{"id":1828,"date":"2013-03-18T06:45:37","date_gmt":"2013-03-18T11:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidcprice.wordpress.com\/?p=1828"},"modified":"2013-03-18T06:45:37","modified_gmt":"2013-03-18T11:45:37","slug":"luck-and-the-providence-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/luck-and-the-providence-of-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Luck and The Providence of God"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Image\"<\/a>As you undoubtedly know, yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day (see, I’m here to help).\u00a0 At The Gathering<\/a>, we took the opportunity to deal with a very important theological concept: The Providence of God.\u00a0 The following is essentially a transcript of that message altered a bit to make it a little more readable.\u00a0 You can view it on demand here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One of the things many think about on St. Patrick’s Day besides wearing green and pinching people who didn’t is this being a “lucky day.” “The luck of the Irish” is a term that most Americans have heard and think about the little Lucky Charms leprechaun on the cereal box and how if you are lucky enough to catch one, he’ll lead you to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.<\/p>\n

Certainly, the idea of luck is not limited to the Irish (which, most will say, would historically be considered bad luck!). We use the term all the time: “Look at that, parking spot right up by the door. Must be my lucky day!” “I got lucky and picked the right raffle number.” “Dude, you’re lucky she is both beautiful and has bad taste or you wouldn’t have had a shot!”<\/p>\n

Luck is a big part of our vocabulary. I wonder if it’s a part of our theology? Is there such a thing as luck? When we say we’re “fortunate,” are we saying the same thing, but in a less secular way?<\/p>\n

Luck in the Bible<\/strong><\/p>\n

Actually, you won’t find luck talked about in Scripture…primarily because it is a term that flies in the face of the sovereignty of God. Luck refers mainly to happenstance; chance. A great example is playing a game like Blackjack and many other card or dice games where you will only win if you happen to have been dealt a good hand or a good roll of the dice. Often, there is very little, if any, skill involved. We would commonly refer to this as either having good luck or the opposite: David luck. I hardly ever win at anything.<\/p>\n

At the other end of the spectrum is the opposite of blind chance which is control. This implies purpose and the power to bring the results of purpose about. Theologically, we refer to this as providence. Now, if you break open the concordance, you won’t find the word “providence” in there in reference to God’s sovereignty. Again, it is a theological word used to describe a biblical concept.<\/p>\n

What is providence?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his book, Bible Doctrines<\/em>, Wayne Grudem defines providence as God’s continual involvement “with all created things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfill his purposes.<\/p>\n

OK, that’s a good, thorough definition there. Let’s break it down. What is this talking about? In essence, the providence of God means that God is not simply some great cosmic clock-maker who created the world and then set it in motion and moved away hoping that everything works out. It’s not as one pastor I heard years ago say, “God did all He could when Jesus died, then He went back to heaven and left it up to us.” That is borderline heresy (and possibly, the other<\/em> side of the border!). There is nothing in Scripture that says this. In fact, in the Great Commission, Jesus talks about all authority being given to Him and that He would be with us always<\/em> to the end of the age. Further, He promised that when He returned to the Father, He would send the Comforter (John 16:7<\/a>). Hebrews 1<\/a> tells us that He [Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” In Colossians 1:17, Paul says that “in [Christ], all things hold together.”<\/p>\n

The providence of God means that He is constantly holding everything in the universe together, maintaining order, implying that if He removed Himself, even for an instance, cosmic chaos would result.<\/p>\n

That’s the first part of the definition.<\/p>\n

The second involves God’s intimate<\/em> involvement in all<\/em> that happen on the earth, including the actions of his creatures\u2026that, of course, includes us. Ephesians 1:11 says, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will\u2026<\/em>“. Isaiah 46:8-11 says,<\/p>\n

“8 \u201cRemember this and stand firm,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 recall it to mind, you transgressors,9\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 remember the former things of old;for I am God, and there is no other;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I am God, and there is none like me,10 declaring the end from the beginning\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and from ancient times things not yet done,saying, \u2018My counsel shall stand,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and I will accomplish all my purpose,\u201911 calling a bird of prey from the east,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the man of my counsel from a far country.I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have purposed, and I will do it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God is the Great “I AM” who will do what He pleases, regardless of our approval. He is God\u2026we are not. That’s a fact you really don’t want to forget.<\/p>\n

The Extent of God’s Providence<\/strong><\/p>\n

Put simply, the sovereignty of God is universal, meaning that it extends to all<\/em> of creation.\u00a0 The following is just a small listing of some of the major areas of God’s control:<\/p>\n

1. “Natural events”<\/strong><\/p>\n

These are events that have an immediate identifiable “scientific” cause like weather.\u00a0 We can explain the processes of how the rainbow is made and clouds form and weather patterns and systems.\u00a0 Scripture says, though, that God is the one who created the systems we see at work.\u00a0 Check out Job 37:6-13<\/p>\n

6 For to the snow he says, \u2018Fall on the earth,\u2019 likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.7 He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom he made may know it.8 Then the beasts go into their lairs, and remain in their dens.9 From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds.10 By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast.11 He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lightning.12 They turn around and around by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world.13 Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. The Animal Kingdom.<\/strong><\/p>\n

God is the Creator and Sustainer of all living creatures as we see in Psalm 104: 24-30:<\/p>\n

24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.25 Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.26 There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.[b]27 These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.30 When you send forth your Spirit,[c] they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. The affairs and leaders of nations.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one might stretch your belief in the control of God in this area when you thing of the condition of the world.\u00a0 Yet, nothing is going to happen outside of God’s oversight.\u00a0 More about that a little further down.\u00a0 Keep reading.
\nJob 12:23-25<\/p>\n

23 He makes nations great, and he destroys them;
\nhe enlarges nations, and leads them away.
\n24 He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth
\nand makes them wander in a trackless waste.
\n25 They grope in the dark without light,
\nand he makes them stagger like a drunken man.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Acts 17: 24-26<\/p>\n

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,[c] 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Proverbs 21:1 (love this one!)<\/p>\n

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
\nhe turns it wherever he will.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4. Extends even to the bad things that happen<\/strong><\/p>\n

Probably nothing illustrates this point more than the account of Joseph.\u00a0 As a teenager, he is sold into slavery to some Egyptians due to jealousy.\u00a0 After years in captivity and because of the blessing of God, he’s promoted to second in command of all of Egypt!\u00a0 How’s that for climbing the corporate ladder?\u00a0 Now, look at what happened when he comes face-to-face with his brothers for the first time as they have come to Egypt for food:<\/p>\n

Joseph said to his brothers, \u201cCome near to me, please.\u201d And they came near. And he said, \u201cI am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
\nGenesis 45:4-9<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Don’t misinterpret this. This doesn’t mean that God caused<\/em> the evil that led Joseph’s brothers to want to kill him or ultimately sell him into slavery, but because of His providential, sovereign control, it means He can use<\/em> the most vile people (even the Devil, Himself, as He did in Job) to bring about His purpose.\u00a0 This is the emphasis behind Romans 8:28:<\/p>\n

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5. God’s providence extends even to things that appear to be chance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This deals with the question of “luck”.\u00a0 I think Proverbs 16:33 is one of the coolest passages:<\/p>\n

The lot is cast into the lap,
\nbut its every decision is from the Lord.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now take a look at this in action in Acts 1:21-25<\/p>\n

21So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us\u2014one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.\u201d 23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and said, \u201cYou, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.\u201d 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OK, we have to stop for a second and unpack this a little.\u00a0 Notice they didn’t just flippantly throw the dice and say, “well, let’s see how this works out\u2026.”\u00a0 Further, they didn’t handle it democratically<\/em>.<\/p>\n

They prayed<\/em>.<\/p>\n

They wanted God’s choice and they knew they didn’t know who that was.\u00a0 They didn’t want this to be who the majority of them wanted, but, believing Proverbs 16:33, they asked God to choose by controlling the roll<\/em>…and they cast the lots.<\/p>\n

Implications<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are at least two important implications to the extensive providence of God in the world:<\/p>\n

1. Nothing happens outside of either God’s prescriptive<\/em> will (God directly causes or “prescribes” that something happens) or His permissive<\/em> will (God allows or “permits” something to happen) will. If He doesn’t want it to happen, it WILL NOT happen.\u00a0 However, due to the fallen condition of man as a result of our sinful fall, evil happens in the world and God often allows it to happen.\u00a0 Through it, though, God has a purpose that will, in some way, ultimately glorify Himself.<\/p>\n

2. Fate or luck does not exist. Nothing happens by chance.\u00a0 Uh\u2026period.<\/p>\n

Responding to God’s Providence<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Humbly<\/strong>
\nOK, one more time, in case we didn’t get a grip on this point earlier:\u00a0 He is God and you are not<\/em>. It really doesn’t matter if you like the idea of providence or not. As Paul said, in Romans 9, “Who are you, O Man, to answer back to God.” This does not mean we do not make willing choices, but if Scripture is true in light of a king’s heart being as a stream of water in the hand of the Lord so that He turns it any way He wishes as He did with Pharoah in dealing with the Children of Israel, then we have to ask, “Who formed our will to make those choices?<\/p>\n

You do something because you want to. Does that eliminate God from giving you a particular “want to<\/em>?” Can’t He convince you of your desires and even shape them…even if you don’t even realize it so that it is what you want to do more than anything?\u00a0 I mean something shapes your desires, right?\u00a0 Do you prefer some mindless force or blind circumstances, alone, to do it?\u00a0 Would you not rather the good and gracious God influence you?\u00a0 Are we really that naive as to think anything or anyone can do better than God?\u00a0 Does He not have rightful control over those whom He has made? Again, Romans 9, verse 20, Paul argues, “Will what is molded say to its molder, \u201cWhy have you made me like this?\u201d 21 Has the potter no right over the clay….?<\/p>\n

This should not be something that we should want to fight against unless we are hell-bent on our own autonomy which is what led to the fall of man in the first place. God’s providence ensures us that God will bring about His good purpose, despite our most valiant efforts to the contrary!<\/p>\n

Nothing illustrates this better than one of the two times Abraham tried to pass his wife, Sarah, off as his sister to the leaders of the land.\u00a0 He did this because she was beautiful and he feared he would be killed in order to get to his wife.\u00a0 Here’s a brief account of what happened from Genesis 20:<\/p>\n

Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, \u201cShe is my sister.\u201d And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, \u201cBehold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.\u201d 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, \u201cLord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, \u2018She is my sister\u2019? And she herself said, \u2018He is my brother.\u2019 In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.\u201d 6 Then God said to him in the dream, \u201cYes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Look at that.\u00a0 God didn’t let the king sin<\/em>.\u00a0 He stepped in and kept the sin from happening even though the king wanted<\/em> Sarah.\u00a0 God was like, “No, you don’t. You just think you do. You’re not going to do it.”\u00a0 Now, could the king still have gone through with it?\u00a0 Seems clear he could<\/em> have because God gave a pretty stern warning if he proceeded, but do you really think there was a practical<\/em> option for the king?\u00a0 Do you actually think the king wasn’t going to be convinced by that?\u00a0 Yeah…not happening.<\/p>\n

2. Thankfully<\/strong>
\nWe’re not victims to some blind and uncaring fate or chance. God has a plan and will see that plan through completely. I’m thankful for that!\u00a0 I go back to Isaiah 46:9-11:<\/p>\n

I am God, and there is no other;
\nI am God, and there is none like me,
\n10 declaring the end from the beginning
\nand from ancient times things not yet done,
\nsaying, \u2018My counsel shall stand,
\nand I will accomplish all my purpose,\u2019
\n11 calling a bird of prey from the east,
\nthe man of my counsel from a far country.
\nI have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
\nI have purposed, and I will do it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. Boldly<\/strong>
\nGod’s will is going to be done. This should remove fear from our lives.\u00a0 Check out what Jesus said in Matthew 10: 28-31:<\/p>\n

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.[g] 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?[h] And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If God calls you to do something (which should be confirmed through His Word along with godly counsel according to His Word), then you can pursue it with confidence.<\/p>\n

4. Worshipfully<\/strong>
\nGod’s providence in the world is reason for God to be worshiped and adored (you’ve heard of prayers of adoration, right?).\u00a0 He is worthy to be worshiped for being GOOD and IN CONTROL!\u00a0 For either one of those two characteristics to be lacking would be catastrophic for us.<\/p>\n

Read what Jonathan Edwards in his sermon, “God’s Sovereignty in the Salvation of Men”, said about worshiping God because of his sovereignty:<\/p>\n

Our Lord Jesus Christ praised and glorified the Father for the exercise of his sovereignty in the salvation of men. Matt. 11:25,26. ‘I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.’ Let us therefore give God the glory of his sovereignty, as adoring him, whose sovereign will orders all things, beholding ourselves as nothing in comparison with him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Be encouraged!<\/em>\u00a0 Even though it seems as though this world is getting crazier and more out of control, it’s not out of God’s control.\u00a0 Everything that He has purposed will come to be.\u00a0 You can bet on it.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tTweet<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Luck is a big part of our vocabulary. I wonder if it\u2019s a part of our theology? Is there such a thing as luck? When we say we\u2019re \u201cfortunate,\u201d are we saying the same thing, but in a less secular way?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[4],"tags":[684,173,181,194,270,361,430,436],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3jKZO-tu","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":489,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/what-does-organic-church-really-look-like-anyway\/","url_meta":{"origin":1828,"position":0},"title":"What Does Organic Church Really Look Like, Anyway?","date":"September 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Thinking a lot about church lately.\u00a0 Yeah, I know - it's my job.\u00a0 But I'm thinking more in terms of reformation and growth.\u00a0 You know, what we're really supposed to be...and be about.\u00a0 At our church, we're in a place where we're re-thinking how things are done - What's important.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Church"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":651,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/the-god-of-manasseh\/","url_meta":{"origin":1828,"position":1},"title":"The God of Manasseh","date":"November 4, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"2\u00a0Chronicles\u00a033:1-17 2\u00a0Chronicles\u00a033:20 To read the account of King Manasseh of Judah is absolutely amazing in regards to the mercy of God. Manasseh literally did everything he could to provoke God to fury. Reading about his faithlessness and sin toward God is like watching a fatal train crash in slow motion.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Devotions\/Biblical Insights"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1469,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/manasseh\/","url_meta":{"origin":1828,"position":2},"title":"The Amazing God of Manasseh","date":"August 2, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"To read the account of Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:1-17, 20) is absolutely amazing in regards to the mercy of God. Manasseh did everything he could to provoke God. Reading about his faithlessness and sin toward God is like watching a fatal train crash. I found myself actually getting angry at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Christianity\"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4185,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/grace-defined\/","url_meta":{"origin":1828,"position":3},"title":"Grace Defined","date":"November 27, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cGrace is the pleasure of God to magnify the worth of God by giving sinners the right and power to delight in God without obscuring the glory of God.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 ~John Piper,\u00a0The Pleasures of God","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidcprice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/4D47EB65-0FAB-4A5F-BE8E-C557070B328C-e1543344180493.jpeg?fit=1200%2C632&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6,"url":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/the-power-of-perspective\/","url_meta":{"origin":1828,"position":4},"title":"The Power of Perspective","date":"January 29, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I was reading in Exodus this morning (chapter 1) of how God dealt with two Hebrew midwives as they demonstrated their fear of and commitment to the one, true God. 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