Recently, we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day (also known as “Saint Paddy’s Day”). I’m reminded of my Irish roots. With a maiden name of Ferrell and Ferguson on my mother’s side of the family, there is a lot of Irish blood running through my veins. Plus, I remember my dad’s gorgeous auburn hair when he was younger. Even today I’m still looking for my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (if I’m lucky enough). Well, here’s my question … is there such a thing as luck?
The guy we celebrate each year, St. Patrick, was born around 389 A.D. in England. His father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest. While the Roman Empire was still in control of Britain, their demoralized armies were unable to protect the island from Irish invaders. Farms were pillaged and teenagers enslaved, and young Patrick was taken into slavery at the age of sixteen. An Irish farmer bought him and put him to work tending sheep.
Patrick came to personal faith in Christ during his period of slavery. He received a vision from God when he was twenty-two to run from Ireland for his home. Despite danger during his travels, he evaded his captors and returned to his family. Even though safe with his family, his heart was deeply burdened for the Irish.
Following years of Bible study, Patrick returned to Ireland as a missionary. The Irish at that time were almost completely without Christ, worshiping the elements and spirits in trees and stones and engaging in magic and human sacrifice. Patrick went to work and by the end of his career, he had established hundreds of churches in Ireland and led more than one hundred thousand people to faith in Christ. Today he is the patron saint of Ireland. His death on March 17, 461 is remembered every year as St. Patrick’s Day.
The phrase “luck of the Irish” has been around as long as I can remember. Surprisingly, the word “luck” is not Irish in origin. “Luck of the Irish” was first associated with Irish miners working in America during the gold and silver rush years of the nineteenth century. Also, there are many instances in Irish folklore which reference good and bad fortune.
The word “luck” does not appear in Scripture. Religious scholars have noted that coincidence is when God prefers to remain anonymous. We find his anonymous sovereignty, for example, throughout the book of Esther. The book nowhere names God, but his providence directs every step, from the dethroning of Queen Vashti to the elevation of Esther and the deliverance of the Jewish people arranged by Mordecai.
There’s a lot written about “luck” vs. “divine providence.” This is what I know. There is a God and I know He loves me and takes care of me. I don’t have to have all the answers at once. When I buy a ticket to go somewhere, I don’t need to know the specifics of how the plane gets off and then back on the ground. I trust the pilots that are flying the plane.
I leave you with this scripture: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).
I don’t need luck … I have God!
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It! Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com. Visit her at the Second Mile blog at https://debbyefurd.com.
