I like to think of myself as a tough old gal. “See the hill. Take the hill,” as my Lt. Colonel father would have said.

I recently made a decision that holds the promise of adventure ahead. Was I up to it? Would everything work out? Or had I made a blunder? My mind told me the decision was a “no-brainer,” an obviously good move. Unfortunately, my subconscious, Id, or whatever influences emotions, wasn’t so sure.

As I was plowing through piles of tasks, I found myself near tears, feeling overwhelmed and fearful. I wanted to cry on someone’s shoulder, but as my mind scrolled through the list of dear friends, I found no one on whom I wanted to inflict my woes. Instead, I just prayed, “Help me, Lord, find peace.”

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? For whatever reason, suddenly it all seems too much, and even the strongest among us cry out. Maybe not out loud, but our inner child needs Daddy to pick us up and croon, “It’s alright. Daddy’s here.”

Invisible and Visible

Sometimes, we miss our Father God’s reply to our prayers. We may look for one answer while the actual answer passes us by because we don’t have eyes or ears of faith to see or hear it.

I’m reminded of the man, sitting on his roof during a flood, and crying to the Lord for rescue. A man paddles up to his home and asks if he can help. The man, expecting a grand miracle, turns him down. He turns down other offers for help as well, waiting for a miraculous rescue from God.

After he drowns and stands at the Pearly Gates, he asks God why He didn’t answer his prayer. God shakes His head and says, with some exasperation, “I sent three people to help you and you turned them all down.”

But on this day, the Lord’s answer to my plea for peace came in an immediate trinity of love, love so clear, I couldn’t miss it.

First my daughter-in-law called out of the blue, “just to see how you are,” and her loving reassurances calmed my spirit. No sooner had I hung up, than I received a text from a new dear friend, full of prayers and loving encouragement. Not to be outdone, God then inspired yet another person to send me a welcome text.

Friends, there is no way these three contacts, one after the other within one hour, could have been coincidences! In fact, I no longer believe in “coincidences.” The term I use to describe these encounters is “God-incidences.”

If you see and hear with eyes and ears of faith, you’ll realize that Jesus wasn’t exaggerating when He said the Father knows when a bird falls from the air, as well as how many hairs are on your head. (I want to have a chat with God about the latter. I seem to be missing quite a few.)

Our daily lives are full of “God-incidences,” hundreds of ways in which God reassures us He is walking with his children, guiding His sheep from wherever they wander and to the sheepfold He created for each of them.

Sometimes, His more long-term plans for me may feel like a celestial busy signal. Things may not make sense, may seem harsh and difficult, and may go on longer than I want. That’s when I’m comforted by Paul’s words in Romans 8:28. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

Being a child of God, through His Son, Jesus, fills me with courage and joy. It opens my eyes to His loving care, even when outwardly things look grim and foreboding. I know God has a plan, and I’m part of it. What’s to worry about?

Is it possible that reading this blog, today of all days, may be your cosmic hug from God?