“If God does nothing random, there must always be something to learn.” – John Calvin

“Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make MAKES you.” – John Maxwell

“Nothing occurs at random, but everything for a reason and by necessity.” – Leucippus

“Good decisions come from experience.  Experience comes from making bad decisions.” – Mark Twain

“Look at where you have come from – look at where you are going.  These lessons are not random.  They are specifically and intrinsically linked to every fiber of your becoming.” – Seeker

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.” – Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 NLT

I guess to some degree, the quote from John Maxwell above is correct, but when I think about it deeper; there are several holes is his theory.

You have to look no further than the person who has chosen to eat right, exercise daily, and pamper their body – only to be diagnosed with terminal cancer far too young.  What about the honorable, committed spouse who chooses family over self-interest – only to have their mate throw commitment and honor out the window – deciding to pursue their own needs and desires?

What about the dedicated, “never missed a day of work” employee who is suddenly let go – thrown to the street by the company they faithful devoted their life to through the years?

So, does this mean that choices don’t really matter?  If good people making sound decisions can be overruled in an instant by hurtful people making poor, selfish decisions, then shouldn’t we all be making daily decisions that protect our own interests first?  What would the world look like if that were the case?

Is life more about random chance, the luck of the draw, or the type of fate that is blowing in the wind on a particular day?  Did the healthy person I described earlier do what was right but suffered a bad case of luck?  Think about the folks who were exactly at retirement age during the market crash of 2008.  They worked HARD for YEARS, diligently saving and planning with precision, and right when it was time to reap the rewards of all they had saved – BOOM!  What took years to accomplish vanished in days.  Just a case of bad timing, I guess.

So, does this mean that the random acts of life, whether or not we get lucky or happen to be in the right place at the right time, really hold greater weight than the determined choices we make?  Are good choices simply at the mercy of fate when all is said and done?

Now think about this in the context of God and His relationship to the decisions we make and the random acts that occur in this world – both of which are very real.

Is God subject to our choices?  In other words, must He submit to our free will at all times?  If that is the case, then people and the decisions they make are what ultimately control the quality of life.  But wait….Didn’t we just debunk that theory with the healthy person getting deathly ill?  Or the diligent saver getting kicked to the poor house?  Or the faithful spouse left alone?

If God must bow to our choices, then He isn’t much of a God.  We then, must be gods if all the control is in our hands via our decisions.

Oh, wait a second…. what about those random acts that occur that change, implode, and tip upside down any and all choices made by anyone at any time.  Right?  What really seems to hold all the aces in the game of life MUST BE fate and chance!

Must God relinquish himself to the random acts that occur in this world?  Does He get taken back, surprised, or need to rethink His plans based on the winds of chance or fate?  Is He lying when He says that “I KNOW the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)  If the world that is filled with random acts of chance dictate our outcome – overruling God’s plans – then He is not much of a God.

But He is my friend…..and THAT within the light of random acts and the determined choices of people should give us GREAT COMFORT!

You might be thinking, “But the experiences and circumstances you mentioned earlier are REAL LIFE.  They happen every day!  If God is who He says He is, then why does it seem like these random acts or people’s decisions and personal choices RULE instead of him?”

They are REAL LIFE my friend – they are a part of this world we live in.  But in an overarching fashion, like an umbrella that covers and blankets everything, are two distinct attributes of God that make Him Lord of all:  His sovereignty and His omniscience.

In fact, these two attributes lay waste to the idea of fate and chance.  They discount and devalue what seems like the powerful choices of humankind to dictate their own destinies.

God is in control.  The decisions you make are an illusion of determined choice – meaning God is ultimately in control of them all.  By being omniscient, knowing past, present, and future, He is aware of ANY AND ALL choices you will ever make in your lifetime.  This advanced knowing allows Him, through His sovereign control, to manipulate outcomes, to allow events and circumstances to unfold and to boldly proclaim, “I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU!”  Our decisions, either good or bad, cannot and never will thwart the plans of Almighty God.

Think about that for a second.  We worry about making the right decisions for our lives…and in reality….those decisions have been known before we were born, either allowed or restricted, and destined to succeed or fail – to fulfill a larger, deeper, more expansive plan that God has in store for us.  He is in charge – not us.

There are no random acts.  God’s omniscience was aware (BEFORE HAND) of every single event in your life and its impact on you.  Again, through His sovereignty, He allows them, restricts them, or stops the dead in their tracks – all with a far greater purpose in mind.

Nothing, nothing happens outside of His knowing or outside of His control.  NOTHING!  That overarching umbrella covers us all 🙂

When we embrace these truths, we begin to see that life has meaning – regardless of which direction it heads or what surprises surface that seem to derail us.  We see a God who HAS A PLAN and a destiny in store for us.  We see a God who really is a God – all knowing and always in control of His creation – a God we can trust when good choices turn bad or when fate appears to desecrate or lay waste to our lives.

I hope you begin to live in peace – confident that no random act or decision made by you or others dictates the course of your life.  The God you serve is much larger, much bigger than that!

I hope you continue to make decisions and choices that align with what you know to be God’s will for you and others.  Can He still allow them to turn out wrong or have a negative outcome?  Of course He can, but only if it fits into His plan for you – a plan that is filled with hope and a future – just as He has promised!

Today, realize those decisions you lament over, the ones you are hesitant to make or the ones that are made for you by others are ALREADY KNOWN.  A sovereign and omniscient God has them well in hand!  Know in your heart of hearts that what seems like a random act of fate or chance does not surprise the God you serve.  He knew about it before you were born and has seen and controlled the outcome.

Trust Him that everything is working together for good 🙂