Wait! Don’t let the headline of this article scare you off. I’m not about to send out a piece filled with profanity. (The term “four-letter words” serves as a euphemism for words that are often considered profane or offensive.) I pride myself in never having picked up the habit of swearing or using cuss words.
That doesn’t mean that I’m an angel or a saint—just ask my family! Like any human, I “have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). I have failed and have, indeed, fallen short of the absolute, perfect glory of almighty God.
There is, however, a “four letter” word that we often use and, I would suggest, is as “obscene” as some of the other swear words that might come to mind.
Quite often we use the word luck to describe many occurrences in our life and society and world, or as an off-hand way of saying goodbye. However, I would suggest that luck is not a Christian concept nor is it found in the Bible (except in the paraphrase The Message which uses it (wrongly) as slang or to mean “blessing”).
We shouldn’t use luck because as Christians, we have the maker and upholder of all things in the universe watching over us and living inside of us! He knew us before we were born and He “knows the plans He has for us.” Christians believe that the world is not a big game of chance. We also know that while this world is guided and sustained by God, he has also allowed for human freedom, which means that things can go wrong when we go wrong.
For every passage in the Bible that seems to imply that our lives are controlled by chance, there are numerous others that affirm that God is directly in control of the events of our lives.
Proverbs 16:33 reads, “The Lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Casting a lot may seem random but even that outcome is from the Lord.
Psalm 139:16 talks about a God who has a book with all the days of our lives written in it before any of them came to pass.
And so, according to the Bible, events in our lives don’t happen randomly. They are all part of God’s plan. We don’t need luck, we don’t need some coincidental thing to happen. We are taught in Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”
Luck can be defined as having success or failure that happens by chance. The problem with believing in luck is that it leaves God out of the picture. For some it may not seem like such a big deal, but for Christians to say and believe that things happen to them by chance without God’s hand being involved, contradicts what the Bible says.
The Bible reminds us:
- Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17
- And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
- The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Psalm 37:23
- The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. Proverbs 16:33
The Bible lets us know all good things come from God above, in all things God works for the good for those who love him, and that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. This leaves no room to say that the good things that happen in our lives is because of random chance, especially for God’s people.
With God, nothing is left to chance. What is the price of two sparrows–one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. Mathew 10:29-30
Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. Ephesians 1:11
We serve a God who keeps tabs on every sparrow, knows to the very number of hairs we do or don’t have on our heads. Even when God’s people cast lots in the Bible (which would be our version of flipping a coin), the outcome was from the Lord.
All of the above Scriptures reassure us that through the good and the bad, God is always in control. The verse most often quoted during tough times and certainly worth repeating is Romans 8:28, In all things God works for the good of those who love him.
What are you saying when you tell someone “good luck”? As innocent as it may seem to many people, it’s the same thing as saying, “I hope by random chance things go well for you”. It would be much better to say, “I’ll be praying all goes well for you!” After all, God is the one in control, not good or bad luck.
Something to think about the next time you say good luck to someone.
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