Continuing our discussion on palmistry, astrology, numerology, and similar attempts to predict the future.
Let me begin with a confession!
During the Golden Jubilee reunion of our Bachelor of Commerce class, one of my classmates narrated how, many years ago, I had apparently read her palm. I predicted that she would fall in love with a fellow student and eventually marry him. To everyone’s amusement, both the husband and wife were present at the gathering!
The poor girl never imagined that I knew absolutely nothing about palmistry. I had read her palm purely in a lighthearted manner, for fun; I merely wanted an excuse to hold her hand! We laughed about it again when we met at our sixtieth-anniversary reunion last November.
Jokes apart, that incident raises an important question. If a prediction comes true, does that validate the method? Scripture would answer with a clear “No.”
One of my favourite passages is Psalm 19. We do not know exactly when David wrote it. Perhaps it was during his years fleeing from Saul. I like to imagine David spending a lonely night in the wilderness, gazing at the countless stars above him. He had undoubtedly seen the same sky hundreds of times before. Yet on that particular occasion, something changed. Revelation dawned. Suddenly, he perceived what he had merely observed before.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psalm 19:1).
Many of us have experienced something similar. How often have we looked through the window of an aircraft at the vast expanse of sky below and above us? We see the creation, but do we truly perceive the Creator? The heavens are not announcing our destiny; they are announcing God’s glory.
That is the crucial distinction.
The stars reveal God. They do not reveal our future.
I am a firm believer in God’s providence. Looking back over life, I can see how the good, the bad, and the not-so-good have all been woven together by His sovereign hand. At the time, many events made little sense. Yet years later, God’s purpose became clearer.
The Book of Esther beautifully illustrates this truth. Esther did not know the future. Mordecai did not know the future. Neither could see how events would unfold. Yet God was quietly orchestrating every detail behind the scenes. As Mordecai told Esther, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).
That is providence.
God rarely reveals the entire script. Instead, He asks us to trust the Author.
This is why Scripture consistently warns against divination, astrology, omens, and attempts to uncover hidden knowledge of the future (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Isaiah 47:13-14). The issue is not merely whether such predictions are accurate or inaccurate. The deeper issue is trust. Are we trusting God, or are we seeking certainty apart from Him?
Jesus taught us not to be anxious about tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). James reminds us that we do not even know what tomorrow will bring (James 4:13-15). Instead of trying to discover the future, we are called to submit to the One who already holds it.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Notice that God gives a lamp for the next step, not a floodlight for the next twenty years.
The Christian faith is not about predicting the future. It is about trusting the Lord of the future.
Palmistry, astrology, numerology, and similar practices all begin with the assumption that knowing tomorrow will give us peace. Scripture teaches the opposite. Peace comes not from knowing what tomorrow holds, but from knowing Who holds tomorrow.
Christ is in control of our lives. That is all we really need to know.