Perhaps you turn on the radio on your way to work and the guy is talking in specific detail about the exact same thing that you're going through, and as he lays out some specific passages of scripture to bring comfort to someone who is going through what you're going through, you realize that these passages are exactly the same ones you were reading and meditating on when you got up this morning.
Maybe you're on your way somewhere and you stop at an intersection, and the light turns green and it's your turn to go. But something in you subtly tells you to look again, even though when you looked both ways before, there were no cars coming. And yet, as you look again, a speeding car races dangerously through the intersection, and had you gone when the light turned green, you most certainly would have died.
Coincidence?
All the above instances, and many others too numerous to mention here, have happened to us over the last ten years. We stopped believing in coincidences many years ago. In our house, we have a saying. If me or my wife says "Coincidence?" The other will quickly respond, "I think not!"
Too many strange but wonderful things have happened to us, and to the people we know, since we have become followers of Christ. And they simply cannot be coincidences. You know God has His hand in it.
As my daughter so perfectly stated it the other day, "You know it has God's fingerprints all over it."
I've spoken at length in my last few posts how God is sovereign over all things.The Bible also says He has "ordered our steps." He doesn't make our choices for us, but knowing in advance all the choices we will make, He sometimes orchestrates situations and circumstances that will give us everything we need to know to make the right choices. And if we are on a path to making bad choices, He will sometimes place obstacles in our way to deter us, and to help warn us of the perils of choosing unwisely.
But having been given the gift of freewill, we still have to choose wisely.
Because I love and respect my friend who I am writing about next, I will only speak in generalities, respecting his right to privacy. Back on June 11th when I had my seizure from my neurological disorder, ending up in the emergency room, I wrote a blog entry about the experience two days later on June 13th. I titled it, "The Blessing of Not Knowing Why."
http://marriage-miracles.blogspot.com/2012/06/blessing-of-not-knowing-why.html
I sent out a group email to virtually everyone on my email list, to inform them of this new change in my life, and to ask for prayer. I also included a link to the blog post mentioned above. Some people responded, but not everyone, and that's fine. My primary goal was to get the blog post out to give my testimony of how the Lord is faithful and He is working in and through this difficult trial in our life.
Over a week later, I sent a short email to my friend about something fishing related. He responded to let me know he hasn't had any time for fishing as he had just experienced a personal tragedy of a magnitude that I could never comprehend experiencing. But in his response he kindly wrote:
"I received your email last week about your condition and your faith in God. I was so very touched by your words. I was so moved and found comfort in your words—very timely. :-) Thank-you."
One "coincidental?" fact in this story is that the tragedy my friend experienced was on the exact same day I experienced my seizure. That's odd enough. But what really floors me about this whole story, is I would have never been in the position to write that blog post about "The Blessing of Not Knowing Why" and then email it to my friend unless I had that seizure in eastern Idaho.
Do you see how huge the implications are?
My friend and I are 're-connected' in the grocery store a few months ago. So great to see him, and I began to pray for him. Totally out of the blue I have this seizure followed by a diagnosis of a strange neurological condition that I may be stuck with for life. Through a casual email exchange a short time later, my friend shares his story with me about this life-changing tragedy he has experienced. But God brings comfort to him through my simple little blog where I was able to share my story.
Coincidence?— I think not!
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way." (Psalm 37:23)
My friend and I have had some good conversations since that initial email chat. I was even able to visit him for almost an hour this week. When we were done talking I reached out to shake his hand but he gave me a great big hug. I know the Lord brought us together and He made a connection. This whole situation is not just a coincidence and God has a purpose for orchestrating it.
When I read my friends email response to my wife she wept, and said, "See, God has a purpose in all of this."
And I know that He does.
His fingerprints are all over it.
The moral of the story is, be sensitive to, and aware of the people that God brings into your life. Chance meetings or what may seem like coincidences may in fact be a divine setup. And in our case, so many have, just like this story I have just shared with you.
Please pray for my friend, and for God's healing during this great tragedy in his life. He's really a great guy and I hope he knows how much we love and appreciate him.
And for all those who are currently going through painful and difficult trials—God has a purpose for allowing you to go through them. Only God knows why. But let Him use you to bring encouragement and hope to others who are hurting—through your trial—not in spite of it.
I would never have been able to say this before, but I can truly count my difficult and painful trial a blessing because of how God has used it to bless others who are hurting, and I choose to count it all as joy—to the glory of God.
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9)
—God is Love and Love Never Fails.
All the above instances, and many others too numerous to mention here, have happened to us over the last ten years. We stopped believing in coincidences many years ago. In our house, we have a saying. If me or my wife says "Coincidence?" The other will quickly respond, "I think not!"
Too many strange but wonderful things have happened to us, and to the people we know, since we have become followers of Christ. And they simply cannot be coincidences. You know God has His hand in it.
As my daughter so perfectly stated it the other day, "You know it has God's fingerprints all over it."
I've spoken at length in my last few posts how God is sovereign over all things.The Bible also says He has "ordered our steps." He doesn't make our choices for us, but knowing in advance all the choices we will make, He sometimes orchestrates situations and circumstances that will give us everything we need to know to make the right choices. And if we are on a path to making bad choices, He will sometimes place obstacles in our way to deter us, and to help warn us of the perils of choosing unwisely.
But having been given the gift of freewill, we still have to choose wisely.
Because I love and respect my friend who I am writing about next, I will only speak in generalities, respecting his right to privacy. Back on June 11th when I had my seizure from my neurological disorder, ending up in the emergency room, I wrote a blog entry about the experience two days later on June 13th. I titled it, "The Blessing of Not Knowing Why."
http://marriage-miracles.blogspot.com/2012/06/blessing-of-not-knowing-why.html
I sent out a group email to virtually everyone on my email list, to inform them of this new change in my life, and to ask for prayer. I also included a link to the blog post mentioned above. Some people responded, but not everyone, and that's fine. My primary goal was to get the blog post out to give my testimony of how the Lord is faithful and He is working in and through this difficult trial in our life.
Over a week later, I sent a short email to my friend about something fishing related. He responded to let me know he hasn't had any time for fishing as he had just experienced a personal tragedy of a magnitude that I could never comprehend experiencing. But in his response he kindly wrote:
"I received your email last week about your condition and your faith in God. I was so very touched by your words. I was so moved and found comfort in your words—very timely. :-) Thank-you."
The fact that my friend was comforted in his time of pain by the simple words that God gave me to write in the blog post is blessing enough. But there's so much more to the story. This is a friend that I have known since the mid- 1980's, and worked with again in 1990. But we hadn't really seen him much since then. My wife and I bumped into him in the grocery store a few months ago and it was great to see him. Since that chance meeting in the grocery store, I've definitely been praying that God would bless him.
One "coincidental?" fact in this story is that the tragedy my friend experienced was on the exact same day I experienced my seizure. That's odd enough. But what really floors me about this whole story, is I would have never been in the position to write that blog post about "The Blessing of Not Knowing Why" and then email it to my friend unless I had that seizure in eastern Idaho.
Do you see how huge the implications are?
My friend and I are 're-connected' in the grocery store a few months ago. So great to see him, and I began to pray for him. Totally out of the blue I have this seizure followed by a diagnosis of a strange neurological condition that I may be stuck with for life. Through a casual email exchange a short time later, my friend shares his story with me about this life-changing tragedy he has experienced. But God brings comfort to him through my simple little blog where I was able to share my story.
Coincidence?— I think not!
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way." (Psalm 37:23)
My friend and I have had some good conversations since that initial email chat. I was even able to visit him for almost an hour this week. When we were done talking I reached out to shake his hand but he gave me a great big hug. I know the Lord brought us together and He made a connection. This whole situation is not just a coincidence and God has a purpose for orchestrating it.
When I read my friends email response to my wife she wept, and said, "See, God has a purpose in all of this."
And I know that He does.
His fingerprints are all over it.
The moral of the story is, be sensitive to, and aware of the people that God brings into your life. Chance meetings or what may seem like coincidences may in fact be a divine setup. And in our case, so many have, just like this story I have just shared with you.
Please pray for my friend, and for God's healing during this great tragedy in his life. He's really a great guy and I hope he knows how much we love and appreciate him.
And for all those who are currently going through painful and difficult trials—God has a purpose for allowing you to go through them. Only God knows why. But let Him use you to bring encouragement and hope to others who are hurting—through your trial—not in spite of it.
I would never have been able to say this before, but I can truly count my difficult and painful trial a blessing because of how God has used it to bless others who are hurting, and I choose to count it all as joy—to the glory of God.
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9)
—God is Love and Love Never Fails.
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