I believe one of my highest callings is helping people hear the voice of God in the middle of their lives. Frederick Buechner says, “Any life, his or yours or mine, is a sacred journey into which God comes and speaks–and that’s what makes the journey sacred.”
Rachel Roberts, a member of my congregation, sent me the following email:
Just the other night, God reminded me of something that happened when Daniel (her son) was very little. I had quit my job to be able to spend more time with him and money was VERY tight. He and I had gone to the grocery store to pick up a few essential items and as we got to the checkout counter, Daniel asked me if he could have a roll of LifeSavers. Being his mother, I wanted to give him a treat but knew how limited our money was. I told him that maybe the next time we came to the grocery store we would be able to get them. (Another thing that made it so hard to turn him down was that he was so obedient and sweet about not getting what he had asked for). Anyway, a couple of weeks later, Steve (her husband) came home with a few groceries including a box of cereal. As I reached for the box to put it away, I noticed that the cereal company had some sort of promotion going on and guess what was in that box of cereal– a roll of LifeSavers! Incredible!
God reminded me of that event (recently) as I was thinking about the future–college bills, retirement, etc. I knew if God would take care of something so small and non-essential, he would absolutely take care of the things we need. Another thing God has done on numerous occasions is put what I have nicknamed, “Popcorn Thoughts” in my head. They are random, tiny, uneventful moments out of my life. The first time God did this was as I was praying about a particular situation and these thoughts just started coming fast and furiously. They are literally minuscule moments from my life, but God has used this to tell me that he knows EVERYTHING about my life–things that I have forgotten or haven’t thought of for years. NOTHING has escaped him. He knows and is intimately involved in every moment of my past, everything that is going on right now, and every moment of my future. He is so creative in the different ways he speaks to us! I just love him so much.
God’s omniscience should bring us great comfort as it has Rachel Roberts. God knows our words before we speak them (Psalm 139:4); he knows our thoughts before we think them (Psalm 139:2); he knows our prayers before we pray them (Matthew 6:8); he knows when we get up in the morning and when we go to bed at night (Psalm 139:2-3); he knows everything we are going to do tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and every moment of every day until the moment of our death ((Psalm 139:16); he sees everything we do in secret both the good and the bad (Matthew 6:4); and, in Psalm 5 we’re told he even hears our sighs!
God knows all things, past, present, and future and he knows them all at the same time. He not only knows what was, and what is, he also knows what will be. More than that, he knows everything that could be but is not. Think about that. I like what Leighton Ford says; “God is love and his love is focused attention.” I don’t know where you are today in your relationship with the God of the universe, but this one thing I do know: he is paying attention to you! That’s what you call love, focused attention.
Richard
Richard, I feel honored that you included this very special story in your blog and I feel honored that the God of the universe chooses to be so intimately involved in our lives. Thank you for reminding me of how He did just that so many years ago. He continues to move and speak in so many creative and personal ways. As Daniel used to say to me when he was little, “Mom, I surely do love you”, I say to Him -Jesus, I surely do love You!
I hope you will be able to visit our Sunday School Class this Sunday. Steve and I will be sharing about another incredible time that He just blew us away with His perfect provision, timing and protection.