Our church celebrated its 15th anniversary by having a family day where all our outreach churches, and satellite area churches also attended. Part of the festivities were the giving out of door prizes. All those who attended registered and were given corresponding numbers, and if their number was picked the holder of the number won the prize. We do this to bless everyone who attends – I mean, who doesn’t like winning prizes, no matter how small they are?
There was one prize – a cash prize of 500 pesos. The number was picked, and it belonged to a lady member of one of our satellite area churches. And when her name was announced as the winner she started to cry where she was sitting. She came to get her prize, and there were tears of joy. It was obviously an unusual way of expressing joy in winning such a simple door prize. So we asked her to testify. This was what she said: on that day her daughter needed to buy school supplies that would have cost her 520 pesos. She was praying where the amount would come from. And then she won the prize. After she got the prize, another member came and gave her the 20 pesos.
Wow. Coincidence? Or was this God’s working? Did He orchestrate the whole event to make this woman get the amount as a prize? By the way, I forgot to mention that there was another number that was picked for that prize, and the person wasn’t there, and so we had to pick another number…hers.
I do not believe in coincidence, bad luck or good luck, or arranging things or doing things to make circumstances go our way. I simply believe that there is a God who provides for us in simple ways, normal everyday circumstances, and even in miraculous ways. And it may look like coincidence, but it isn’t.
Or is it just in the heart? An atheist will claim it was coincidence, good luck. Another will claim he did something to make it happen, that it was “fate”, that it was meant for him. I choose to believe in a God who is alive, active, working and moving in my life in all circumstances. It is to Him that we give all glory.
Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
