They Are So Lucky

A man’s heart deviseth his way; but the Lord directeth his steps. --Proverbs 16:9

Over and over they say it throughout the video that documents the music group’s rise to superstardom: “It’s unbelievable how lucky these guys are. They got the right agents at the right times. They got offers that are unheard of in this business. They got breaks that no one gets. They are just so lucky.”

Maybe. But was it really just “luck”?

Before we go further in this discussion, I should point out that this band is not a “Christian band.” More correctly, their music is not Christian. They don’t sing about doing God’s will in your life or about taking chances knowing that God is there and He will direct your steps. They don’t sing about all the ways that God has been there in the valleys of their careers and in their personal lives, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that they believe all of these things.

And that to me is the beauty of the lesson this group presents. These guys live every day with God. In every moment they allow Him to shine through them as they bring His light to a secular world. Millions of people around the globe follow their careers. Millions flock to their concerts to hear their sweet harmonies blend together—never knowing that there is something far more divine at work around them.

Several years ago I read the group’s CD jackets where they talk about thanking God for the talent He has given them, but I know for too many in this world, those are just words that you’re supposed to say. They are written and forgotten in the next moment as the person then proceeds to scratch and claw their own way to the top. They aren’t lived out in the every day of the person’s life.

To be honest I didn’t think much about the words on their CD until other pieces of the puzzle started falling into place. Like the fact that one band member has a gold cross that he wears all the time. And I mean all the time. Looking closely at even publicity shots, that cross is always there—whether out for the world to see or tucked close to his heart, the cross and him are inseparable.

Then there are the extra words that they put into their version of “Silent Night.” “Peace, joy, and love were sent to all of us from Heaven up above. To every man, woman, boy, and girl. To all God’s children all around the world… and now we hope you all remember this, the true meaning of Christmas” Christ the Savior is born. Christ the Savior is born.

In one of their videos one band member pays tribute to and prays for his grandmother in an ornately decorated church. In one documentary a teacher tells the story of when she was ill for an extended period, and one of the members, who was still in high school at the time, saw her at the grocery store. He came up to her and told her that they were all praying for her and to get well soon. So many little pieces, all forming a puzzle that becomes very clear the more you look at it. Even in the promotional magazines for their albums, it’s obvious if you read closely enough that God is never far away from their lives.

All of this is well and good, you might say, but how do you know that this is not all just an act put on to impress people? Here’s how I know. I have another video of this group. It’s a package deal of several of their videos featuring the band discussing their journey to the top—that journey that they were so “lucky” on. It details the long hours and the hard work they put in every day to make their dreams a reality. Basically it’s standard stuff for anyone who’s ever “made it” at anything.

"With this group you may have to put a few pieces together to realize how central God is to their lives."

Then toward the end of the video, suddenly there is the band, dressed to go on stage. You can hear the sound check people working in the concert arena above them. Their band members and team are around them, and all are holding hands. Then one of the members begins: “Dear Lord, thank you for blessing us in so many ways…Thank you for giving us the wisdom to see your blessings and to know where they come from…Thank you for giving us a positive team—a great team who works very hard for us…Thank you for giving us our best show yet and for letting us have a great time doing it. Amen.”

This is no put on. It’s not an act for the camera. It is from the heart. There are too many other pieces in place for it to be anything else. After watching this, I went back and watched the other video—the one with all of the music people talking about how “these guys are so lucky. It’s just unbelievable.” They have caught breaks at just the right time. They have found just the right managers. They have gotten great advice at the exact moment they needed it. The timing has been right for this group over and over again…

Now here’s my question. Isn’t that exactly what God has promised each of us if we follow the calling of our hearts while walking down the path He has set out for our lives?

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in the paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
–Isaiah 42:16

The most inspiring thing about this whole puzzle when it finally comes together is that these guys don’t shout their Christianity to the world, hoping that people will see it and be impressed. Instead they live their Christianity in every moment of their lives, and thus are able to shine some light into a dark and secular world. They are singing the songs God meant for them to sing—whether they mention God’s name in them or not, and they are singing them knowing that God is right beside them, guiding their every step.

We all have that choice every day. We don’t have to be ministers or choir directors or Sunday school teachers or even multi-national stars. We can be moms and dads and architects and bankers and computer programmers and doctors and lawyers and grocery store clerks, and we, like this group, can take God with us everywhere we go. We can allow Him to guide our lives step-by-step, every moment of every day.

In the secular world of music promotion only a precious few manage to hold onto God when they get to the top. Only those who hold onto Him with both hands and never let go simply because they are trying to reach for something that is actually fool’s gold can manage to keep God in the center of their existence. With this group you may have to put a few pieces together to realize how central God is to their lives, but undeniably all the pieces are there.

Yes, 98 Degrees is lucky—they’ve got God on their side. Who could be any luckier than that?