A while ago, I was reading 2 Chronicles 18, which chronicles the story of Jehoshaphat and Ahab’s plans to form an alliance to go to war against Ramoth-Gilead, and subsequently recover it. As the story goes, Ahab brought up the idea of a an alliance. Jehoshaphat was keen, but wanted to find out what God had to say regarding the idea first. King Ahab thus summoned 400 prophets to find out. 400 prophets! And you know what? They all said the same thing: “Yes, go right ahead! God will give the king victory.”

But Jehoshaphat was not convinced. So he asked, “Is there not also a prophet of the Lord here? We should ask him the same question.” Then King Ahab reluctantly brought out Micaiah. But not before telling Jehoshaphat just what he thought of Micaiah: “I hate him”, “He never prophesies anything but trouble for me!” Thankfully Jehoshaphat was more mature and reprimanded King Ahab. Prophet Micaiah then starts off with a bit of sarcasm, but gets serious and tells King Ahab that going to war against Ramoth-Gilead will not end well. Of course King Ahab takes this as proof that Micaiah is merely a prophet of doom and gloom. Miciah ignores the jibe and delivers more of God’s message to Ahab and Jehoshaphat. He even gets slapped and arrested in the process, but then he ends with the words “If you return safely, it will mean that the Lord has not spoken through me!” Then he added to those standing around, “Everyone mark my words!” (Verse 27).

In the end, they decide to go to war anyway. “The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “As we go into battle, I will disguise myself so no one will recognize me, but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to his chariot commanders: “Attack only the king of Israel! Don’t bother with anyone else.” So when the Aramean chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they went after him. “There is the king of Israel!” they shouted. But Jehoshaphat called out, and the Lord saved him. God helped him by turning the attackers away from him. As soon as the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they stopped chasing him.” (Verses 29-32, NLT).

Now this is where it gets even more interesting. “An Aramean soldier, however, randomly shot an arrow at the Israelite troops and hit the king of Israel between the joints of his armour. “Turn the horses and get me out of here!” Ahab groaned to the driver of the chariot. “I’m badly wounded!” The battle raged all that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans. In the evening, just as the sun was setting, he died.” (Verses 33-34, NLT).

I’ve provided the background of this story for context, but my focus is really on verse 33, and the word “randomly”. Other translations say “at a venture” (KJV), “at random” (ESV), “without taking special aim” (BSB), “in his simplicity” (YLT), “Without even aiming” (CEV). He wasn’t even aiming and he hit the king in somewhere that would actually be difficult to hit even if you were aiming. You have to understand how narrow those armour joints are. It’s like casually throwing a dart and hitting a bull’s eye.

And yet that seemingly random act by an Aramean soldier ended up fulfilling the Word of God, as spoken by God’s true prophet, Micaiah. So, back to the question in the title, ‘does God do random coincidences?’ I want to let Scripture to really do the talking in this blog, because Scripture is powerful enough on its own, and the verses below are pretty self-explanatory.

“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31).

John 9 records the story of the man who was blind from Birth. “As He (Jesus) went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (Verses 1-4, NLT). Again this man being blind from birth was not a coincidence or a fluke, there was a purpose to it, “that the works of God might be displayed in him”.

Then there is the story of Samson’s marriage in Judges 14. “Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Then he came up and told his father and mother, “I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife.” But his father and mother said to him, “Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?” But Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.” His father and mother did not know that it was from the Lord, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines ruled over Israel.” (Verses 1- 4).

Reading Deuteronomy 7:3 helps us understand that Samson’s parents were merely trying to follow the pattern of the law. As such, their question was a valid one. However there was something else at work they did not understand. Samson’s desire for a Philistine wife was not a random coincidence. God was at work.

There are so many lessons we can learn from these passages. I’ll just highlight a few below:

God is in control. Understanding and knowing this should encourage us to stop worrying. More importantly, it should teach us to pray always… when we don’t understand why something is happening, before we confront people, before we even open our mouths to speak on any issue, or before responding to an attack. It should also temper our desire to judge, especially without any divine guidance. Don’t just seek guidance from people who will tell you what you want to hear. Go to God first. Any other guidance should simply be confirming what God has said to you already.

God does not guess, or cast lots, or throw things in the air and say “let the chips fall where they may.” As 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” He is Omniscient, and knows exactly what He is doing. He has not and can never ‘drop the ball’. He is El Roi, fully aware, and fully assured of what He is doing. Psalm 18:30 (BSB) notes, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” We may not always understand His ways, but we can certainly trust them.

God’s Word will ALWAYS come to pass. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:18 (ESV), “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” If He has said it, then He will do it. Because He is a good God, we can be sure that His word is good, His plans are good, His timing is good. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, BSB).

Seeking God’s face before doing anything is therefore crucial, and we can do so through prayer. Prayer is an essential medium for partnering with God to cause His will to be done “on Earth as it is in Heaven”. Prayer combined with studying the Word of God are key ways to discover God’s plans, and how we can work with Him to achieve them. There is so much that is beyond the physical which we may not understand, but prayer is far more powerful than we can imagine. I like this quote from Archbishop William Temple, “When I pray, coincidences happen. When I don’t, they don’t.” Remember, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16b).

As we reflect on this, I pray that we will learn to trust God and His plans. May we earnestly and prayerfully seek to know God’s plans and purposes for our lives, and work with Him to fulfil them. When we are tempted to worry, may worship fill our hearts instead. As we worship, we will remember that we are loved by the One who is in control, the All-Powerful God, the Master Planner. We are His prized possession, the ones He has beautiful plans for. May that knowledge fill us with reassurance, peace and hope. Amen.

Image Source here.