As I ponder some of the stories in the Bible,
I think God speaks to us through situations which some people would label as “luck,” “a
fluke,” or “happenstance.” For example,
look at the book of Esther. It seems like coincidence that she, a Jewess,
is selected as the replacement Queen and that Haman – the bad guy – has chosen
to kill all the Jews. And is it a
coincidence that nobody knew she was Jewish?
That she had kept the fact of her Jewish roots quiet ? It certainly seemed
to be a coincidence that the King had insomnia and discovered that he owed a
favor to Mordecai just before Esther sups with the king and Haman and discloses the evil plot. However, none of those happenings were by
accident. God placed each person exactly
where that person needed to be so that the Jews would be saved from Haman’s
execution. It just took a look from the
end of the story to see it all.
What
about Joseph? Was it a coincidence that
he was sold as a slave to the 2nd in command of Egypt? Was it a coincidence that he was in Egypt
when his family was dying of famine in Palestine? Was it a coincidence that his brothers had to
come to him to get food? No. God turned Joseph's seemingly bad 'luck' into something
bigger than the ugliness he had to endure. God put Joseph
right where he needed to be in order to save his people. Again, it is only in hind sight that God’s plan is clearly seen.
Examples
of “coincidences” abound in the Bible. Certainly they
abound in our lives today. What do they all show us? That God is always in control,
even when we don’t understand our situation. To trust God. To remember that being in the right (or
wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time is not enough; that the outcome often
hinges on our response. Anything else? Oh, yeah ...that God’s
“coincidences” always have a greater purpose than we might ever realize.
Check out the the story of Esther in the book of Esther. It's short and a pretty easy read. And you can find Joseph's plight in Gen 37, & 39-46 You’ll never look at those little chance encounters of life in the same way
again.
Do you have a thought on "coincidences" you like to share?
Do you have a thought on "coincidences" you like to share?
I don't think non-christians would ever say a coincidence is not a coincidence. I mean, I don't think they'd agree that God made anything happen. I will try to look at what happens in my life more to see God's touch - not a coincidence that I read this?
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