Luck (For Our Soul)

Lectio Divina Out Loud: Erika Dix searches for a four leaf clover, and discovers her luck lies with the Lord instead.  

For a sun and shield is the Lord God, bestowing all grace and glory. The Lord withholds no good thing from those who walk without reproach. (Psalm 84:12)

This is your lucky day! Oh, how I wish that I could be lucky every day. I may actually play the lottery if that were true. There is a holiday where luck is celebrated and in my husband's family we celebrate big, especially since Grandma is Irish. We all wear green and eat a feast of corned beef and cabbage, Colcannon (an Irish potato dish), roasted carrots and parsnips, and homemade soda bread. There was a time when I really wanted to be a part of this heritage, and I even wore a shirt that said, “Possibly Irish” (I am made up of a mix of German and Polish relatives). Having a lucky day for me would have included finding out a distant relative of mine is Irish, but at least my kids have some Irish in their mix.

The verse from Psalm 84 got me thinking about luck and its relationship to our faith. It is difficult to think about God and how He will give us all kinds of good things, and if that is true, then who needs luck? I asked that question — and found the answer in the verse.

Sun and Shield

We are all looking for a little sunlight in our life, and that could mean a lucky break with a job, relationship, finances, and so on. In our families, this could mean providing for them in physical, emotional, and spiritual ways. Do our kids have enough? Are they safe at school? How is their prayer life?

God is our sun(light) and shield according to the Psalm 84 verse, and this beautiful imagery is used to describe how God is warm and giving, as well as a great protector. That is one lucky break to have God in our corner.

Grace and Glory

Merit based benefits are what we are used to, but if you are lucky, then you get all the good stuff without having to do a thing! Does anyone have that kind of luck, and does it come with a price?

God gives us His grace from His loving kindness, without basing it on merit or a price. What a wonderful feeling knowing that we do not have to earn God’s grace, just accept it knowing He loves us that much. That makes me feel pretty lucky.

Withholds No Good Thing

So is luck all we need? The verse from Psalm 84 reads as if it is our lucky day, with God described as benevolent and bestowing all kinds of good things. It does sound wonderful, and all we need to do is walk without reproach, which could also mean being right with God. There are some people who definitely seem lucky and have all kinds of good things, but do they have integrity and follow God’s will? And there are others who are so faith-filled, but seem to be down on their luck with financial or relationship difficulties.

Luck is about what we want to get in this life, but God’s blessing is about all He will be giving us in the next. We expect the good things to happen now, but we may be waiting until our eternal life with God to receive them.

Walking with the Lord

For my question about who needs luck, the answer I found was that God does give us good things, but they may not be right away or even in this life. When we walk with the Lord, we are lucky because even when we do not have good things, we have joy in knowing He is with us, and hope in knowing He will give us good things in our eternal life. That is the luck (for my soul) in my life, and I do not have to be “possibly” Irish to have it.

Prayer:

Lord, You give us many good things, including your love and grace. Help us to walk without reproach so that we may share in your glory in eternal life.

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Copyright 2026 Erika Dix
Images: Canva