For those struggling financially …
There’s an old saying, “God closes one door before He opens another.” It’s trite, I know. It’s a cliché. But it’s also very often true. Sometimes the disaster is merely a stepping stone in the plan of God to get you where He wants you to be. Giddy expectancy is an act of faith, but it isn’t misplaced when it comes to the plan of God.
Abraham was the father of Isaac … — Matthew 1:2
Matthew begins his gospel by reminding us that Jesus didn’t get here by accident. He arrived as the culmination of a series of miracles and divinely-appointed “coincidences.” It took the impossible to get Jesus onto this earth, and God was up to the task. Abraham and Sarah have a child about 70 years later than most couples do. Isaac wrestled in prayer for God to grant his barren wife a child. Jacob accidentally married the wrong woman. Judah, well … you can read that story for yourself.
As you read down the list, you see that babies keep arriving under unusual circumstances. In Jesse’s family, even after seven boys, it took one more baby to get the child God wanted for His royal line (now there’s a mom with raw courage!).
Even today, the path to Jesus’ arrival is paved with miracles, with improbabilities, with the unusual and the unexpected. In my own life, who would have guessed that my dad’s assignment to a radar post on the North Carolina coast would result in an eternal change of direction for us all! It seems so random on the surface. It seemed so unfair at the time — it wasn’t the transfer my parents wanted. But now I look back at that mixture of dirt roads, alligators, dogs tipping over trash cans, copperheads and childhood bullies, sand, heat, sweat, songs, testimonies, missionaries, meals and love with gratitude in my heart.
And that may be the lesson. Life doesn’t always make sense in “play” mode. Sometimes you gotta push rewind before you start smiling and realizing what an ingenious plan God had all along.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
What happens when you partner with Dwight Clough Ministries?
Victims of violent crimes and survivors of abuse are finding peace,
wholeness, the power to forgive and the strength to set boundaries.
Those ensnared by addictions are finding freedom. Marriages are being
restored. Families are strengthened. Christian brothers and sisters in
restricted lands who face persecution are finding strength and
encouragement. Young believers are learning how to walk with the Lord,
and people are coming into the faith for the first time. None of this
happens as a result of one person’s efforts, but rather this is God’s
work as He blesses the sacrifice of many people including yourself. We
partner with you, with other ministries, and, most significantly, with
the Lord. That’s how the supernatural happens.
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