Good morning everybody!
1st Samuel chapter 9.
In this chapter we see where Saul, son of Kish, was sent on a journey to look for lost donkeys. They traveled to five districts and could not find them. Saul was ready to give up and go back but the servant said let us find that man of God, the prophet who can help us.
We never know what God is up to. We never know what he is going to do and when he's going to do it and how he's going to do it and where he's going to do it.
We often have our days planned and they often don't go as we planned them. And they often don't go as smooth as we had hoped.
Saul traveled to five districts looking for the donkeys. Saul ran out of food. He was ready to give up and go home. He's worried about his dad being worried about him. I'm sure there was an element of frustration. It was at this low moment that God was ready to fulfill HIS PLAN, HIS WAY, in HIS TIMING! It is during these times that we see all these coincidences occur leading up to Saul meeting Samuel and where God had everything all worked out. These coincidences are actually God moments!
This sort of thing has happened to all of us, I'm certain, more than once and has changed the course of our lives. For example:
At a younger age I felt called to be a pastor and while pursuing and looking at different seminaries, my twin brother stepped down from my family’s furniture & floor covering business… Coincidence #1.
The closer I got to actually going to seminary, the less at peace I felt inside. And the more peace I had about being a Christian in business. I shared this thought with a friend and he knew about a seminar soon to occur in Pittsburgh about being a Christian in business… Coincidence#2.
I called the place to sign up and they said they weren't taking any more registrations because they were full. When I explained why I was late and why I was pursuing it, the lady said she felt the Lord really wanted us there and let us register… Coincidence#3.
We went to the seminar and God used it to speak to my heart and we ended up going in business with my family as a Christian in business while being a worker with the youth at the church.
Coincidences/God Moments equaled a change in the course of my life. We should not complain during unsuccessful and interrupted plans, but rather rejoice for God is at work and who knows what God moments we will encounter which will change the course of our lives and the lives of others for God's glory.
I was reflecting on chapter 9 along with Pastor Blair’s comments today and I thought that I would also share about what I was thinking about God’s plans as we see written in Proverbs 16:1-9.
“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble. Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”