Are there coincidences with god

But Christians need to recognize them as God incidences. Deuteronomy backs this idea, "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Hopefully, reading about the following "God incident" will help you become attuned to such incidences in your own life. Our son David and his wife Myriam are missionaries in Angola, Africa.

He went there to serve as a pastor and Myriam as a medical doctor. Life in the town of Luena, which is located in eastern Angola, is much like what you would see in a National Geographic magazine. All of Angola is slowly recovering from a year civil war, which started when the Portuguese left the country. The war was between two major parties over who would take the reins of leadership in Angola.

The war finally ended in , but there are still remnants of bombed airplanes and abandoned tanks sitting around Luena. Minefields in the surrounding area are still being cleared to make the fields usable again. Within the city, electricity is available for only a few hours a day. Having a generator is definitely a gift, as long as it functions without need of repair.

Water comes unfiltered from a river. Luena looks like it could have been a beautiful city at one time; on its outskirts, you see grass huts and a more primitive lifestyle. Shortly after arriving, David and Sebastian, a doctor who worked in the clinic with Myriam, were on their way to purchase some lumber that would be used to remodel the clinic.

What passes for lumber there looks very different from what you would see at your neighborhood Home Depot.

Their lumber consists of long, reasonably straight branches that have been cut from nearby trees, often used in the construction of roofs. So does that mean God cares about finding us parking spaces or giving us more abundantly than others in the world?

When something bad happens like financial ruin or a lost battle with cancer, we blame bad choices or bad luck or—sadly—ineffective prayers. You may have heard of the Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy. It looks like the sharpshooter is an excellent marksman.

This is how we can treat God. If a tornado destroys a city but a church is left standing, we attribute its saving to God. Yet how many other tornadoes destroyed churches in other cities? Did God preference this one? How many other families lost loved ones to illness or car crashes? Does God preference your loved one if they were saved? I believe our faith is a lens through which we see and interpret the world.

Faith gives us a hope that in the end all will be well. That wellness may come in survival of cancer, or it may come in the faith that your loved one is returning to full union with God, or that we can move forward in the wake of tragedy.

How is God involved? So was it God who brought my colleague and me into the same place at the same time? From the Ignatian perspective, God is continually extending to us invitations, in choices and in relationships. In some mysterious way, it was our series of yeses throughout life that brought us to Atlanta at that same time. It was a series of yeses that allowed my wife and me to meet. This is how God is involved in our lives: Not by creating magic or preferencing one incident over another, but by laying out invitations and asking for our involvement.

Instead, God asks us to work within those boundaries and create life-saving medicines, to innovate, to make the world a safer place, to share what we have with others, and to be good stewards of the earth.

God is not a magician Recently Cardinal Cupich of Chicago tweeted this :. Other people will get pictures in there mind, a type of vision, and recognize that it's an impression from God.

They are often creative people. For me, it's all about words. Words in my head, words that stick out when I meet someone, words I see around me, be it street signs, words on a truck, words on paper etc. Sometimes it's hard for me to hear God unless I write things down - makes sense considering I love writing!

Ultimately, you know when something is a 'God moment' when you know who God is and take that exciting journey of learning how He talks to you. The Creator of the universe made you uniquely and the more you figure out your special gifts and talents, you will begin to hear Him and the secrets He wants to reveal to you.

It's mezmerizing, and it's a lot more than we think. There are other ways of discerning His voice in your life, including in romantic relationships. I'll go more into this next week. I look forward to hearing from you! I would love to know your thoughts about this and I'm sure our community would too!

Don't be afraid to share your experience or questions with us in the comments, or email us at writeus thedtrblog. Defining the relationship with God, yourself, and others through stories about faith, mental health, relationships, and comedy. All Topics. How many of you have had an experience happen where you internally ask the question, "Was that a sign from God, or was it a coincidence?

It can be confusing. God can handle our doubt. He can handle our confusion. He is an expert at showing us the truth. In my pain, I found how He loves to communicate to us about all things, especially marriage and relationships. I think there is one inherent truth we learn when we take a risk in this area, and that is God is far more concerned with us deeply knowing who He is rather than us knowing all the answers.