Remember As You Play....

The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. - Proverbs 16:33

We've read a lot lately about lots. Not the property where you live or some chain of discount stores - but "lots" used in the Bible.

That's because Wednesday was "Yom Kippur" or the Day of Atonement for many Jews and some Christians. In ancient times, lots were used on that day to make a choice between animals....

He is to cast lots for the two goats - one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.... the goat chosen by lot for the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. - Leviticus 16:8, 10

The NIV Study Bible says in commenting on Proverbs that ancient lots may have been pebbles "drawn out or shaken to the ground." It sounds a bit like throwing dice. But can you see how it could relate to poker - with cards shuffled and dealt blindly by a dealer?

When it comes to people choosing a goat for a sacrifice, a lot is no big deal. (Well, except maybe to the goats.) But when it comes to other things, lots can be big. Some poker cards are potentially good ones, while others are worth only a quick fold.

Yet don't overlook the last part of that verse in Proverbs: "Every decision is from the Lord." As our study Bible puts it, "God, not chance, is in control."

This admittedly is a very hard thing for many people to believe, especially in the heat of a hand. We figure the odds of making a straight or flush, and those odds are mathematically accurate. But can we believe God controls how things work out?

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. - Proverbs 16:9

Believe it or not, the sooner we believe that, the more comforting our poker games might become. You do all that you can to succeed. But trust God with the outcome - and accept it, even if it hurts.

This is not a case of appealing to "the poker gods." There's only one true God:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Go all-in to love the real God - and He might take control of some poker hands. But more importantly, He'll take control of big events in your life....

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28