COINCIDENCE OR GOD‟S GUIDING HAND

Coincidence. Fate. Destiny. Do we live in a random bubble of events that sometimes intersect, or are our paths already mapped out by a Creator's sovereign design? In the famous words of sage philosopher, Forrest Gump, “I think it's both.” Do humans have free will to choose or does God employ His sovereign will? I say with gusto, “YES!” and then tilt my head with a thoroughly puzzled stare. “How?” Hmmmmm, I don't know. Let me illustrate my absolutely confident uncertainty. I recently spent a weekend at a beach house with my two writing buddies. Each of them experiences God in a special way through nature from time to time through a particular symbol. One gal often sees a deer in her yard or a nearby field. For the other, a rainbow often appears where nothing but clouds should be - as in the picture above. Why a rainbow on a completely sunny day - in the shape of a cross, no less?

My friends aren't superstitious or hyper-spiritual about these “signs.” They simply have noticed God's special “kiss” through the years in these tender revelations. We three had come together for the weekend to work on writing projects; however, all our hearts were heavily burdened with life. When we went to a restaurant for dinner, we noticed two deer running down the sidewalk! Please understand, this is in the middle of a busy beach town – on Main Street! Coincidence? Or was my friend's Heavenly Father comforting her with His presence? The next day we went for a long walk on the beach, taking lots of pictures on a sunny afternoon. I took a picture of my second friend with the sun glaring above, and when we replayed the digital image – a rainbow ringed the sun behind her. Coincidence? Or was her Heavenly Father comforting her with His presence? I don't have a particular “sign” that assures me of God's presence or work in my life, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching my friends bask in His impromptu kisses. As we walked back to the beach house, I noticed a veritable garden of rocks – smooth stones planted on the beach, worn by the tide's sand and water. I immediately thought of my mom. She loves rocks and collects a rock from everywhere she travels. I began praying for her and thought of her often throughout the rest of the weekend. Coincidence? Or was my Heavenly Father prompting me to pray for my mom, who was struggling with her own battles at the time? Well, my answer is: God guides the deer, the rainbow and the tide; but I choose to recognize His hand on my life…

Gen. 29:1-4 – “Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. Jacob asked the shepherds, 'My brothers, where are you from?' 'We're from Haran,' they replied.” (emphasis added)

• Please remember – no camel, no GPS, map or compass, and no convenience stores along the way. Jacob lived most of his life “among the tents” (Gen. 25:27), so I'm guessing he was no Daniel Boone either. The journey from Isaac's camp in Beersheba to Haran was approximately 600 miles (as the crow flies), and the average speed of travel on foot is twenty miles a day. You do the math. All Jacob saw at this point was a well and three flocks of sheep with their shepherds – in the middle of a field – somewhere in the east. How many left turns and right forks in the road did Jacob make before arriving in Haran? Did he pray about each one or make the decisions on his own? Out of the thousands of choices we make each day, which ones are covered in prayer?

Gen. 29:5-8 – “He said to them, 'Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?'
'Yes, we know him,' they answered.
Then Jacob asked them, 'Is he well?'
'Yes, he is,' they said, 'and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.'
'Look,' he said, 'the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.'
'We can't,' they replied, 'until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.'” (emphasis added)

• Jacob seems a little bossy for a newcomer, eh? He shows up, asks a few questions and immediately orders the other three shepherds to take their sheep and get lost when he sees lovely Rachel approaching. Why? Did he have an animal husbandry degree, perhaps an expert in the care of livestock? Or did he simply seek privacy with Rachel? No matter. His not-so-subtle attempt at privacy failed, and Jacob would have an audience for his testimony, witnesses to the story of his past. Considering Jacob's deceitful history, was it coincidence that he was pushed into the humbling accountability corner?

Gen. 29:9-12 – “While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.”

• Was it a coincidence that Rachel came to the well at the precise moment that he arrived? Think of the echoes of this one kiss, each decision in Jacob's and Rachel's lives leading up to it and each moment after. Rachel thought she was just going to the well to water the flock – AGAIN – but this mundane, daily activity changed her life forever.

Gen. 29:13-14 – “As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister's son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. Then Laban said to him, 'You are my own flesh and blood.'”

• I'm guessing Laban remembered a similar scenario when his sister Rebekah had gone for water and returned with Abraham's servant, who had come to secure a bride for Abraham's son, Isaac (Gen. 24:29-30). Now, decades later (some think Jacob was 75-80 years-old when he fled to Haran), Laban welcomes Jacob – the fruit of Isaac and Rebekah's union – who also met God‟s choice by Haran's well.

Lord, how many times in my day do You work…and I miss it? How many amazing displays of Your power and presence do I let slip by unnoticed because I'm too busy, too skeptical or too downtrodden to believe You would reveal Yourself in such a bold way to ME? Teach me to look for You in the ordinariness of my day. Open my eyes to the God-happenings around me.

THE NECK-BONE CONNECTED TO THE HEAD-BONE

One of my all-time favorite movies is “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” and it boasts one of my all-time favorite lines. “Men may be the head of the house but women are the neck, and the neck can turn the head any way she wants.” Can I hear an AMEN, Sista! Oops, wait a minute. God gets a little cranky with the Israelites in the Old Testament for being “stiff-necked,” so we'd probably better be careful with the neck illustration…. But here's my question for the day: what if you're a do-er in a watch-er's world? What if you‟re a planner, and no one else sees or implements a plan? I'm thinking if the head isn't thinking, the neck had better be turning it – right? Hmmm, that's what Sister Rebekah thought, but I'm not sure her methods were on the up-and-up.

Gen. 27:41-42 – “Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, 'The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.' When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, 'Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you.'”

• Isn't it fascinating that Esau "said to himself," and yet someone heard his whispered thoughts and immediately reported them to Rebekah? How did Rebekah inspire this kind of loyalty? Was it fear? Reward? Or were people naturally drawn to her strong personality and decisive leadership? We can‟t discern from Scripture, but I've met these Type A people in my world…and they make me nervous. Without proper checks and balances, their strengths can become weaknesses and devastate many.

Gen. 27:43-45 – [Rebekah said to Jacob] “'Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?'
Then Rebekah said to Isaac, 'I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.'”

• It seems this woman moved into protection mode without so much as a pause. And without allowing Jacob even a syllable of rebuttal, she marched into her husband's tent, voicing her concerns. I don't know if I'm appalled at her audacity or stirred by her resourcefulness. Is she helping God or pushing her own agenda? Wasn't it her duty to protect her family when she anticipated danger? Should she have kept silent and let God handle it or taken matters into her own hands? What would YOU do?

Gen. 28:1-5 – “So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: 'Do not marry a Canaanite woman. Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham.' Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.” (emphasis added)

• Hmmm. Seems the head finally found its spine. Yes, Isaac did exactly what Rebekah (Mrs. Neck) manipulated him into doing (commanded Jacob to marry someone from Laban's household). However, he also added a blessing to Jacob's departure – a true blessing, meant for this youngest son. Read the richness of the blessing Isaac bestows on Jacob – the inclusion of Abraham's Covenant with Yahweh. Can you imagine the joy Jacob felt at finally receiving his father's attention and approval? Can you imagine the joy Rebekah felt, seeing her husband willingly fulfill the prophecy God had given her when their twin sons jostled in her womb? (Gen. 25:22-26)

Gen. 27:6-9 – “Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, 'Do not marry a Canaanite woman,' and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.”

• As if Esau didn't have enough trouble, he went and married another neck! And an Ishmaelite neck at that! These verses further illustrate Esau's lack of integrity and God's righteous choice in stripping away Abraham's Covenant from the firstborn. Though human hands tainted the process, still the right man received God's Promise.

Lord, I'm so thankful You're bigger than my mistakes, my sins and my limited understanding. You're even bigger than my over-zealous nature – when I try to fix things for You. I don't want to be a neck in our relationship. I want to be Your hands and feet, ministering to others in Your Name. I want to be Your heart, caring for others as You love them. I want to be Your eyes, seeing the world around me as You see it.

SLIP-SLIDING AWAY

The funniest thing about this video is that someone is sitting in a cozy house watching the whole thing, and the poor schmuck in the minivan has no idea their traumatic event is being captured on youtube for eternity!

Have you ever been the poor schmuck in the minivan and felt the world shift into a sort of instantaneous slow-motion? At the first sign of a skid, your mind has time to think, I’m losing control. Can I steer out of the slide? Right or left? Should I apply the brakes? No way! I wonder if I’m going to roll my car, hit another vehicle, walk away unharmed? Maybe I’m going to die today. Shucks, I was looking forward to lunch. Now, in my experience, at this point, your car has inevitably stopped its erratic journey into whatever ditch or immovable object awaited. And then – silence. Squealing tires cease. Screaming (probably your own) stops.

I know this process well because I've done it twice as a driver and once as a passenger. To be honest, the passenger experience was a much calmer ride. It was midnight on Christmas Eve, and Roy was driving. We were traveling from our home in northern Indiana to his folks' house in Indianapolis (3 hours away) in a blinding snowstorm. There we were, the only minivan on a deserted state road at midnight – without any tracks to show us where the road curved. When the slide started, our van went sideways down a slight embankment. Hmmm, probably going into a cornfield, I thought. Snow was flying. Around we go. I wonder if the snow will cover up the van completely. Sure am glad we have blankets. Still sliding. I’ll bet we’ll have to go to the bathroom out here in this stupid field. Finally, we stopped. Roy and I looked back at our two daughters, their eyes as big as saucer sleds. “Are we going to starve to death before someone finds us out here?” one of the girls asked. Guess we know what she was thinking. What do you think when your life begins to take a slide? Do you think Isaac might have felt like this when his life was beginning to slide out of control...

Gen. 25:1-6 – “Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah. Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.”

• God told Abraham that Isaac was to be his son of Promise. So why did Abraham take another wife and have other children? Scripture never records WHEN Abraham made this fateful decision or WHY. Nor does it record Isaac's reaction to his father's marriage or the “gifts” Abraham gave to Keturah's sons. How would you feel knowing you were God's first choice, but not your father's? Did Isaac feel his life was beginning to slide out of control?

Gen. 25:7-11 – “Altogether, Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.” (emphasis added)

• During this time in history, people were buried the same day they died. That means Ishmael and Isaac must have already been with Abraham or at least have been within a day's camel-ride of Machpelah. Remember, no quick flights on El-Al or Lufthansa! And, by the way, when did Ishmael ride back into the picture? Imagine what Isaac felt when his long-lost older brother arrived at Father Abraham's death-bed. Did he play out every awful scenario during “the slide” or did he wait faithfully for God's blessing to emerge after his father's death?

Gen. 25:12-18 – “This is the account of Abraham's son Ishmael, whom Sarah's maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.”

• The fact that we have a complete record of Ishmael's sons tells us that Isaac was well aware of not only their names but also the locations of their settlements and camps. Notice Ishmael has twelve sons that grow to twelve tribes marked by a penchant toward violence. Imagine Isaac (age 75), standing with his two sons (approx. 15 years-old) and Rebekah at Abraham's grave. Beside them – behind them – all around them...the twelve hostile Ishmaelite tribes. Would you fear for your children's inheritance? Their lives? Are you feeling Isaac's slide turn into a spin?

Gen. 25:19-23 – “This is the account of Abraham's son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, 'Why is this happening to me?' So she went to inquire of the LORD. The LORD said to her, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.'” (emphasis added)

• Wife barren! Sliding, spinning out of control! What does Isaac do? He prays...on behalf of his barren wife. YOU GO, MAN! And what does Rebekah do when pregnancy turns out to be not as fun as she anticipated? She prays. YOU GO, WOMAN! Slide stops. All is silent. And then what does God do, when a hormonal, hurting, woman prays? He answers HER, speaks to HER. YOU GO, GOD!

Lord, in the midst of a slide, my focus is too often on the whirling earthly things around me. The betrayals, disappointments and fears are exhausting; and quite frankly, terrifying. Help me to close my eyes and focus on You instead of my circumstances.

GPS OR GOD‟S DIRECTION

I was enthralled the first time I heard a GPS device offer directional advice from the dashboard of a car. We were in Vancouver, Washington, touring seventy-five homes with our saintly real estate agent (bless her patient soul). Since she was a little directionally challenged (and was driving compulsive house-shopping clients all over Creation), her hubby encouraged her to purchase a Garmin GPS. Notice, directionally challenged, and remember a GPS can only do so much. Thus we learned the term “recalculating.” Each time we made the slightest deviation from the GPS route, we heard a disgusted rendition of the device's audio say, “Recalculating.” Some route changes were planned – as simple as a bathroom break at a road-side convenience store. “Recalculating.” Other turns were a misinterpretation of the instructions. “Recalculating.” Sometimes our real estate agent simply knew a better route to our destination – in which case we would listen to repeated, “Recalculating, recalculating, recalculating…” Until finally, we turned off the all-knowing voice. Since that first encounter with a GPS, I've often wished I had a spiritual GPS – a device that would give undeniably clear directions from God for my life. Or do I want that? Would I think I knew a better route and turn off the All-Knowing Voice? As Abraham enters the twilight of his life, he seems to have discovered his spiritual GPS…and passed it onto his servant.

Gen. 24:1-4 – “Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, 'Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.'”

• Abraham realized the importance of filling the Promised Land with HIS SEED – which meant keeping that seed pure, not mixing it with the Canaanite people whose land God was giving him. He realized Isaac needed a wife, but he couldn't be the one to make the trip – either because of his aging physical limitations or other responsibilities that kept him in Canaan. Most likely, Sarah's death had an impact on this decision as well. For Abe and for us, when God's nudge of discomfort meets God's time to move, it's as if a veil lifts from our eyes, and we see a path ahead. Perhaps a rocky path, but a path nonetheless.

Gen. 24:5-9 – “The servant asked him, 'What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?' 'Make sure that you do not take my son back there,' Abraham said. 'The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father's household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, “To your offspring I will give this land”--He will send His angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.' So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.”

• The servant's concern was valid. Neither he nor Abraham knew HOW God would accomplish this task! Abraham set God-prompted parameters, not self-motivated preferences on his servant's mission. Abe knew Isaac was to dwell in Canaan and would not let the yearning for his son's marriage cloud the bigger issue of God's promise. Similarly, if we establish early boundaries based on the certainty of God's Word, rather than our own selfish desires, we can avoid hard choices down the road.

Gen. 24:10-11 – “Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.”

• Seems simple, right? Set the camel GPS for “Abraham's relatives” and let it go? Nope. No electronic gadgets, just supernatural navigation. The servant prepared for God to move (took ten camels packed with “good things”) and then placed himself in the logical path of God's plan (in a town named after Abraham's brother, by the well where women came every evening). The Lord provided wealth and wisdom, and then He expected Abraham and his servant to use it.

Gen. 24:12-14 – “Then he prayed, 'O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, “Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,” and she says, “Drink, and I'll water your camels too”--let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.'”

• The servant prayed WITH heavenly guidance FOR heavenly guidance. He could pray specifically, because he had seen Abraham's God answer specifically. When the other “steps” in our process have been guided by the Spirit's prompts, this prayer for specific guidance flows naturally.

Gen. 24:15-25 – “Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, 'Please give me a little water from your jar.' 'Drink, my lord,' she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, 'I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking.' So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the LORD had made his journey successful. When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. Then he asked, 'Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father‟s house for us to spend the night?' She answered him, 'I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.' And she added, 'We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.'”

• Even though we experience a rush of excitement at God's supernatural direction, we must still patiently watch and wait for God to fulfill His plan. Rebecca needed to water ALL the camels. Then, there were the proper cultural channels to be honored. Moving in God's direction is exciting! Confirmation of God's direction is exhilarating! But waiting patiently for more of God's direction is never-ending.

Gen. 24:26-27 – “Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, saying, 'Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master's relatives.'” (emphasis added)

• Abraham's determination that the Lord would find a wife for his son was a testimony to his servant, but the greatest testimony was God's personal faithfulness to the servant's own prayers. Hearing other people's stories of victory and answered prayer is a wonderful motivator for your faith, but nothing compares to the personal experience of God's hand reaching into your own life – when you know He's calling you personally to take that step in faith and then He lifts the path to meet your feet.

Lord, I want to KNOW when it's time for that step. Show me what parameters to place on my journey and the specific requests to make. I will wait patiently Jehovah-Jireh, my Provider, to hear, to pray, to react and then to worship.