Just Your Luck? Finding Peace in God’s Providence

“She’s so lucky.” 

The childhood friend whose career path unfolded exactly as she always planned? “Lucky.” The small group members who saw two pink lines the first month they took a pregnancy test? “Lucky.” The woman whose children and grandchildren seem to be perfect and free of problems? “Lucky.”

But you? Well, no such luck. 

Maybe you don’t think in terms of luck or fate. But what do you think when you see how frequently blessings seem to land in someone else’s lap? 

You might not say it out loud, but deep down, does it ever feel like God’s perfect plans are working out for them . . . but not for you? 

It’s a Lot

Questions about divine purpose, especially when life feels unfair, aren’t new. On the blog last week, we began looking at the life of Mordecai. When he enters the book of Esther, his circumstances are anything but enviable: Exile (Est. 2:5–6). Unexpected guardianship (Est. 2:7). Unrecognized loyalty (Est. 2:21–23). Just when the reader expects Mordecai to finally be rewarded for his actions, Haman enters the scene, and the story suddenly has a villain (Est. 3:1). 

In Esther 3, after Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, Haman “was filled with rage. And when he learned of Mordecai’s ethnic identity, it seemed repugnant to Haman to do away with Mordecai alone. He planned to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews” (Est. 3:5–6). The book takes a threatening turn, and you “can almost hear and smell death approaching.”¹

Mordecai’s story reads like one unjust event after another. No relief in sight. If life were a game of chance, he would have drawn the short straw every time. But was it random? 

No Such Luck 

Five years after Esther became queen, Haman set his plan in motion, looking for the best day to carry out his plot. In accordance with the pagan practices of the empire, he was ready to cast lots—literally roll the dice—to determine the fate of Mordecai and the Jewish people. 

Casting lots isn’t a custom we rely on today, but evidence of its use in the ancient world has been uncovered in recent decades. “Archaeologists have unearthed samples of purim, which were [the] clay cubes inscribed with either cuneiform characters or dots that look almost identical to modern dice . . . But unlike their modern use, the ancient lot was used not for gambling but for divination. It was a way of asking the gods for answers to questions about the future.”²

Haman believed he was securing the most fortunate date for his plans. The reality was far different. Little did Haman know, Mordecai’s sovereign God was already at work. The Revive Our Hearts Bible study Esther: Trusting God’s Plan, includes a sidebar that explains more: 

Everything in this world falls under God’s providence—even down to the rolling of dice! 

In Esther 3:7, Haman called his astrologer friends to cast Pur. (This is the Babylonian word for “lots.”) He did this to determine the best day to execute the genocide of the Jewish people.

Casting lots was a common way to make decisions in ancient times. People were superstitious and believed their lives were determined by fate or chance. 

But Proverbs 16:33 reveals who ultimately controls how the dice fall: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” 

In other words, there’s simply no such thing as luck. 

In God’s providence, the dice fell to a day that was still eleven months away. This would give Mordecai and Esther enough time to act. 

Before the famous final chapters of Mordecai and Esther’s story, Haman’s edict of death went out: “The royal scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded” (Est. 3:12). 

The timing in this verse doesn’t mean much to most of us as modern Bible readers, but it took place on the eve of a monumental event in Jewish history. Turn back to two passages in the Old Testament:

The Passover to the LORD comes in the first month, at twilight on the fourteenth day of the month. (Leviticus 23:5)

The Passover to the LORD comes in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month. (Numbers 28:16)

Haman’s edict went out on the eve of Passover—the night before Israel’s most defining celebration of deliverance. It wasn’t just a holiday. It was a call to remember “the event that constituted the founding of God’s covenant people as a nation.”³ The Jews had been commanded to celebrate Passover through the generations. It was a deeply significant memorial of God’s redemption, meant to shape their faith and remind them of the power and faithfulness of their God.

That timing wasn’t an ominous coincidence. It was providence. 

The Lord had been at work in every detail of the seemingly ordinary elements of Mordecai’s life. Mordecai only ever held one piece of the puzzle at a time. He had no way of knowing that even the injustice of the earlier encounter that led to Haman rising in power was setting the stage for God’s greater deliverance. (See Esther 6–8.) 

Even when life likely seemed unfair, and even as others prospered right in front of him, Mordecai was part of a story far bigger than he could have imagined—a story of rescue, redemption, and God’s unwavering faithfulness.

No Coincidences at the Cross 

Centuries after Mordecai lived, another Passover arrived—one that seemed marked by misfortune.

It was the preparation day for the Passover, and it was about noon. Then [Pilate] told the Jews, “Here is your king!”

They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

Pilate said to them, “Should I crucify your king?”

“We have no king but Caesar!” the chief priests answered.

Then he handed him over to be crucified. (John 19:14–16)

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them. They were playing a game, oblivious to what was being fulfilled through their actions: 

They said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see who gets it.” This happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled that says: “They divided my clothes among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing.” (John 19:24) 

The cruel practice was a custom that came with the soldiers’ position—each would traditionally leave with part of their charge’s clothing which they’d divided evenly among them. But this time, instead of giving each person a piece, they decided to cast lots and give it to one “lucky” man. 

But this wasn’t chance. This was part of the Lord’s plan, foretold long before in Psalm 22:18. It wasn’t fortune that led to this moment, but providence. God’s plan had been put in place before the foundation of the world. Jesus’ death may have seemed like the most tragic, unfortunate event in history, but it was the pinnacle of God’s plan on display.

The die was cast, and what appeared to be defeat was the ultimate triumph of God’s design for the deliverance for His people. 

No Longer “Unlucky”

The events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection were not coincidental; the cross is a reminder that all final outcomes belong to the Lord. One day you’ll see how all the pieces fit together—you’ll realize in full what it meant that every detail of your life was under His gracious and loving hand. 

Until then, when your life leaves you feeling like an “unlucky” one, especially when you see the prosperity of others, ask the Lord to help you shift your focus from . . .

• Luck to trust. 

When you look at someone else’s blessings, will you trust that the Lord’s plan for you is equally purposeful and good, even if it looks different? 

• Comparison to contentment. 

Instead of focusing on the ways someone else is doing well or has what you long for, will you ask the Lord to help you rest in the ways He’s faithfully worked through the details of your life? 

• Envy to gratitude. 

Rather than dwelling on what others have that you desire, will youcultivate a thankful heart for what He has already generously given you? 

From Fate to Faith

Your life may not look like you thought it would. It may seem like others have all the luck. But there’s never been a day when the details of your life were not carefully and purposefully woven together with divine intention.

All the moments of your life—the good and hard, the confusing and seemingly unfair—are held within the gracious, faithful hand of the Lord. The pieces may not make sense to you today, but you can trust they’re part of God’s providence and a plan that will one day be fully revealed. 

When it feels like the dice are not rolling in your favor, remember the cross. Your story is not governed by fate or chance but by a God whose love and purpose for you surpasses the best that luck could offer. 

¹ Mervin Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, electronic ed., vol. 10, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 325.

² Karen H. Jobes, Esther, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), 122.

³ Karen H. Jobes, Esther, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), 122–123.