Devotional - A Divinely Ordained (Part 3)

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Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings, you will find refuge; 
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Psalm 91: 3-4

The workday was over and it was pouring rain. I wanted to get home as soon as possible. Safely inside the car, I turned the key in the ignition and was met with silence. Puzzled, I turned to look at my coworker who had asked me for a ride. I had no idea what was happening, so I tried again and the result was the same.

I decided to wait it out as there was nothing else I could do. It was still raining heavily so there was no chance of getting out to find someone to assist me. After a few minutes, I took up my keys again and as I did, I had a revelation. My kill switch was on! It flashed across my mind like a bolt of lightning. It was not the norm for me to engage my kill switch during the day, but for some unknown reason, that morning I did and then had totally forgotten about it. I turned it off, turned the key in the ignition again and this time the engine sprang to life.

As we drove out, I thought out loud, saying that God must have delayed me for a reason. I did not complain because I knew everything was under his control. My coworker then began to relate a story in which two sisters were at a bus stop. A bus came and one sister decided that she would take it. The other one decided not to and could not be persuaded to change her mind, so the other sister went alone.

Eventually, another bus came and the sister who was left standing at the bus stop boarded it. A few minutes into the journey, the bus came upon the scene of a motor vehicle accident.  it was the bus that her sister had taken earlier. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries.  It was a tragic turn of events.

I don't know what would have happened on my journey that afternoon but God knows. To my mind, it was not by chance or coincidence that this particular coworker had asked me for a ride.  I believe God led her to be present so that He could communicate a message to me. In His loving sovereignty, He allowed me to do something out of the norm that morning, forget about it and then bring it back to memory at the right time. He had His angels on assignment to protect me. 

And so it is for you too. God has His eye on you. He cares about you and wants what is best for you. Surrender to Him and allow Him to direct your path. Proverbs 3: 5-6 says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding. But in all thy ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.

With Christ in the vessel, we can smile at the storm, however they come - be it disappointment, delay, sickness, death of a loved one or financial crisis. We can be assured of the fact that He has good plans for us. When we don't understand - and often we don't - we can be confident in the fact that His promises never fail and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. His promises are yes and amen. Nothing can separate us from His love. He will protect us in all our ways and in times of trouble we can find shelter in Him. As the song says, 'when you can't trace His hand, trust His heart.'

Reflection

1. What lessons can we learn from the incidence that interrupt the flow of our lives?

2. Do you believe that there are lessons to be learned from these interruptions?

3. If so, what are these lessons?

Prayer

Thank you Lord for your unfailing love towards us. Thank you that you guard us in all our ways and protect us from dangers seen and unseen. In Jesus' name. Amen.