Luck

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

Let’s talk about luck.

Luck. Good fortune. A happy coincidence. Serendipity. No matter what name you hang on it, most people believe in luck. Luck is when you experience something good, even though the odds were against you.

Some people say that you can make your own luck. You can work hard to maximize your chances for success. By studying all the variables, you can position yourself to be in the best place at the best time with the best skills to achieve success. You can tilt luck in your favor.

Of course, mathematicians don’t see luck—they see statistics and probability. A math whiz can analyze information and calculate the percentages for various results. People use such calculations to set odds on the outcome of a sporting event. Statistics and probability are behind every weather forecast. You can’t play successfully in the stock market if you don’t understand the relationship between risk and payoff.

But is there such a thing as luck? Mathematics says no—over time, success and failures will cancel each other out. Good luck and bad luck are nothing but statistical extremes. And most people believe this—after a run of good fortune, they brace themselves for the time when luck finally runs out. By the same token, people who feel beaten up by life take comfort in the hope that eventually their luck will turn around.

Do you believe in luck? I don’t. I don’t believe that the universe is governed by chance or probability. I don’t believe that things happen by accident. I believe that God made the universe. I believe that He keeps His fingers in its day to day affairs, making sure that His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. When good things happen, I thank God for His blessings. When bad things happen, I ask God to help me trust Him and rely on Him. I don’t believe in luck, because I believe in God. If luck is real, then no one is in charge of the universe. If God is real, I don’t need luck to get by. Gamblers say that luck is fickle, but I know that God always loves me.