Encouragement

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My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19 NIV)

It was a typical Monday morning. As I started the car, I didn't have time to think about how tired I was. Being a single mother with a lonely father in the nursing home already had my life on overload. New job assignments and my mother's recent death added to the pressures of my days. Everything seemed harder than usual to accomplish. Getting out the door in the morning was especially difficult. Today I was 10 minutes late leaving for a meeting at work. There was a 14 mile drive with many intersections ahead. Traffic would be heavy and every minute counted.

Hurriedly buckling my seat belt, I made a simple request. "Lord, please give me green lights all the way." Then my mind focused on the day ahead and what was awaiting me at work.

I hadn't given my half-hearted prayer a second thought as traffic moved smoothly. It wasn't until I passed through the third green light without even slowing down that I remembered my request. A smile slowly spread across my face. As I passed through the fourth also without stopping, I broke into laughter. In all the years of taking that route no matter what the time of day, I don’t ever recall driving through that series of unsynchronized lights without getting stopped at least once. But that day, I did! And I made it to work with a couple minutes to spare.

Over the years, I’ve kept a journal. When days feel dark and discouraging, I frequently bring it out and read through it. I’ve recorded many of these incidents of God’s care and provision in my journal. There are notes of unexpected gifts arriving in the mail, protection from a harsh storm, flowers left on my doorstep, and uplifting phone calls from a friend at just the right time. And now I have another one to add: a story of green lights.

How often do we miss those moments of God’s provision in our daily life? Are we so accustomed to looking for big answers in the midst of crises that we fail to recognize that we are constantly in His care? We should never doubt that our loving Heavenly Father’s hand is on even the trivial aspects of our lives - like getting to work on time.

As you go through the routines of life, watch expectantly for signs of God’s care. Don’t take those little things–like green lights–for granted. May your eyes see them and your heart treasure them. They are signs of provision from the Lord.

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