Have you ever experienced having something you needed show up at just the right time? Did you wonder how that happened? Could it be that God is setting things up in advance for you? Or do you think it is simply random, blind luck?
If we’ve lived enough years and paid attention, we have all experienced something unexpected happening just when we needed it. We may have thought we were doomed, and someone showed up. Perhaps an unexpected refund check came in the mail.
Many people in this world will chalk these events up to being lucky. They may even believe they deserved to be rescued, and it is the “universe” rewarding them. We may hear someone say they knew it was going to happen, and they play it off with bravado.
Those of us who follow Jesus Christ should not think it blind luck to be rescued. We believe in a God who created all things, knows all, is everywhere, and loves His children. Now, this doesn’t mean God will always pull us out of a bad situation. Sometimes He wants us to learn a lesson, grow or mature in our thinking. Yet, He does move in mysterious ways.
Let’s take a look at one situation where God set up events to take place at precisely the perfect time. The Jews read Scripture in the synagogue every Sabbath. They read a passage from the law of Moses, the prophets, and Psalms. There was a set schedule for their readings. I propose that God worked through the rabbi’s that set the schedule to set the precise dates each Scripture would be read.
As Jesus traveled through the countryside teaching His followers, He was operating on a specific schedule. Jesus showed up in a synagogue on a specific Sabbath and stepped forward to read from the prophets. The attendant of the scrolls handed Him the scroll for the scheduled reading. Jesus opened the scroll and read the prophecy of Himself and pronounced it was fulfilled on that day.
Now, I’m sure someone will question it being the reading for the day. They will argue that Jesus turned the scroll to the correct place. That is highly unlikely. You see, the attendant did not completely reroll the scroll. It was rolled such that as one side was unrolled, the other side was rolled and bound in such a way to keep the place marked properly. The attendant would have known the schedule and handed it to Jesus to read the appropriate Scripture. Yet, God knew the date and time for the reading, which meant Jesus knew as well.
I pray we all attribute the providing of our needs to God. I pray we realize God is working at all times. I pray each one of us will praise God for what He is doing on our behalf. God is at work. God is providing for you. God knows everything. Trust Him. Praise Him. Give thanks to Him.
Luke 4:16-17a He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.
Marty Pressey 