OT DAY 427 - How Can You See Coincidences As God's Preparation (Please click here for English podcast)

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Open your heart to praise the Lord

       Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
        Praise your God, O Zion!

        For he strengthens the bars of your gates;

            he blesses your children within you.

         He makes peace in your borders;
             he fills you with the finest of the wheat.

                    Psalm 147:12-14

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (1 Samuel 9:1-27)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+9&version=ESV

       10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.” 14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.

15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.” 18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 19 Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. 20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?” 21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”

                                 1   Samuel 9: 10-21

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

My Listening

          If coincidences happen again and again in a short while, do you think that is God's preparation? 

Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us: 

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) :

    

           Already, coincidence and human initiative have entered into the story, as they do with man Old Testament stories. Saul and the boy just happen to be near a town where you can often find Samuel; Samuel happens to be here today; they happen to meet some girls who can tell them where to find him; an event at the sanctuary happens to be imminent; as they enter the town they happen to meet Samuel; they ask someone where they can find the seer, and it is Samuel himself that they happen to ask. The Old Testament does not say that God orchestrates things so that they work out this way, but it portrays God as being able to make coincidence and human initiative serve the divine purpose.   

          

John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.51.

         So, if you have quite a number of coincidences happened recently, they might be God's gifts for you to invite you to enter into His preparation! 

Dear Lord Jesus, 

    Open our eyes to be able to see your preparation through coincidences.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Reflect on these questions:

    1. Do you think God really work through coincidences to serve His purpose? Why YES? Why NO?

2. How can you enter into His preparation through those God given coincidences? 

    3. What have you got from Jesus today?

Today's Time with Abba daily reading:

Photos of my copying the Bible yesterday using Time with Abba passages 

Today's photo of our daily 6:30a.m. Copying Bible to pray and 7a.m. Prayer Meeting

Praise and Thanksgiving

Let's give thanks for God with us. Let us praise Him:
10,000 Reasons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

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