Reason #241
It's funny how things work out. Funny really isn't the best word, but it's the only one I can think of right now. Ironic, but not coincidential. We live out our days working and meeting and running errands, doing life to its fullest. Busy people with jam packed schedules. Eyes that are limited to seeing only the near present, only the agenda penciled in on the calendar, only the items scribbled on our to-do lists. So we walk through life completely unaware and we turn in to creatures who expect so much yet constantly find ourselves in the unexpected. And so you look back after the dust has cleared, after you've had a moment to catch your breath and let your brain catch up, and it's just funny how things work out.
They say the devil is in the details, but I argue that God is. Because isn't it funny how, when you need provision, you get an escrow refund check in the mail that was completely unexpected? Isn't it funny how, when you are feeling so discouraged and down, you get a phone call from a friend that cheers you up? Isn't it funny how, when you need your spirit to be lifted, you turn on the radio and the right song begins to play? Don't you find it funny that when you are so desperate to hear truth, you crack open your bible, sit in a sermon, read a devotional, and it is as if it was written specifically for you? And isn't it funny that when you just can't see how God could bring good from a situation, He does that and even more? Isn't it funny how, when you feel you deserve nothing good, He blesses you with something that exceeds everything you ever expected? Isn't funny how, when you completely trust Him and obey Him, your every need is taken care of? Isn't it funny how, when you feel alone, you meet a new friend who just so happened to also be looking for a new friend? Isn't it funny that you build relationships here and there and years later you unexpectedly run into one another and rekindle a deeper friendship than you originally had? Isn't it funny that you pray and pray about a certain thing and then cross paths with someone else who had the exact same prayer, too? And ironically enough, isn't it funny that all these things happen when you least expect them? These things are the unexpected. Funny how that works.
I began studying for my Wednesday night bible study group last night and I thought, "I wonder how the Lord is going to use this study." Because, truth is, I was having a hard time with it. I just wasn't sure what direction it needed to go, and I definitely wasn't sure how to deliver this information and make it relevant, interesting and applicable. So I prayed about and I felt the Lord prompting me to take a particular action. A simple action. Something I should have done long before now, but I just so happened to be reminded of it yesterday as I sat in church. So, I typed out a few short paragraphs in a quick e-mail and continued on with my day. I woke up this morning to a response. I didn't expect that, and I couldn't help but think how perfect the timing was. This was exactly what I needed! This was what I was hoping and praying for because this was the key to making it relevant, applicable and interesting. And the funny thing about it is that this circumstance, this situation, aligns perfectly with the exact study I was preparing. The one I was not sure about, the one I was having a hard time with, the one I was wondering about. Funny, huh?
And as I look back over this entire situation, I can't help but smile because I get to see the full picture right now. I get to see everything in the entirety up until this point. But as I've walked through the past 7 years of life, I never expected this. The others involved in this story didn't either. None of us saw this coming. But it's funny how He works. It's funny how He directs our paths and uses us. Each differently, but each for a purpose. And the more I see this, the more amazed I am because things like this don't "just happen." These things aren't by chance, and coincidence has absolutely nothing to do with it. These things happen because we serve a God who is in the details. One who has purpose woven into every second of time. One who worked out this beautifully complex story from the very beginning. So it is a little funny to think about, and my heart rejoices as I realize how involved He is in my life, in all of humanity. And I praise Him that He is always exceeding our expectations by doing the unexpected when we least expect it!
#241 - Because He exceeds our expectations with unexpected details!
"The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." - Psalm 37:23
They say the devil is in the details, but I argue that God is. Because isn't it funny how, when you need provision, you get an escrow refund check in the mail that was completely unexpected? Isn't it funny how, when you are feeling so discouraged and down, you get a phone call from a friend that cheers you up? Isn't it funny how, when you need your spirit to be lifted, you turn on the radio and the right song begins to play? Don't you find it funny that when you are so desperate to hear truth, you crack open your bible, sit in a sermon, read a devotional, and it is as if it was written specifically for you? And isn't it funny that when you just can't see how God could bring good from a situation, He does that and even more? Isn't it funny how, when you feel you deserve nothing good, He blesses you with something that exceeds everything you ever expected? Isn't funny how, when you completely trust Him and obey Him, your every need is taken care of? Isn't it funny how, when you feel alone, you meet a new friend who just so happened to also be looking for a new friend? Isn't it funny that you build relationships here and there and years later you unexpectedly run into one another and rekindle a deeper friendship than you originally had? Isn't it funny that you pray and pray about a certain thing and then cross paths with someone else who had the exact same prayer, too? And ironically enough, isn't it funny that all these things happen when you least expect them? These things are the unexpected. Funny how that works.
I began studying for my Wednesday night bible study group last night and I thought, "I wonder how the Lord is going to use this study." Because, truth is, I was having a hard time with it. I just wasn't sure what direction it needed to go, and I definitely wasn't sure how to deliver this information and make it relevant, interesting and applicable. So I prayed about and I felt the Lord prompting me to take a particular action. A simple action. Something I should have done long before now, but I just so happened to be reminded of it yesterday as I sat in church. So, I typed out a few short paragraphs in a quick e-mail and continued on with my day. I woke up this morning to a response. I didn't expect that, and I couldn't help but think how perfect the timing was. This was exactly what I needed! This was what I was hoping and praying for because this was the key to making it relevant, applicable and interesting. And the funny thing about it is that this circumstance, this situation, aligns perfectly with the exact study I was preparing. The one I was not sure about, the one I was having a hard time with, the one I was wondering about. Funny, huh?
And as I look back over this entire situation, I can't help but smile because I get to see the full picture right now. I get to see everything in the entirety up until this point. But as I've walked through the past 7 years of life, I never expected this. The others involved in this story didn't either. None of us saw this coming. But it's funny how He works. It's funny how He directs our paths and uses us. Each differently, but each for a purpose. And the more I see this, the more amazed I am because things like this don't "just happen." These things aren't by chance, and coincidence has absolutely nothing to do with it. These things happen because we serve a God who is in the details. One who has purpose woven into every second of time. One who worked out this beautifully complex story from the very beginning. So it is a little funny to think about, and my heart rejoices as I realize how involved He is in my life, in all of humanity. And I praise Him that He is always exceeding our expectations by doing the unexpected when we least expect it!
#241 - Because He exceeds our expectations with unexpected details!
"The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." - Psalm 37:23
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