While on a road trip, I passed a sign that read, “Want luck and prosperity? Wear cedar beads.” I had a lot of miles ahead of me, so my mind began to wander. I thought about how “luck” was the cedar bead merchant's marketing strategy. Why are people drawn to the idea of luck? Why would anyone think that “It’s better to be lucky than good”?
According to historian Jackson Lears, author of Something for Nothing: Luck in America, luck is attractive because it delivers outsized rewards without the exhaustion that comes with struggle, stress, or labor. If you’re choosing, you might think that rewards based on competence would be preferable to fortune. However, according to Lears, our brains figure that skill has a ceiling, but luck is limitless. Apparently, this is at least part of the reason hardworking people still pull the arm of slot machines.
The Bible is clear that “luck” is not a force that controls events. As the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith notes, “God the good Creator of all things, in His infinite power and wisdom does uphold, direct, dispose and govern all creatures and things.” There are no random events. Nothing is arbitrary, disordered or indeterminate.
Proverbs 16:33 reads, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” The verse uses “LORD,” the personal, sacred name of God, to indicate how and why the dice landed as they did. It was His decision. From the death of a sparrow to the circumstances of salvation, nothing falls outside His will.
The entire narrative of Ruth is a running list of seemingly coincidental events that aligned perfectly to save God’s people. 1 Kings 22 describes how evil King Ahab died. Disguising himself before entering battle didn’t help.
For the Christian, this is not merely a theological detail. It is a truth with a purpose. It shapes where believers place their hope. Unbelievers hang their hopes on serendipity. They hope to catch a break by finding a four-leaf clover, catching a falling star, hanging a horseshoe above a doorway, or carrying a rabbit’s foot as a pocket charm. What a baseless hope!
Oh Christian, your hope is in a sovereign God! You do not have to pin your hopes on a stroke of luck or a “happy coincidence.” You have a singular responsibility—to seek out and follow the LORD’s will.
“If the Lord wills” is the language of those whose hope is in a God who upholds, directs, disposes, and governs all creatures and things. It is a declaration of trust. Are you willing to make a wholehearted commitment to seeking the Lord’s will and living it out, rather than hoping for success through shortcuts?
This is precisely what Proverbs 3:5-6 means, which says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” An “all your heart” trust is synonymous with an “if the Lord wills” attitude. Be intentional about where you place your hope. Don’t push your luck.