SAMANTHA ELLEY writes about the everyday “coincidences” that reveal God’s blessings…
Northern Rivers, New South Wales, Australia
Can you see God’s provision in your daily life? PICTURE: Leon Bliss/Unsplash
“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4: 19
I could probably count on one hand, maybe with a toe thrown in, of the number of ‘huge’ miracles I have seen in my life. I mean the real inexplicable, science-got-no-say kind of situations that occasionally occur. But have we ever considered those ‘coincidences’ or daily occurrences that when we think about them indepth, are the little miracles God provides for us to exist?
A sunrise, a sunset, a beautiful bird call, food on the table, a roof over our heads, a smile from a friend, a smile from a stranger, a helping hand, even a difficult situation that helps us grow in strength and character. All these could be considered the little miracles where God is providing for our needs to help us on our life journey.
“A sunrise, a sunset, a beautiful bird call, food on the table, a roof over our heads, a smile from a friend, a smile from a stranger, a helping hand, even a difficult situation that helps us grow in strength and character. All these could be considered the little miracles where God is providing for our needs to help us on our life journey.”
One major ‘coincidence’ I experienced was when my husband and I owned our own little sandwich shop/café. Located in a beachside village, our busiest times were during the Australian summer holidays, where people flocked to the beach over the December/January period. It was our chance to fill our coffers to cover for the quieter parts of the year. Unfortunately for us, this one particular year the summer period consisted of constant driving rain, where floods kept the crowds away.
While our income was reduced, our bills stayed the same and soon, while I was doing the books, I realised we were faced with a debt of $A5,200 with less than $A100 in the bank. My stomach was churning as I went to bed that night and I called out to God, not knowing how we were going to pay our bills. I even got defiant telling Him He promised to supply our needs and what was He going to do about it?
Our God is patient and loving and must have seen this as His child having a temper-tantrum. Not long after that, we had a pizza oven that we had no need for and my husband sold it fairly quickly for $A200. A drop in the bucket when comparing it to our debt, but it was something.
Then it happened. On this particular day I went to check our bank account and there, sitting almost smugly, was a credit of $A5,000. It was back pay for our Family Tax Benefit the Australian Government pays to families with young children, who earn below a certain amount. Most people are paid weekly, but we had chosen to receive it at the end of the year at tax time, so we didn’t get overpaid, depending on what our income was for that year.
It didn’t matter the reason, the true miracle was God provided our needs right at the time it was most useful. And He does that every day of our lives. Even the air that we breathe, the sunlight and rain, the natural miracles we receive from His riches.
French Jesuit priest Jean-Pierre de Caussade puts it beautifully: “Those who have abandoned themselves to God always lead mysterious lives and receive from him exceptional and miraculous gifts by means of the most ordinary, natural and chance experiences in which there appears to be nothing unusual.”
The greatest of these gifts being the forgiveness of our sins and access to Him through Christ Jesus.
