Confidence in God

Meditation Upon

Proverbs 16:33

For those who are satisfied to be what God has made them, it is a great joy to be informed that The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. What contentment is worked into the heart of one who is willing to be content with whatever God determines.

Obviously, the Spirit of God is not telling us that we have nothing to do. It takes effort to cast the lot into the lap. This effort is preceded by the exercise of one’s will in decision making. But there is also that hint that a decision is being made without knowing for sure what the outcome will be. In reality, doesn’t this include most of life’s decisions?

How many times have you known two individuals who have made the same decision? From all that you can see there is little to no difference in the details surrounding the decision. Yet, the outcome is very different. In one case there seems to be flourishing at every turn. In the other case difficulty, or even tragedy (think Job). No good explanation can be found to determine why the results differed. The lot is cast into the lap. Each person made decisions and proceeded with life based upon those decisions. The outcomes were not the same.

But the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. We are very aware that God has established laws of sowing and reaping in His world. Not all results, good or bad, are always a mystery. There are times in which we suffer consequences of sinful choices. There are times when we reap great blessings from choices of obedience. Yet, in the end of the day there is a principle at work that must control our expectations in all circumstances of life: the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.

Every single detail relating to our casting the lot into the lap, including the casting and the results thereof, are under the sovereign control of our God. He has not turned His back upon us in hopes that all will work out! He is directing the whole matter with us! There is nothing that is happening that does not fit into His specific design for our lives.

This reality is troubling to one who has no confidence in God, or who is not satisfied with what God is doing. But when our hearts are humbled before the God who is responsible for our very existence, and we are convinced that He has our best interest in view, then our hearts are calmed. We can make decisions, even uncertain decisions, with full confidence that whatever happens is of the LORD. It will be OK!

When my mind is full of these kinds of meditations, it is amazing how the tensions in the torso dissolve. So, I will purpose to do according to all God reveals to me, even casting the lot, trusting Him to bring about the result that He determines is best. That sure takes a load off of me! Would it help to change things if I continued to carry the anxiety, fear, or tension that comes with trying to control the lot?

Relax, the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD!