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Listen while you read: "God Of Grace And God Of Glory"1
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A PresbyCan devotional that I recently wrote focused on the beauty of words and language as a vehicle for praising God. As regular PresbyCan readers know, each day's devotional includes a hymn of the day. I don't always listen to the hymn, but the day on which my devotional was posted, I was surprised to note how neatly the hymn dovetailed with the theme of my devotional. I sent an email to Robin, our PresbyCan editor, expressing my amazement in this seeming coincidence. To my further surprise, Robin explained that his editorial staff had not specifically chosen this hymn to pair with my devotional. He responded, "Give the credit to God. That selection was made back in December of 2012, and repeats every year on January 21st!"
This happenstance brought to mind numerous other "coincidences" that I have later realized were evidences of God intervening in the ordinary affairs of my life. Have you ever faced danger or a challenging situation, only to have it resolved in a way that you never could have imagined? I can remember many times when God worked mightily on my behalf, sometimes even when I wasn't aware of it. I once received an anonymous gift to help pay my college tuition. Another time, my husband and I found a blank envelope on our doorstep containing $100 to help with our immediate financial need. There have been times when an inch or a split-second one way or the other made the difference between safety and danger. I know that these happenings were not simply coincidental or of my own doing. Maybe I could view them as a tiny glimpse of heaven to remind me that God is always at work in my daily life, performing everyday miracles to show that He holds me firmly in His hand.
2 Kings 6:14-17 — So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. "Oh, sir, what will we do now?" the young man cried to Elisha. "Don't be afraid!" Elisha told him. "For there are more on our side than on theirs!" Then Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!" The Lord opened the young man's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. (NLT)
Elisha's young servant would have missed seeing the chariots of fire — the angelic army that God had sent to protect them — had God not opened his eyes. Let's keep our spiritual eyes sharply peeled lest we miss God's everyday miracles on our behalf.
Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank You for the everyday miracles You perform for our benefit and for our spiritual growth. May we always be watchful and encouraged to see You working on our behalf. Amen.
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About the author:
Gail Lundquist <gail10833@gmail.com>
Beaverton, Oregon, USA
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Yes, he does, Gail.
Thanks for sharing this. Do you think God chuckles?
Hi Gail, I enjoyed your devotional today and the way you exalted God! Thank you for writing.
Let’s praise the LORD for His many miracles to us. Thanks, Gail, for sharing that with us as we likely miss most of them.
Thanks for sharing this morning. I am sure that we have our own personal miracles. I have been blessed with some that I know about but many, I’m sure, I don’t. Thank you for jogging my memory to recall God’s blessings.
Good morning, Gail! Great devotional today.
I, like you, am thankful for evidences of God intervening and not just being “coincidences”! What an awesome God we serve!
Blessings.
Thank you, Gail. You reminded me of a practice I need to reinstate. One year I kept a “thankful journal” in which I wrote at the end of the day to record events when I recognized God’s care and had let me see or know. As the journal filled, so also did my praises.
Thank you, Gail. From seemingly “random” encounters, unexpected support, as well as to how the music at church each Sunday aligns with the message, God is always showing Himself.
Blessings.
Thanks, Gail, for another of your very meaningful devotionals. Yes, our Lord sure can surprise us with His results for happenings in our lives. He truly does miraculous responses to prayers and is ever deserving of our faithfulness and thankfulness. Blessings for your very special writings.
Thank you, Gail. This reminded me of my years in California of driving 45 miles each way to work on a two-lane road through the foothills that had many accidents. My husband prayed me to work and back every day, and accidents were always in front of or behind me, but never involved me.
Good morning, Gail!
Thank you for your wonderful message today.
“Let’s keep our spiritual eyes sharply peeled lest we miss God’s everyday miracles on our behalf.” God the Miracle Worker has His eyes focused on each of us 24/7. We are blessed!
Dear Gail,
Thank you for your Devotional today. I always enjoy reading when you are posting. I had a friend who was a great Christian. She’s gone Home to be with the Lord many years now, but she used to say a “coincidence” was just God’s way of being anonymous, and maybe they should be called “God-incidences”.
Very best wishes.
Dear Gail, I have enjoyed so many of your devotionals, and today’s is no exception. Thank you!
In today’s devotional, you refer to what I call ‘God Moments’ in my life, and I never cease to be amazed at how often God intervenes in my life to provide a convenience, a perfect opportunity, or to save me, or educate me. His timing is perfect.
Keep writing! Thanks again.
(Ontario, CA)
Good morning, Gail,
I love when an everyday miracle happens in my life, or someone shares theirs. I was so surprised by Robin’s answer because I was sure that the hymns were chosen to go with the devotional. Many, many times, they line up perfectly. I still think God has a hand in when the devotional and the hymns line up so perfectly.
I loved the passage from the Bible that you chose to illustrate your thoughts. God knows that we need those little miracles to strengthen our faith and encourage us to share with others.
Thanks for sharing and may your eyes always be open. Blessings.