Week Forty-Six - The Lottery

Playing the lottery is an accepted activity these days. In England, the Lottery is a resource for charities and community groups to apply for funds for events, and most people don't think twice about using Lottery money, even for the church.

By definition, a lottery is the collection of funds by selling numbered tickets and then giving prizes through a random draw. It is an activity whose success or outcome is totally governed by chance.

I don't play the lottery, and I'm so thankful the Lord doesn't govern my life by chance. I am not a random draw, and neither are you. I am not a pawn, either. I have a purpose, and so do you.

The Bible does talk about something called a lot. In Proverbs 16:33, it says, "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord." This lot was not the selling of tickets with the promise of a possible prize. It was more like rolling the dice to determine a direction or make a decision. So, if the disposal of the lot is the Lord's, if He guides even the simple rolling of the dice, how much more the events of our entire life?

You see, life isn't a lottery. It is designed by God. Even the hairs on your head are numbered. He knows every thought, every word, and every motive of your heart. Nothing is outside His governance. This should bring a greater calmness to your soul. Your anxious mind should rest in this truth. 

Spurgeon wrote, "An anxious person cannot pray with faith; when troubled about the world, instead of serving your Master, your thoughts are serving you. You are meddling with Christ's business and neglecting your own when you fret about your lot and circumstances."

I find nothing but frustration when I try to figure out life. When I wake in the night, fretting over the whys and hows of the past and even of the future, I know I am way out of my realm. I am not the one whose design is all-knowing and ever-present. I am but a tiny cog in His glorious design, and I must remind myself to get back into my place. 

He will not let me starve while He has such great abundance. He will not forget about me. He has a plan for my life, and it includes His grace, mercy, and blessings. He will not abandon me, for He has promised to be with me forever. So I can obey and claim the promise of Psalm 55:22, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

That is where I would rather cast my lot! His heart of mercy will never prove unkind, and His wisdom will never be at fault. He is my Intercessor, pleading for me before the throne. Sounds like a much better bet!

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