“Coincidence? Coordination!”

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

"Coincidence?  Coordination!"

    

   It began to rain when we were a mile from our house.  The lightning waited until just before we approached our driveway.

   "Doth not He see my ways, and count all my steps?" (Psalm 31:4).

    Frances and I take a longer walk than usual on Saturday mornings.  The weather during this late spring season on the Gulf Coast of the United States has presented real challenges.  We are currently experiencing convective showers nearly every day.  These are thunderstorms that result from warm waters condensing over the gulf, and then moving inland where the cooling clouds release rain and and often produce significant lightning.  This normally happens in the afternoon, but this year we are seeing the storms arriving mid to late morning.  Like today, when one moment we seemed to have clear sailing… uh, walking… and the next we found ourselves making our way amid a steady shower.  Thankfully, sans lightning!

    Another pertinent aspect of the event is that just before the rain came, Frances and I had discussed the Biblical record that indicates it apparently never rained on the earth until the flood of Noah.  I had listened to the first chapters of Genesis on my smartphone during part of our walk (thank the Lord for modern technology!).  The issue of the mist and the rain captured my attention, leading to the discussion with Frances.

    "The LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.  But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground" (Genesis 2:5-6).

    "For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth" (Genesis 7:4).

    Before the flood, a mist from within the earth provided water rather than rain from above.  Interesting implications present themselves in this fascinating historical reality, some we may consider in future messages.  For now, I want to emphasis the juxtaposition of events already mentioned.  First, I listened to the Genesis account which led to thoughts about rain, which lead to discussion about the matter with Frances.  Then, a fleet of convective clouds came from seemingly nowhere, bringing the rain, but without the accompanying lightning - until we arrived at our house.  We love walking the in rain, but only when no electrocuting bolts of electricity accompany it.  Everything just seemed so perfectly coordinated.  

And, I believe it was.  The Lord who counts our steps also orders them as we trust and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ.  "A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).  Most of the time, this happens in ways beyond our conscious awareness.  God leads, we follow, but we don't necessarily think about our path in those terms.  Sometimes, however, our Lord coordinates things in such an obvious matter that the lights along our way seem to glimmer with blinding brightness.  "The path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18).

    Such experiences of the obvious don't happen that often.  We don't look for them, we don't try to create them, and we realize that most of life in our present existence involves the calling to "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7).  When they do occur, we marvel, rejoice, give thanks, and wonder why the Lord so graciously orchestrated thoughts, steps, and events that some may call coincidence, but which trusting believers recognize as coordination.  Again, we don't always know what events mean, but we know Who means them.  This is enough for now as our Lord reveals Himself by His Word and by clouds, rain, a sky without lightning, and steps obviously counted and directed.

"Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

Weekly Memory Verse

    The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.

(Psalm 126:3)