Coincidence or Divine Intervention?

Do you believe in coincidence or divine intervention or maybe a little of both? I believe that everything happens for a reason and for the glory of God. Immediate answer to prayer has happened so many times in my life, especially over the past couple of years, so I wonder why the prayer for the healing of my grandson, Jason, still goes unanswered. It is heavy on my heart and constant on my mind. What divine intervention is going on, what plans does God have for him and for our family? I don’t know but I know it will be greater than what I am praying for.

After I wrote the above paragraph I closed my computer to ponder on my own question. I turned on the radio (as I usually do in the mornings) and Charles Stanley was speaking and the very first thing I hear is “GOD ANSWERS PRAYER IN HIS OWN TIME”. What an amazing God we have. I cannot tell you how many times God has shouted to me over the past 2 years that He is going to heal Jason. Some people say “if it’s God’s will” but I say that God answers prayer! Otherwise, why pray at all? We have personal prayer lists, prayer lists at the church, prayer chains on the computer. So if prayer doesn’t work, why are we all praying?

Before church one Sunday (about a year ago) while Amy was practicing “Be still and let God move” I open my bible to Mark 2 and started reading at verse 5!!! “Seeing their faith Jesus told the paralytic, son your sins are forgiven”. He continues In Mark 2:11 “get up and walk”. I don’t believe in coincidences….I believe in divine intervention. God speaks to us with song, with sermon and with HIS WORD.

The next time you are faced with a circumstance that just seems to take over your entire being…..Be still and let God move. Open your bible, turn on a sermon or listen to some music of faith. I promise, actually God promises, He will meet you where you are. You will feel the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit and the peace and comfort you long for. He will never leave you nor forsake you.

SCRIPTURES

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; Glory to Him from generation to generation in the church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen Ephesians 3:20-21

FORGIVENESS

According to a 2001 study at the Michigan Institute for Social Research women are more forgiving than men. I wonder if this study included fathers forgiving their children. As mothers we tend to coddle our children a little more than fathers do. When our children do not act or behave in the manner in which we expect them to we still love them. We don’t stop loving them because they act like children. Some grow-up/mature faster than others do so it takes longer for them to actually get their life together.

Slow maturity makes life difficult on us as parents because we want to protect them from bad choices and harsh consequences. We want our children to have a good life but we cannot live their life for them or make their choices for them. They have to make their own mistakes and mature at the rate at which they mature.

This makes forgiveness a necessary part of the parent/child relationship. They have to know that no matter what we love them. We may not approve or agree with their behavior but we still love them. Withholding love because we don’t approve of someone’s behavior is not biblical. Jesus said to forgive someone 77 times.

We must love AND forgive our children just as Christ loves and forgives us. We must continue to guide them and ALWAYS pray for them by name. God has a plan for them just as He has plans for us. We should not impose our will on God’s will for their lives. We don’t know what they need to experience in order to develop into who they will be or what they will accomplish in their life time. So we must trust that God knows and our children are a part of a larger plan – God’s plan.

SCRIPTURES

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22

Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Colossians 3:21

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:29-32

God or Darwin

In 1609 a ship was built using the same pattern as Noah’s ark? It revolutionized the ship building industry and by the early 1900 nearly every ship was built using the same proportions; the very same proportions given by God to Noah to build the ark.

This is amazing don’t you think? There are so many scriptures written in the bible that point to facts only recently proven by science. This brings up the question; what about revolution? Why is the secular world trying to push Darwinism on everyone? Please tell me how the big boom theory makes sense to supposedly intelligent people. God made us male and female. If we evolved into what we are today – who came first, the male or the female? In order to reproduce both sex organs are required, right? So, if we evolved into this human being how did we procreate and why are we not still evolving? If the Darwin theory is correct and we evolved from a single cell, shouldn’t we be like super humans by now; immortal, invincible? As Christians we do not rely on proof that God exists or some random theory made up by an atheist; we just have faith that He does. It is fortunate for us, though, that the secular world keeps making scientific discoveries that were written about thousands of years ago in a book called The Holy Bible.

I thank God for my faith and I thank Him for Jesus and His death and resurrection that saves me from eternal hell. If this sounds farfetched to you and Darwinism makes sense than you are one of many who are lost in this world. God created us male and female in His image and there is but only one way to heaven and that is through the precious blood of the Lamb – Jesus Christ. If this world is all there is than what is the point?

I pray that the Holy Spirit will touch your soul and that God will reveal Himself to you today. Amen.

SCRIPTURES

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Genesis 1:27-28

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. Mark 11:22

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:17

so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. 1 Corinthians 2:5

Humble yourself before the Lord

Watchman Nee tells about a Chinese Christian who owned a rice paddy next to one owned by a communist man. The Christian irrigated his paddy by pumping water out of a canal, using a leg-operated pump that made him look like he was seated on a bicycle. Every day, after the Christian had pumped enough water to fill his field, the communist would come out, remove some boards that kept the water in the Christian’s field and let all the water flow down into his own field. That way, he didn’t have to pump.

This continued day after day. Finally, the Christian prayed, “Lord, if this keeps up, I’m going to lose all my rice, maybe even my field. I’ve got family to care for. What can I do?”

In answer to his request, the Lord put a thought in his mind. So, the next morning he arose much earlier, in the predawn hours of darkness, and started pumping water into the field of his communist neighbor. Then he replaced the boards and pumped water into his own rice paddy. In a few weeks both the fields were doing well – and the communist was converted.

This would be an example of loving your enemies. How many of us could say that we would be able to handle this situation with such a humble spirit? It is difficult sometimes to know what the right thing is. The key is to ask for the Lord’s guidance. He will always lead us down the righteous path, even if it is a path that we don’t want to go down. For example doing the work of two and getting paid for the work of one. Watering the neighbor’s field isn’t the path that I would chose but it was the right path because it showed love, kindness and humility to another human being which caused him to be converted. God’s love shined through bringing Him glory.

Kindness like everything else is a choice. We chose to be kind; we chose to be honest, humble, tolerant, obedient etc… It is the Holy Spirit that resides in each Christian that makes those choices easier to make. To be Christ like is our goal and should be reflected in everything we do, say and think.

SCRIPTURES

The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. Psalm 147:6

"You give me your shield, which is salvation, your right hand holds me up, your humility makes me great. Psalm 18:35

When pride comes, then comes shame, But with humility comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them, But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them. Riches don't profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs 11:2-4

make my joy full, that you be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; Philippians 2:2-3

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with feelings of compassion and with kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12