A God of Individuals

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matt. 6:26)

Most people look to this verse (and the ones before and after it) when they are struggling with anxiety. I, however, thought of this verse the other night when I saw God's miraculous provision and care for someone else. He is such a God of individuals, and He cares for all of our needs so specifically.

A couple nights ago, I went out with a friend to catch up. Before I left, I randomly decided to take our older car, which I rarely ever drive. My friend and I talked for a few hours at the coffee shop. I was tired because it was nearing 10pm, and thinking we should leave, but something told me to just wait a little longer. Pretty soon, the shop was closing down and we exited the building. As we walked out, we were met by a homeless woman who was crying. She had just asked someone for money, and they spit on her. They literally spit in her face. I saw mucus dripping down her cheek.

Immediately, I was saddened by the cruelty she had just encountered. She explained to us that her stuff was stolen recently and that she had no coat or blanket in which to keep warm as she slept in a tent outside. I never carry cash, so I told her that and said I would search my car for something that might bring her warmth. While she was in the coffee shop cleaning her face off, I opened my trunk. There in the trunk sat a large garbage bag full of stuff I was planning to drop at Goodwill. As I opened the bag, I prayed that there would be something warm for her.

To my delight, I found a pillow, sheet and large quilt. I had totally forgotten I even was giving these things away. I must have thrown them in there during the move we made a month ago.

As she came out of the coffee shop, I re-greeted her with the bag full of things to keep her warm. She thanked me and started crying again and repeating "thank you, God" under her breath. My friend and I were able to get her name, pray over her and give her a hug. Then we left and went our separate ways.

When I got into the car, I thought about all the factors that led to that perfect moment of provision for her. 1. I had to reach out to my friend to get together. 2. She gave me three dates to choose from and I had to chose that Sunday night. 3. She chose that specific location. 4. I had to take the car that I never drive. 5. Months ago, I had to put those things in the car and then completely forget about them. 6. We had to stay until closing and walk out at just that exact moment.

Man! God loves us SO much. He loves that sweet woman so much that He was a part of all of those things coming together just to provide her some warmth. Not only was it certain that He was working in her life, providing for her kindness from a stranger after experiencing cruelty, warmth for her body, and fuel for her faith, but He was also working in me, and in my friend. It is incredible when we see glimpses of God's hand moving in ways that we could have never planned or imagined. I am so grateful to be a part of His Story. He's on the move. We only need to open our eyes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Want to mature? Stop trying to understand it all.

Christian, don't let the fact that you don't understand something stop you from knowing that it is true and good. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." (Prov. 3:5, italics mine) I've observed so much fear in the church recently. Fear of good things, even. There's a tendency to dismiss something when one cannot understand it. But Jesus tells us that we are not to lean on our own understanding in the first place. Our understanding is always skewed, always lacking because we are not fully complete yet--we only see things in part. I've seen people doubt miracles God has done because they cannot understand how they happened. I have seen people disregard an interpretation of Scripture because they understood it a different way. And, in truth, I have been one of these people at times. How arrogant are we though? That we would think understanding is in our grasp without the power of God is a total joke. Jesus's own di...
Read more

Stay and fight

Staying is hard. The easier thing to do is to cut and run. I've never been one to run away though. It's not in me. There's something deep in my soul that screams, "Do whatever you can to make it work!" I have found this in all my relationships, in places where I've lived, and in all my jobs.  I feel compelled to stay and fight. I have to have those hard conversations. I cannot avoid or peace out when there is conflict, because it goes so against my make-up. I wasn't like this as a non-believer though. I wanted to run from everything and conflict scared the crap out of me. But Jesus changes everything and He's changed me. And He often asks me to stay. Staying sometimes sucks. In the in-between, there is toil and turmoil. In the waiting for resolution, there is wrestling and questioning. In the staying, there's a forced trusting in the Lord that you wouldn't find if you had just left at the beginning. I'm in a situation right now where I fee...
Read more

Zeal for your house has consumed me…

It makes absolute sense why Jesus would say this and fulfill this, but can this also my anthem? I’m finding it hard to keep my opinions (and most of them scripturally based) silent these days. I find myself having the same passion I had when I first met Jesus. However, instead of little knowledge and experience with Jesus and His Bride, I now have 23 years under my belt.  In growing in maturity, I'm able to ask questions freely that are leading me closer to Jesus. I keep asking questions like, “Why does church have to be so complicated?” “Why is there no space for God in God’s house?” “If the Spirit moves like the wind, why don’t we let Him blow and follow where He goes?” “Why has fear of man entered the church and stayed?” “Why wouldn’t the gifts still be alive?” "Don’t we serve a living God?" "Didn’t Jesus raise himself from the grave?" "Why does the church so often feel dead?"   Let's talk traditional church services. Many are based on liturgy a...
Read more