COINCIDENCE OR GOD’S PROVISION AND DIRECTION?

I am posting this blog from New York, where my son, Miles, and I are spending the night before catching a plane to Athens on our tour of Greece, Israel and Jordan. We have been praying for rapid healing for Miles as he recovers from mono. His main problem has been an incredibly sore and swollen throat. Saturday, he went to the doctor in the morning and the ER late at night. At the same time, we were trying to complete the parent activities connected with our daughter’s first week at Biola. Linda missed several activities as she assisted Miles. Melinda is thrilled to be at Biola and is ready to get on with college. We are very proud of her and we are grateful for God’s work in her life.

Getting back to Miles’ story, I attended the parent lunch with Biola’s president yesterday. As an aside, his message was excellent. I met up with another parent from Sacramento and we “randomly” sat at a table with strangers. There were 130 tables set up with an average of 8 parents per table. Two sets of parents at the table turned out to be from Auburn, just east of Sacramento. One dad is an ER doctor with Kaiser in Sacramento. I started sharing with him about Miles having mono and our trips to the ER, as we debated taking him on a tour to Israel that left the next day. He told me that he and his wife were also going on a trip to Israel, but they were leaving Monday from San Francisco. He said they were going with Mars Hill Church, in Seattle, where their son-in-law is an associate pastor. I let him know we were going on the same trip and we would see him in New York on Monday afternoon!

I sat at the table in wonder at God’s sovereign grace and provision. I had just prayed that morning over the phone with my parents as I went for a walk, that God would clearly provide and direct. I concluded that God clearly answered the prayer by letting us know that He would take care of us, including by providing a Sacramento area doctor for our trip to Israel with a Seattle church.

So, was it random coincidence that out of 130 tables at a Biola lunch, I sat at a table with an ER doctor from Sacramento who was going to Israel with a Seattle church at exactly the time that we were trying to decide whether to take Miles on the trip? What do you think? Was that the hand of God? Was God clearly directing and leading and providing?

When we are daily praying and seeking God’s will and His direction and provision, we tend to see Him answer and we have the opportunity to give Him praise and glory for His provision, instead of just saying, "gee, how lucky."

Our Heavenly Father knows every detail of our lives "even the hairs of our head are numbered" and most of you have a lot more hair than me. God doesn’t miss anything. He is longing to be daily trusted and loved and honored in our lives. Are we listening? Are we looking for His work? Are we living lives of thanksgiving and praise and gratitude, because of Who He Is and what He is doing? May God’s life in you come alive more and more every day.

The students who worked the Biola orientation wore shirts with the brightly written word, "abound." Our God wants to "abound" in us and wants us to "abound" in this life and in the world. May the world see us abounding this week regardless of our circumstances, because our Heavenly Father is at work in us that we would abound for His glory.
Postscript: Last night, Miles throat pain was unbearable, so we went to the local ER at NYU Medical Center on Manhattan, near Wall Street. By God's continuing and amazing grace, we got in to see the ER doctor quickly and she was excellent, prescribing steroids and antibiotics. He got his first dose last night and I picked up additional meds this morning, as well as walking around Wall Street. Miles had a good night sleep and we are ready for the ride to JFK and then Athens. Please pray that the fires in Athens would be contained soon. Bon voyage.