Coincidences Defined

Have you ever come across something that you remember having read or heard about already, earlier that same day? Has someone mentioned a certain Scripture to you, that you've just read, yourself, prior to their mentioning it? That happens to me alot, especially lately. I've always heard others refer to it as merely coincidence, but I've come to understand that it's more than that. It's part of God's plan, to show me something He intends for me to "get", and He's not gonna let me miss it.

One such occasion happened to me on Friday. I had so wanted to go to the Coastal Evangelism Conference at Langston Baptist Church, to hear Junior Hill preach. But since my husband and I just returned from a missions trip with our Pastor, I didn't want to take any more time off from work. I thought I'd miss out on what was sure to be a great blessing, but thankfully our music minister mentioned to me that I could watch it online, on Langston's website. Thank God for technology! (And thanks to Doug for telling me about the live video stream!)

Well, as I was listening to Junior Hill's message, he made reference to a quote by the late, great Matthew Henry (you know the guy... "Matthew Henry's Commentaries"). As the story went, while traveling from one town to another, Matthew Henry met upon a band of thieves, who beat him up and took all his money. Yet later that night, in his journal he wrote of how he was thankful for 4 things... First of all, that he was never robbed before. Secondly, because even though they took his money, they didn't take his life. Thirdly, though they took everything he had in his wallet, it wasn't very much. And fourthly, he was thankful that it was he who got robbed, and not he who robbed.

To my knowledge, I had never heard that story before. But it impressed me, so much that I wrote it down, to possibly use in the bulletin or perhaps in Sunday School one day. I remember thinking, "Wow, what a way to look at it. Talk about not dwelling on the negative!"

Then later that same night, just before turning in to bed, I was reading a chapter of "To Fly Again", by Gracia Burnham (a sequel to her first book, "In The Presence of My Enemies", the story of she and her missionary-husband, who were taken and held hostage by Muslim Abu Sayyaf terrorists for over a year in the Philippines). To my surprise, in this particular chapter, I read a familiar story. She, too, noted how Matthew Henry was mugged and robbed; yet that night in his diary, he penned these words...

Let me be thankful, first, because I was never robbed before;
Second, because though they took my purse, they did not take my life;
Third, though they took my all, it was not very much;
Fourth, that it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.

She went on to list how she had come to look at her own cirucmstances in the same way that Matthew Henry did. There again, this really struck a cord with me, and I'm a strong believer in sitting up and taking note of something when God shows it to me twice in one day. So I began to examine my own heart. There were some things there that I thought were long gone, but somehow began to rear their ugly head. (Is it just me, or do you sometimes wish you hadn't prayed for God to show you things in your heart and life that shouldn't be there?)

Nevertheless, there was a bit of unforgiveness in my heart. I had forced myself not to think about it. "It would only bring up bad memories to do so", I reasoned away (on more than one occasion). I had convinced myself it was best to just leave it alone, so I did. Someone had hurt me a long time ago. I had a big pity party. Then after a while, I buried it. But upon any further mention of it, another pity party was to follow. So again, I felt I was rightly justified in "never going there again", and I was adament in that. I was through with the pity-parties!

But somehow, after hearing (twice in the same day) of Matthew Henry's outlook, in spite of what had happened to him, I realized that as a child of God, I, too, am called to look beyond myself, and to praise God for the good in all things. Sure, I was hurt beyond anything I could ever imagine. But atleast I wasn't killed. I'm still here today. Sure, I was left with a mountain of financial debt. But God provided me with three jobs, in which I was able to climb (work) my way up the mountain even quicker, and He gave me peace in doing so. (That in itself is something to praise Him for.) Sure, my [then] hopes and dreams were crushed in an instant. But God, in His infinite wisdom, had an even greater plan. His hopes, and His desires for my life, are what truly count. He knows best, and He has indeed blessed me abundantly.

I share this with you to say this... No matter what the trials you may face, look for God's handiwork ("His hand at work") in your life. Even when things don't turn out like we plan, we can take comfort in knowing that God's plan is always better. And what's more, He has promised us that He is with us in everything we face, and that He'll never leave us nor forsake us. We have His Word on it!

Father, I pray that the words I've shared here will be used for your Glory. I pray for each and every one who reads them, that their lives might be filled with Your presence, and that they (and I) will always be determined to praise You for the good, and not dwell on the bad, in the "catastrophies" of our lives. Thank You for your love and mercy, and for saving a wretch like me. May my life forever be that vessel created for the Master's use. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

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