Category: Devotional Thoughts

Divine Appointment on Salem Drive

Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

-Proverbs 19:21

I read this Proverb this morning as I was sipping my coffee. I began thinking of how often God has changed wrecked my plans in order to accomplish His plans.

But God allowed me to experience the truth of this verse in a most amazing way this morning.

I took the usual five-minute drive from my house to the church building. Most of this short commute happens on Salem Drive, a road I’ve gone down countless times since we moved here.

But turning off of Salem into the church parking lot was different this time. A man had laid down his adult-sized tricycle on its side, partially blocking the parking lot entrance. I actually had to wait for him to move it a little before I could drive in–otherwise I would have run over a long flag that was attached the back of the vehicle.

The man asked for my help as soon as I stepped out of my car. It turned out that the tricycle had two chains, both of which had come loose. He was unable to get them back on (I’m not sure exactly how long he’d been trying).

I grabbed the chains and began working on getting them back onto the sprockets. I joked that the task took me back to memories of my 10-year-old self fixing my bicycle. He laughed and repeatedly thanked me for my help. I could tell that life had thrown some serious challenges his way, yet he was so cheerful (this was a quick reminder about the importance of gratitude).

His tricycle was slightly more complicated than my childhood bicycle, but the principle was the same. We had both chains back on their sprockets in a few minutes. He then pointed to the rear axle and explained that the sprocket was loose, allowing it to move from side to side on the axle (it should be firmly fixed in the center). This, he said, is probably what caused the chains to come off. He asked if I had a wrench we could use to tighten it.

I asked our secretary if she had some wrenches in her toolbox (she keeps one in her office). She found a set, but they looked way too big to be of any help.

I have a set of tools in the trunk of my car that I inherited when I bought it. I never have really looked through them very closely so I wasn’t optimistic about finding what I needed. But I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check.

And there they were: a set of channel lock pliers that looked like they had been custom-designed for today’s job (the smallest set I have ever seen). I wonder what Mr. McCoy (the car’s previous owner) had in mind when he bought them. “I’ve never even noticed these before today,” I told my new friend. A few turns of the bolt and the sprocket was securely set in the middle of the axle.

We turned his newly repaired tricycle right-side up. My friend thanked me again before joyfully peddling away.

I reflected on this divine appointment as I washed my grease-covered hands.

God had orchestrated every detail: from my arrival time at the office to the tool that was placed in my trunk years ago. He put me in just the right place at the just right time and provided me with exactly what I needed for this morning’s first assignment.

It’s going to be a good day. It already has been.

The Advance of the Gospel in an Evil World

Paul includes this prayer request in the final chapter of 2nd Thessalonians:

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.

2nd Thessalonians 3:1-2

He urges his brothers and sisters in Christ to pray that the gospel will “speed ahead,” or advance. The original readers/hearers of this letter in Thessalonica would have pictured a runner triumphantly sprinting towards the finish line.

I am struck by the context of this prayer request, namely the contrast between this image and the description of future events in the previous chapter. 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-12 is a section of text normally labeled as the “Man of Lawlessness.” It is one of the most confusing sections of the New Testament, and the meaning/interpretation has been debated for centuries. “I confess that I am entirely ignorant of what he (Paul) means to say,” said Augustine regarding these twelve verses.

One thing is perfectly clear about the “Man of Lawlessness” text: Paul describes an escalation of evil and deception that is to come. He was not naive about the broken state of this world and the people in it. He knew, in fact, that “wicked and evil men” were likely to show up and oppose his ministry at any time (vs. 2).

This makes Paul’s choice of the runner image all the more striking: the gospel is pictured as victoriously moving forward in the midst of an increasingly wicked world. He had complete confidence that the good news of Jesus Christ would save souls and transform lives.

I pray that we have the same confidence in the gospel. The wickedness of this world can (and should) be a source of grief, but it should not distract us from our mission.

May our prayers, our conversations, and our very lives reflect a passion for the gospel and for souls that God is willing and able to save.