Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
Recently, my wife and I have been 'stumbling' along while we are 're-deployed' to the United States for a season. This is the first time in our lives where we truly don't know where we are going or where we are heading. We have our long-term plans ironed out, but for the time being our lives are on hold due to the Covid pandemic, as well as some other factors.
But the Lord reminded me of an event that took place a few years ago, a friend booked a meeting for us that somehow didn't make it onto our calendar ... oops.
On the day of the meeting, I received a phone call inquiring what time we'd be arriving. Caught completely off guard, we quickly packed up and headed hours in the opposite direction we were expecting to go. It was a small, sweet meeting and a blessing to have arrived even after the scheduling glitch.
Afterward, we had a long drive to our next meeting as we originally had planned to be driving from elsewhere. As we drove down a lonely, seemingly deserted highway in the middle of the night, suddenly all the lights in the car started going berserk, on and off, on and off. I couldn't control the steering wheel and barely work the brakes. It's was really scary.
Somehow I managed to stop the car. Thankful that nothing serious happened, we just sat there in shock, trying to figure out what we were gonna do now, when just at that moment, a driver pulls up behind me, and together, we pushed our car off to the side. He "just happened" to be a mechanic, and within minutes he determined that the alternator needed to be replaced. Then, a police patrol car "just happened" by. After explaining my situation, the officer offered to drive by the car often to keep an eye on it over the course of the night until the alternator could be replaced the next morning. The mechanic drove us to a nearby hotel and early in the morning went to fix the car. We were roadworthy by 9 A.M!
It was so amazing how the Lord orchestrated every detail -- the entire sequence seemed synchronized as though some benign cosmic clockmaker had timed every step.
Getting on our way, I checked the map to discover we were a short ride to Big Trees National Park. This amazing site hosts giant Sequoia trees that have stood for over a thousand years rising hundreds of feet in the air.
So, because of the unplanned meeting and Lord's providence for our vehicle, we were able to experience this special place on the way to our next meeting.
In the midst of this amazing forest, there was a tree with a tunnel that was carved out over a century ago! (see our kids here on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7quaxWvTgnQ ).
Ever since I was a kid I wanted to walk through that tree -- and through a bizarre set of circumstances, I could finally do it.
Interestingly, less than a year later a powerful storm in California brought down that iconic tunnel-tree. If we had postponed or canceled this ministry visit, or if any of the crazy circumstances would have been different, we would ever have been able to experience walking through it -- an opportunity forever missed.
The road we are traveling may have many twists, turns, and pitfalls. We will often be perplexed with our circumstances, wondering, even agonizing over why things happen the way they do. Yet we have a Heavenly Father who loves to surprise and delight us, and who will often bring us through strange pathways to do it. Plan your way, be faithful to His Word, and watch in wonder as your divine opportunities emerge on the adventure God has planned for you. When they arrive, seize them with joy and thanksgiving. He has ordered your steps faithfully with great loving care!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Last week, I did a series of devotionals on the Dead Sea scrolls. As I’ve been pointing out the archaeological discoveries as well as their prophetic significance, I’ve saved the best for last! Recently discovered fragments of the Bible in the Dead Sea region containing two passages of Scripture are incredibly relevant. I spoke of the passage in Zechariah last week.
When we study a translation of a Scripture passage we often miss out on the nuances hidden in the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament). Often, it’s not that a word is mistranslated, but that rendering the meaning in one English word is difficult if not impossible.
When Moses sent out the 12 spies to report on the condition of the land of “milk and honey”, ten of the spies brought back a bad report. They focused on the giants, and the great obstacles in their way. They walked with eyes set on the physical realm and said within themselves, “We are but grasshoppers in the sight of these giants!
Living in Israel all these years, I often encounter amazing stories of God’s deliverance and grow increasingly fond of listening to the fascinating ways He shows His power. During our tour in England recently, we met a man whose family experienced a great miracle during WW1. He tells this incredible story…
In this world we will face all kinds of obstacles, trials and tribulations and we should be wary of any doctrines or teachings that say we shouldn’t have to face these things. Why? Because the Lord said we will have tribulations. So the encouragement He is giving is simply this: You’re going to face trials, but GOD is greater than any problem you will face in this world!
When the prophet Jonah entered Nineveh, he gave a message of hopelessness — in 40 days your city will be destroyed! He did not say, Nineveh will be destroyed “unless”, but emphatically prophesied destruction to the people of the city — seeming to say their situation was hopeless. Yet hearing this message …
If you were to visit Paris, you could see the statues of two men, both named Louis.
The first is of Louis XIV, France’s absolute monarch. He represents one of the supreme achievements of greatness through power. His philosophy of life was that the whole nation and the world, should serve him.