BBD 03.08.18 Coincidence or Providence (Classic)
Posted by: wrathered <wrathered@...>
Classic from 2010
Burning Bush Devotional
08 March 2018
Coincidence or
Providence
Therefore
humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due
time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. - 1 Peter 5:6-7
NKJV.
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9 NKJV.
Can you imagine this, you are laying in bed having a hard time going to sleep
and decide that you will get up for a while. Maybe, look at the Internet, read
a little, because you just cannot sleep. It's 2:00 am in the morning, why can't
you sleep? As soon as you walk away from your bed, you hear a terrible noise as
a car smashes through the wall of your bedroom and smashes the bed you have
just left! Unbelievable! But it happened to Demitrios Bisbelis in Melbourne,
Australia. Demitrios says, “My bed's been disintegrated.
It's completely shattered. I'm sure I wouldn't have made it had I been in bed
at that time.” Reportedly, the car hit a curb, launched into the air, crash
landing into Demitrios' bedroom, and bed. Police authorities report the driver
and a passenger escaped without injury.
Was this just a coincidence that Demitrios decided to leave his bed at just the
right time to escape severe injury and likely death? Coincidence is defined by dictionary
dot com as being: “a striking occurrence of two or more
events at one time apparently by mere chance.” According
to the definition there was a coincidence, which has occurred. But was it more
than a coincidence? Was it not just a coincidence, but providence? Providence,
as in God spurring Demitrios to rise from his bed at just the right time to
spare his life?
>From reports about the incident we do not know whether or not Demitrios is a
believer in Jesus. We do not know his background, or what has been going on in
his life. Was God trying to get his attention? Why would God care about
Demitrios or anyone who is not a believer? Because as we are told in 2 Peter, God “is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance.” Does God always intervene providentially to
spare the lives of those threatened with danger? No. So, if I were Demitrios,
or anyone who has escaped death or severe injury; I would be examining my life
and seeking the Lord to hear from Him about the event. The Bible says that God
is “longsuffering” - not that He will endure
rebellion, and rejection, forever.
As believers in Jesus, we can see the events that occur in our lives
are wrapped in the providence of God. We can say with the Psalmist:
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever. - The 23rd Psalm
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