Chance

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 (NLT)

11 I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time. 12 People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy.

The preacher of these words reminds us all our works are in the hands of God. The most likely to win the race does not always win. The strongest does not always triumph in battle. There are those who are wise and skilled yet they end up hungry and without wealth. Trying to predict the outcome of the future is like trying to predict fish being caught in nets or birds caught in snares. One never knows what the day might bring.

In 2007, the Boon family was on their way to their mountain cabin when they were swept off the mountain by an avalanche of snow. It only took a second for the avalanche to strike their car and send it hurling down the mountain. In their younger years the Boons did a lot of mountaineering. They even named their daughters after some of the mountains they had scaled. They knew all about avalanches, the danger, but never in their wildest dreams did they ever think about an avalanche pushing their car down the mountain. Fortunately no one was hurt, but it just reminded the family how quick catastrophe can be upon you. Solomon taught we cannot predict when sudden tragedy will strike for only the Lord knows. Therefore we should submit to the Lord and always ask for his guidance and protection.