It is amazing how the stock market is affected by the economy. But stock prices are so confusing sometimes. Just because a company is doing very well financially does not necessarily mean the the valuation of it's common stock will go up accordingly. You just have to do a lot of research, and with much luck you will do well.

But is luck in your life something that is needed? With God, luck is not necessarily something you need to contend with. A lasting relationship with God can make things happen as well.

But then, what is luck? Is it witting the lottery or doing good at the tables in Vegas or Atlantic City? Or could it be defined as something happening at the right time or any time? Don't you think maybe God had a hand in the lucky situation you are in or may have been in? Maybe He decided that you needed a little boost or pick-me-up and was instrumental in the "lucky" situation happening.

Proverbs 10:6 The good man is covered with blessings from head to foot, but an evil man inwardly curses his luck. TLB

So an evil man curses his luck. Maybe an evil man was blessed as a way for God to make that man realize that it is better to serve God than be evil. But being that man is evil, he is blind to the blessings that God may give him. That is not to say that God rewards an evil man, but what if God was trying to communicate His will for that man's life by blessing him, not because He was evil, but because God wanted that man to know that doing serving Him is so much better.

We all think we know how the world works, but do we? Do we have some instinct for the world that goes beyond normal understanding or do we just think we do?

We could be deluding ourselves into thinking we have that kind of control over our destiny, but we don't. There are always events that happened that could not have been planned for. Like the saying goes "___ happens." I will let you fill in the blank.

Which bring us to another point. There are always blanks to be filled out. There are quite often "flies in the ointment" so to speak. We just have to "roll with the punches" and above all ask God for His help and guidance.

But what if it is a Monday morning and your week does not look good. You are getting a divorce, you lost your job, your car is broken down and your computer is having a conniption fit and keeps freezing up? Well that means you have to go to plan B. "B" as in Bible. Pick up that book that was made from trees and Gods love, give it a look into and just maybe you will read another pearl of wisdom from it's pages.

God's love was put into the Bible, twice. With it's loving words and with the fact that He gave us trees to make Bibles. His creation helped us in many ways. So instead of getting down and throwing caution to the wind, instead pick up the creation that is God's love and try to understand what He has been telling you all along.

But what has He been saying to you? Only you can find that out by being with God in prayer. He knows you and knows your wants and desires. He can pick you up in the dark and lonely times and give you peace. He can give you a love that surpasses all understanding. So don't you owe it to yourself and to God to keep looking for the answers to prayer in God's creation, both in the Bible and also in the world around you?

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 Again I looked throughout the earth and saw that the swiftest person does not always win the race, nor the strongest man the battle, and that wise men are often poor, and skillful men are not necessarily famous; but it is all by chance, by happening to be at the right place at the right time. 12 A man never knows when he is going to run into bad luck. He is like a fish caught in a net, or a bird caught in a snare. TLB

It is all by chance? Or is it all by God? God has given us many chances that we have blown for whatever reason at the time. But that does not mean that we cannot go to Him and ask Him for help when we need it. It does not mean that we can be ignorant. Ignorance does not come from a relationship with God. We choose to be that way, often because we wish to ignore anything that does not usually fall into our usual realm of thinking.

Now you can just sit there and read these words and go and sit and watch a football game, if there is one, on the television. You can read a verse of the Bible and return to your macrame. You can pray a common prayer that you have prayed many thousands of times in your life. But you need to do more.

Yes, I know, you do not have the time. There is so much going on in your life right now that you feel like you do not have even a single second to spare. But there must be something you can sacrifice with the time of to get to know God and ask for His help. It would be the single most rewarding time you could possibly take because there is nothing more rewarding than time with God.

So you could say that you were never lucky, but then if you really think about it, you would probably come up with a lot of events that happened in your life where you were lucky.

Or maybe, you were not just lucky, you were also blessed. We can be blessed. It does not come because we choose to be evil, it comes from being right with God. We can choose to gamble ourselves into oblivion, or we can take a step closer to a more lasting relationship with God.

So if you are looking for luck, look to God and ask Him for guidance and a better understanding of the world around you. You might just find that God is not only there for you whenever you need Him, but He can give you the guidance that will make you truly feel lucky, and in so doing, you will truly be blessed.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for giving me your lover when I really need it. Remind me of times I was truly blessed by spending time with you, in prayer and reading of the Bible. Guide me this week to seek you often and give me peace. I thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2005 Bryan Hill