is it blind chance, fate or luck that causes the coin to land on heads or tails, or is it something else? If chance rules the day, then what we have is an effect without a cause. That, of course, is impossible. There is no such thing as a causeless event. And since we cannot have an effect without a cause, there can be no such thing as luck or chance happenings in our world.

To declare things happen by luck is to say that luck is an outside arbitrary force that invades our lives at random to make things happen against our will good or bad. We as humans have absolutely nothing to do with how our lives go because we have these "gods" of luck and or chance invading our lives whenever they feel like it. Our hard work and efforts take a back seat to how things unfold in our lives. because luck and chance decided to step in uninvited. For those of us who are sports fans watching the NBA playoffs, the Houston Rockets were "unlucky" because Chris Paul got hurt, and The Golden Warriors got "lucky" because Chris Paul got hurt. Did not the Rockets horrible 3 point shooting and poor second halves in games 6 and 7 when they had halftime leads in both games seal their doom along with the Warriors superior play in the second half of those games cause them to advance to the NBA finals? I will admit had Chris Paul played in those games, the Rockets may have advanced instead of Golden State since they had a 3-2 games lead in the series.  My point? Luck had nothing to do with the outcome, at all!! One team outplayed the other when it mattered the most. For Golden State execution was the cause, and victory was the effect. People say we have good or bad luck because there are so many unexplainable things in our lives with apparently no rhyme or reason. In other words, our ignorance of the anomalies in life is chalked up as luck and chance. 

What is so tragic about this mindset is that the world is depending upon fantasy than on the fact that all things are a result of a creator God. God ordains whatever comes to past - even the evil that is in the world. Before the reader gasps in horror that I said God ordains the evil that is in the world, I will carefully explain a little later as best as I can what I mean.

In Isaiah 46:10 we read, "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done. Saying my purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure".

The reality that God is in control of all things instead of lady luck, your lucky stars or some omen should provide all with relief, but sadly for most, it does not. If one does not believe in The Almighty who is in complete control of all things, then all one has is the apparitions of luck and chance. This means you have nothing. From that point of view, one's life is one cosmic accident - you are existing with no purpose. Your life is no more important than a slot machine or cards on a blackjack table in  Vegas. That is the tragic view of the Darwinian evolutionist, not that of one who believes in a benevolent creator.

I don't know about you, but I would rather leave my life in the hands of God than luck, chance or fate. 

Since God is the cause of all things in the universe and not luck and or chance how can he be good if evil exists?

I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. God is good always, and his mercy endures forever (Psalm 136). Remember evil exists because Adam and Eve way back in the garden of Eden chose to disobey God (Gen 3:6). That was the origin of human moral evil. Evil is the absence of good - of moral righteousness. Evil is not a force, but rather a disposition that is hostile toward God. As strange as it may sound to one's ears, God did ordain that evil exist.  Please understand that by ordaining it, he allowed it to pollute his creation through the willful disobedience of man. God can never be the author of evil in that he created it for everything God created was very good (Gen 1:31). Evil is not a result of bad luck infusing it as some wicked parasitical black ooze that possesses mankind. Evil is always connected to our cognizant willful choices. We do evil because we want to. No one can make us. Our choices are free. 

At this point, someone may ask the question,"Why would a good God allow evil to ruin his perfect world?" The best answer I can give is a long one. It's a mystery in part to me why God would allow evil to infiltrate his wonderful creation. But God who is all wise apparently decided his glory would be served best this way - meaning allowing evil to pervade this world, and casting it into ruin. Defeating and conquering sin by sending his only begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ the perfect sacrifice for our sins. All those who believe will receive eternal life and forgiveness of their sins. This incomparable act of love puts God's power and glory on full display for the whole world to see. 

Please just remember this, the terrible things we experience in this life is mankind's fault at the root. The good that happens to us is because of the sheer grace and mercy of God. Let me prove that. 

James 1:17 says,"Every good thing and every perfect gift comes from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

God is good and blesses us with good all the time. When bad things happen, it never diminishes the goodness of God, but it should be a painful reminder of the wickedness of man. Evil looms so large that like a thick black cloud it appears to block out the good in our lives so the evil is all we see. We ourselves are indeed our worst enemy. The internal evil we toil with, along with the external evil we wrestle with is a result of our sinful nature - God help us!!

Good and bad are not arbitrary in our lives. All things happen for a reason. We do not know all the reasons nor are we supposed to know. If we did, there would be no need for faith in God. It is futile especially for the Christian to abandon things to luck and chance. It proves one is not trusting in God. Remember God will not share his throne or give his glory to someone or something (Isa 48:11) especially not to luck and chance. We are to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not to our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge him, and he will direct our paths (Pro 3:5-6).