His hand…

Most Christians I know would agree that God has a plan for their life. But how involved to you think he is? Do you think, for example, if someone is to become a minister, that God’s part is only in the finished product or do you think God is present in each and every detail along the journey? Or that once the person is ordained, God’s work is finished?

My step mom, Diann,  pointed something out to me yesterday that I hadn’t really considered. Years ago, my brother and sister-in-law moved to Indianapolis where my dad and Diann live. My brother had a great job opportunity and they have lived there ever since. Diann pointed out to me the fact that God knew that I would require medical care outside of what the physicians in Evansville could provide and that I would need family to get me to appointments and take care of me during my stay.

My sister-in-law, Terry, has to be one of the most giving persons I’ve ever met. She has spent countless hours traveling to Evansville to pick me up, take me to Indy, get me to appointments and bring me back to Evansville. She always works this into her schedule without hesitation. Even if her schedule it tight, she at least brings me half way so that Jim can drive up after work to meet us. And it’s not just to me that she extends this hospitality. She and my brother open their home and their hearts to so many.

Looking back over this past year, I can see how God prepared every aspect of my life so that I was as ready as one could be to be “knocked down.” Some preparations were recent; some set in motion years ago.  Although I have met with great physical challenges at times, it has only strengthened my spirit. Although we have faced financial challenges, we are secure in the knowledge that God is in control. At times, it has been an emotional rollercoaster. But in everything, God has made his presence known. We have seen him in the people he surrounds us with; we have felt him through prayer and study.

There are times over the past year that people have been able to minister to me, to provide what I need when I didn’t know where the help would come from. Surprisingly, there have also been opportunities for me to minister to others. God never ceases to amaze me; how he can use any situation or circumstance if we only allow him to do so.

I can look back through the years and see God’s handiwork. I can see the times that I thought I wandered from his sight and know that even then, God was working through people and circumstance to call me back. I can see the times that his hand comforted me and held me close. I can see the times I felt so lost and alone and know now that he was watching over me.

Where do you see God’s hand in your life? Is he reaching out to you, calling you back to him? Is he waiting to provide comfort and peace? Or are you already in his arms, letting him hold you so you feel safe and secure? Just like the father in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), God is waiting and watching, ready to run to embrace us when we turn to come home.

Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see.   –Hebrew 11:1

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.    -C.S. Lewis