"Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please." Isaiah 46:9-10
So stop me if you've heard this one--three doctors, a realtor, an accountant and a pastor meet to go running and... the rest is not a joke, I promise you. Tuesday morning in St. Augustine, Florida, this group (that meets every morning at 5:30 a.m. and has nicknamed themselves the 5:30 Default Group) was going for a run when they spotted three-foot flames burning a neighborhood porch. Several of the runners banged on the door to get the people out while the others used a neighbors hose to extinguish the fire. Thanks to being in the right place at the right time, a coincidence you might say, the fire was largely under control by the time Emergency Personnel arrived and no one was hurt.
Ask any Christian and they will most likely have a story of someone who miraculously showed up to help in a time of need, hearing a song at just the right time or many other things that could be described as a coincidence. But is it really? Depends on your definition of it. In Luke 10:31, Jesus said, “And by a coincidence a certain priest was going down in that way, and having seen him, he passed over on the opposite side.” The word coincidence is translated from the Greek word synkyrian, which is a combination of two words: sun and kurios. Sun meaning “together with,” and kurious “supreme in authority.” A biblical definition of coincidence would then be: what occurs together by God’s providential arrangement of circumstances.
The Google dictionary defines coincidence though as: a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection. What do you say then? Was it a remarkable concurrence of events without any connection? Of course not... nothing is. God was, is and will always be in control and His "purpose will stand."
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so much that you would providentially arrange situations to help us when we are in need. When we are blessed by a "coincidence" help us to remember that it is never a concurrence of random events but a set of circumstances arranged by You. Help us to see your presence in everything around us and to thank you when a "coincidence" is an answer to prayer. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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