Flight Paths

Today's post is by guest writer Joanne Beckley.

We have all sung the song, "Que sera, sera" which translates "Whatever will be, will be" without really thinking about the consequences of what it means. True, the future is not ours to see, but is it only in the hands of “fate”? The phrase is a Spanish expression that conveys the idea of accepting the future and not worrying about what may happen. It is often used to express a sense of resignation or acceptance of events beyond one's control no matter our own choices.

Believing in fate suggests that events in life are predetermined and beyond a person's control and therefore there is no accountability. Often fate is attributed to a supernatural power or higher force. It implies a sense of inevitability, where specific outcomes are already destined to occur. Believing in fate provides a framework for understanding seemingly random or difficult events.

Fatalism is a major premise of Islam and widely held in Hinduism, too; in fact, it is a fatalistic view of life that helps keep India’s caste system in place. Greek mythology told of the Moirai, or the Fates, three goddesses pictured as weavers of men’s lives. Their decisions could not be canceled or annulled, even by other gods. But is fatalism a biblical concept?

What does the Bible say about fate?

God refuses to surrender people to their fate, namely death and eternal destruction. He changes fate into destiny for all who believe in Christ. Therefore, God's plan, his election, is paramount. Fatalism is not biblical.

God’s Word teaches that Man was created with the ability to make moral choices and that he is responsible for those choices. The Fall of Man was not a predetermined event in which Adam and Eve were hapless victims of a Puppet-Master God. Adam and his wife had the ability to choose obedience (with its attendant blessing) or disobedience (with its consequent curse). They knew what the result of their decision would be, and they were held accountable for their destiny (Genesis 3).

This theme of being held accountable for our choices continues throughout Scripture. “He who sows wickedness reaps trouble” (Proverbs 22:8a). “All hard work brings a profit, / but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23). “Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you” (Romans 13:3).

We sin because we choose to. “Each person was judged according to what he had done” (Revelation 20:13). We can’t blame Fate or God. James 1:13-14 says, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is enticed.”

Scripture also teaches that we choose to have faith. The oft-repeated command in Scripture to believe implies that we do have a choice in the matter. “Be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27; see also Acts 16:31; 19:4). What have we chosen?

Lest we get the wrong idea, we are not the sovereign masters of our lives. Only God is sovereign. His sovereign control is called “providence.” He has chosen to give us a free will, and He has created a moral universe in which the law of cause-and-effect is a reality. But God is God alone, and there are no “accidents” in the universe.

Fighting against the plan of God is pointless. “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan / that can succeed against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30). This is why the Tower of Babel was never completed (Genesis 11:1-9), why Daniel’s detractors were thrown to the lions (Daniel 6:24), why Jonah spent time inside a fish (Jonah 1:17), and why I get in trouble when I sin.

Everything that happens in the world is made to work out according to God’s purpose. Evil exists, but it is not allowed to thwart God’s providence. God uses even sinful men for His purposes. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; / he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases” (Proverbs 21:1). God worked in the hearts of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:36) and King Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:27) to bring about His purpose. Even when Man’s intent is purely evil, God can still bring about His will, as in the case of those who crucified Jesus (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28).

In summary, the Bible teaches that God is in charge and He has offered the hope of living with Him in heaven. At the same time, He has given us choice, the freedom to obey or disobey Him, and there are some things that God does only in answer to prayer (James 4:2). Those who are obedient to Christ as Savior have accepted God’s plan (John 14:6). From then on, it’s a step-by-step following of God’s best for us, praying for His will to be done (Matthew 6:10), and avoiding the sidetrack of sin (Psalm 32:1-11; 119:59; Hebrews 12:1-2). That is what God wants of us, obedient faith in Jesus Christ looking to live with Him–our destiny.

All of us need to be aware of what the world is trying to teach us concerning fate. We are NOT in the hands of fate, and we should not make reference to it in a light way.

SONG: I KNOW WHO HOLDS TOMORROW

by Ira Stamphill 1950

I know who holds tomorrow,

I just live from day to day.

I don’t borrow from its sunshine,

For its skies may turn to gray.

I don’t worry over the future,

for I know what Jesus said;

And today I’ll work beside Him

For He knows what is ahead.

I don’t know about tomorrow;

It may bring me poverty.

But the one who feeds the sparrow

Is the one who stands by me,

And the path that be my portion

May be through the flame or flood,

But His presence goes before me

And I’m covered with His blood.