Sometimes the most mundane things can remind us that we serve a sovereign God. Although some may call certain occurrences coincidences, it is important to remember that in God’s economy the more proper term is providence.
My daughter works at a café. On the days that she works the closing shift, she returns home with baked goods that were not sold. Because these are rarely gluten free (and all of us in the family are), she has become a neighborhood favorite as she shares these goodies with our neighbors. They now know that when she comes a-knocking in the early evening, she is often bearing gifts.
The other day she came home with leftovers and, due to some appointments she had on her day off, she didn’t make her neighborhood run that night or the next day. When I was about to leave in the early afternoon to go to the athletic club for my workout, I decided to grab them and give them to one of the club staff who is always very cordial and helpful. Upon my arrival, I told Ashley that I had a present for her—scones. She was delighted and jokingly asked if she was required to share them with anyone else. I told her that they were all hers.
About a half-hour later, she came and interrupted my workout. At first I was concerned that something was wrong, as this is not customary. She said she just had to tell me the most amazing story. She said, “Remember how you gave me the scones? Well, I had to go and pick up my daughter from school and I brought them with me to share with her. As I was driving down the street, there was this white husky running in the street. There were people following after it and trying to get it to stop, but it wouldn’t. So, I pulled off to the side of the road and tried to see if I could help. The dog wouldn’t come to me. Quickly, I thought of the scones and grabbed one and threw it on the ground. Immediately, the dog came, and I was able to reunite it with its owners!”
Ashley was elated and apologized for interrupting my workout but wanted to tell me the story in case she didn’t see me when I left.
Think of all the things that had to happen for this story to unfold. My daughter had to be scheduled for the closing shift and had to be too busy to share the scones with our neighbors. I had to have the idea of sharing these with someone I hoped to see at the athletic club, and the time had to be right when she would have to go pick up her child. Whatever had caused the dog to run in the street had to have occurred at the precise time Ashley was driving with scones in her car. I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea.
I am reminded of the passage in Psalm 50,
Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. (Psalm 50:10-11 NIV)
The God of remarkable providences, who cares for the sparrow, the cattle, and even a husky in San Jose, is our Father who not only numbers the hairs on our heads, but numbers our days as well. Truly we can say with certainty, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Remember this the next time you are certain you are going it alone. God’s help is just a scone’s throw away!
The Kingdom-Driven Family 