Random’ doesn’t Exist

by Maurice Pujol
Published August 11, 2006

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matthew 10:28-30)

There is no such thing as coincidence.

I thought about this truth the other day as the idea struck me to write a column of “random thoughts” about faith, God and life. All the joy and peace of the Christian life, the calm we feel in the midst of the worst storms, spring from the knowledge of this great truth -- God is in control.

Some people who believe in God conceptualize Him as a distant Being of some sort who called the universe into existence and then left it on its own, quite often to spin out of control. According to this worldview, things just sort of “happen” on their own and at random. People who believe this think there is no order or plan behind it all, that God created order from chaos and is allowing it to return to chaos once again.

And then there are all those who think the same thing, but who don’t believe in any sort of god.

Jesus taught quite the opposite. Not only is there a loving God who created all that is, but He also tends to His creation continuously, down to its tiniest detail. Those who believe this, and who acknowledge God’s control over their lives, lead orderly lives, quite often in spite of themselves.

Likewise, those who believe in chaos get their wishes fulfilled, for their lives are quite chaotic.

God is one great Designer and Planner. He designed everything that exists, in all of its “irreducible complexity.” This is a term used by Dr. Michael Behe, a science professor who is one of the proponents of the Intelligent Design theory of the universe’s origins, an alternative to the still theoretical hypothesis of evolution.

The human body itself is a most ingeniously designed biomachine. In a healthy individual, its many systems work with perfect synchronicity to sustain life, to repair damage and to defend against unwanted invaders, such as bad bacteria, viruses and even cancerous cells.

Sensory systems send instant information to the brain, the world’s most complex computer, which, in turn sends chemical and electrical instructions to other parts of the body.

We see this sort of order throughout the world around us, in all living things. It’s all part of God’s grand design.

There’s even more to this story. God also has a plan. He has an overall plan for His creation, and He has a plan for each individual in it. Each human being has a choice, either to participate in this plan or to go his or her own way. I’ve tried both ways, and I can assert beyond any shadow of a doubt that God’s way is the only way to live.

When you’re in right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, there are no random events in your life. Everything that happens, even the tragic events everyone experiences, leads you to a better place eventually. We are often tried by fire in this life, but God’s people always come out of the fire more purified than they were before. (That’s in the Bible, too.)

It’s all part of His plan.

Believers don’t have coincidences in their lives. You may meet a person this year who will play a significant role in your faith journey five years from now. The Holy Spirit may prompt you to do something today that has no connection with your current plans, but you’ll see it fitting in with your calling months, or even years, down the road.

You may even buy something this week that doesn’t mean a lot now, but it will be used to bless others in the future.

Like all good Monday morning quarterbacks, we can look back over our lives and see how God’s hand has been involved all the way. We can see how seemingly unrelated events worked together to bring us to the current places we are in our lives.

It’s not so easy to look ahead, but we have the assurance that God’s pattern will continue to define our lives. We have the assurance of faith, and we also have the teachings in God’s Word, the Bible. We also have the very tangible assurance of the past, the certainty that God’s hand has been directing us and will continue to do so – as long as we remain in His will.

That’s why believers neither fear nor worry. Faith drives out these negative, destructive emotions.

That’s why believers never consider themselves “victims” of circumstance. We serve a God who is in charge of all circumstances, and He doesn’t just let things happen. God makes things happen, and He makes them happen for good for those who follow Him (Romans 8:28).

So, the next time you’re feeling too “random,” get over it.

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