m2oDevotionals

Monday, 24 June 2013

[Monday's Devotional] - Deck of Cards

Proverbs 16:33 tells us: "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord." [NIV]

Nothing comes to pass by chance, nor is an event determined by a blind fortune, but everything by the will and counsel of God. Many things that we read of in Scripture seem at first glance to be mere accidents, but are later revealed to be the outworkings of God's providence and I'm sure you can think of many wonderful examples.
The word "lots" appears 70 times in the Old Testament and seven times in the New Testament. Casting lots is documented in the Bible many times, from choosing to throw Jonah overboard, dividing the Promised Land between the Israelites and also choosing a replacement for Judas. While this was commonly done in Old Testament Days and during the early part of the New Testament, it is no longer the way we determine God's will, as now we can be led by His Spirit, thanks to Jesus.
I am using this analogy because the last few weeks the Lord has been speaking to me in the terminology of playing cards. I am no card-shark (I only play Pontoon for peanuts at Christmas) however God has been using this unorthodox lingo and, being an unorthodox sort of girl, I have been enjoying our conversations. I was reminded of the old song 'Deck of Cards', a tale of a soldier arrested and charged with playing cards during a church service.  At his trial he explains that, during wartime, the deck of cards served him as a Bible, an almanac, and a prayer book, each card had a scriptural reference for him, with the 'Ace' being the One True God.  It appears the earliest reference to this story dates back to 1762, so maybe it's not that unorthodox after all!

Are you content with your 'lot'?  How often do we trust God 100% with the hand dealt to us, in every area of our lives?  Do we depend on ourselves when making some decisions and end up playing the Joker, or do we rely on the King?

Dawn Milward

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