Stories of God’s divine timing: Readers share ‘God Winks’ during routine tasks of life
Has a coincidence ever seemed more than a random act? As Christians, we believe in God’s divine timing, even in the routine, everyday moments of life.
The sunsets over an Iowa field and picnic table. I snapped this picture while out with my family. We looked up just in time. Another moment and the deep red, orange, and yellow was gone. It’s an everyday moment I can write off as coincidence, or I can see God’s craftsmanship and marvel at his timing.
This month, Faith Storytellers readers shared inspiring, “God Winks” moments in the ordinary and routine: during a business meeting, at a car repair shop, and while shopping for a house.
Truly, God cares for us in the details of our lives and invites us into the story he is writing every day. Enjoy!
— Mackenzie Ryan Walters, author of Faith Storytellers and editor of faithstoryteller.org
P.S. Have a divine timing or God Winks moment to share? Join our email newsletter and receive prompts when our next edition goes out!
God answered my prayer and selected my word of the year
For many Christians, identifying a word for the year is a way to focus on God’s direction in their life. When Brenda Myers invited God into the word selection process, she was astonished how he showed up.
On our last call, a friend and I talked about establishing a word for the year rather than goals. It was a new concept for me, and with her encouragement, I read a short book and followed its prompts. I prayed and five different words came to mind.
None were the word I originally thought I would choose. I then asked God to reveal which of the five words he wanted me to have. Two hours later, I was wrapping up an out-of-office meeting when I glanced at the wall. There it was, in bold, capital letters: MOTIVATION.
It was obvious: This was the word I need to guide me this year! A small but mighty sign of God's presence in my daily life.
— Brenda Myers
A divine appointment at the car repair shop
Pastor Steve Taylor put off fixing his car’s tire, which was suffering from a small leak. Finally, he dropped by a new repair shop — only to discover a more important appointment waiting for him.
For a couple of weeks, our car was suffering from a leaking tire. It is a visit no one likes to make, a trip to the car repair shop. Normally, we go to a shop near home, but due to our last visit we decided to try a new shop where no appointment was needed for a tire repair.
One other person waiting and we struck up a conversation about his repair, which led to him sharing how his mother in-law had suffered a fall and was dealing with a brain injury. She was in the hospital and would remain there until she could move to a care facility.
He and his wife were constantly at the hospital, trading shifts so someone was always there. I could tell the ordeal had weighed on him. He mentioned numerous times that his in-laws did not really like him. An added burden was him taking his legally blind father in-law to the hospital daily.
We talked for a while; actually, he did most of the talking. We listened. Soon both of our vehicles were finished. I thanked him for sharing with us, shook hands, and we shared a blessing. Of all the times we could have taken the car in, and of all the possible repair shops we could have chosen, we ended up at the right place and time for that man.
A coincidence? No, a God thing.
— Pastor Steve Taylor
Divine timing: Our search for a home during the financial crisis
House shopping is full of ups and downs. When Carrie M. Holt was trying to find a home for her family and son with special needs, she was unsure if she’d find the right fit — until God intervened.
Our tiny ranch home was no longer meeting the needs of our growing family, which now included three sons, including one who was slowly becoming more mobile in his tiny wheelchair. We needed wider hallways, an accessible bathroom, and other accommodations.
Exhaustion had set in as my husband and I toured model homes. We were just about to give up when we noticed a new neighborhood and a builder we had never heard of.
“Do you want to check them out?” my husband asked.
“Sure, we have time before our nurse leaves,” I replied.
As we quizzed the builder on modifications they could make, hope rose within me.
It didn’t make sense to build a house in 2009 with a crumbling economy. My husband’s salary was directly linked to the dropping financial markets. But we prayed, took the next steps, and God provided.
Fifteen years later, we live in the house we dared to dream about that day.
— Carrie M. Holt, author of “The Other Side of Special: Navigating the Messy, Emotional, Joy-Filled Life of a Special Needs Mom.”
The Your Turn edition of the Faith Storytellers Newsletter features reader-submitted stories of divine timing, “God Winks,” and everyday moments of God’s love. When you join our free email newsletter, you’ll receive the month’s Your Turn question and will be invited to share a 200-word vignette about how you experience God in the everyday moments of life. Come join us!