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There is one story in the Bible that has always gripped me… The incredible faith of a mother to let her baby go, unknowing of the outcome, the unbelievable circumstances that this baby is saved by the one family who desperately wanted him dead, and that this baby would one day rescue thousands of people he had been told to despise. There are an incredible amount of circumstances that need to fit perfectly into place in the story of Moses. Standing here with the Bible in our hands, we can say 'wow, God really is sovereign for all of that to play out so perfectly'. Yet, believing this same God is the grand architect in our lives is hard to get hold of.
When I'm stuck in the daily grind it is near impossible for me to see God working, because the reality is I'm not living for Him, I'm just trying to survive. Yet, those moments when God takes me out from beneath my feet and begins to carry me are the moments I see that He is the same God of Moses and He is still orchestrating a great plan. Many of you will already know that our little boy, Josh, had major heart surgery last October. It is without a doubt the hardest thing I've ever faced in my life. Yet, as soon as we signed in at the hospital desk, God had His purposes unfolding. A couple were stood at the desk waiting with us who were the son and daughter-in-law of a couple we were in church with a few years ago, and their son was due to have the same operation as Josh. God met us in that moment with a gift to say 'I'm here. I've got this.'
In a world wrapped up by coincidences and our whole existence explained away by mere random chance, it is so difficult to understand the reality that God is working - actively working - in every aspect of our lives. Who your neighbours are, who you married, who you bump into on your daily walk, who delivers your Amazon package, who your friends are, who messages you out of the blue, they are all put there by God to fulfil His purposes. When we start to see our lives this way, opportunities for God are blown wide open.
My parents recently shared a story with me of someone in their church, Mark, who had a man stop outside his house who had been pulled over by the police. The police went and knocked on Mark's door to apologise his driveway was being blocked by the guy's car, and that he didn't have the correct insurance, but they would have the vehicle removed as quickly as possible. The police said they were amazed by the man they had pulled over, and told Mark that the man had been a lecturer but was going out to North Korea as a missionary the next day. He was now trying to visit his parents before flying out to start this new venture. The man had already walked off, so Mark drove around until he found him, then drove him to see his parents as the man didn't know the way. The man told Mark he was so grateful to God he had been pulled over, as had he had an accident without the correct insurance, it would have stopped him going to North Korea. Had his car not blocked Mark's driveway there would have been no one to take him to his parents house. They had been a blessing to each other, as well as the police officers, and while such small details that would have been fobbed off as an inconvenience or embarrassment was instead God working out all the details to work in the lives of His people.
Last week, a friend shared an interview with George Mueller with me and Dan and I can't express how big an encouragement it has been for us. I hope it can encourage you too, so I will leave the link here: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.georgemuller.org/uploads/4/8/6/5/48652749/an_hour_with_george_muller.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiv89qk-JzrAhXKTRUIHVioA90QFjAAegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2CKvrL8imuCBIBGECT5Eo3
In the interview he says, 'expect great things from God and great things you will have'. Often my own pessimism diminishes the power of God. He opens up a world of opportunities if only we have the faith to take them. I have been so challenged this week to see each person as placed in my life for a specific reason. If the dishwasher breaks - God wanted you to meet the engineer who came to fix it. If your car breaks down - God wanted you to meet the guy from the RAC. If you randomly bump into someone you haven't seen in years - God put them there in that moment for a reason. I am finally understanding that the verse in James 1:2-4 is largely about embracing God's sovereignty: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
In the big and the small, in the good and the bad, I am starting to see that God is working every minute of every day to bring his master plan into existence. On those days where it is hard to hold on and my faith is so weak, I know I need to cling onto those moments when I have seen God face-to-face saying 'I'm here. I've got this.'