Does God care about the little things in our life?
Just the other day we received a letter from an old family friend who shared this story: Some time ago, he had lost his wedding ring. Obviously, it was of great value to him, and he had exhausted himself looking for it. Distraught, he uttered a prayer that God would somehow lead him to it, since he had despaired of ever finding it on his own. Suddenly, the ring simply rolled into his fingers. As he tells it, one moment it was not there, and the next moment he was holding it in his hand.
Just before he passed away, my dad told me of something similar that happened to him. He had created a special shoehorn so he could slide on his shoes easily. He never moved the shoehorn from its place, just beside his shoes under the chair in his garage. For his entire life he always knew where everything was—he had a place for every item. But one day, the shoehorn was gone. He searched the entire garage and even his car—repeatedly. Eventually, he quietly uttered, “I wish I had that shoehorn.” It wasn’t a prayer, only a wish expressed. Later, returning from the market, he looked down and saw it lying where it usually was, right beside his shoes.
I’ve heard similar stories from other people I trust. My close friend’s mother had lost a ring that was very special to her. Having spent several years searching for it, she eventually gave up. One afternoon, just before taking a nap, she decided to pray one more time that she would find it. After waking, she looked over and saw it lying on the small table next to her bed.
A missionary friend and leader of a global missionary organization told me that when he and several other workers were in the backwaters of Africa they lost the keys to their Jeep—their only transportation for hundreds of miles. Desperately, they searched for them over and over again, for hours, because in this region there was absolutely no help, and lost keys could easily mean danger or death. The group gathered and prayed earnestly, and then went to search for the keys one more time. When they opened the door to the Jeep, they were astounded to find the keys hanging on a hook next to the driver’s seat—in plain sight.
To the outside observer, these stories don’t count for much, or even appear far-fetched. But these occurrences happen every day. When they happen to us believers, and we know that we’ve searched repeatedly and are absolutely sure something was lost, we know something or Someone else is at work.
I would be suspicious of these reports myself were it not for the fact that they’ve happened to my wife and me more than once. We can always think of some other explanation for why it might have happened to someone else. But in the case of our own experiences, any other explanation proves more unlikely than the one suggesting some outside Force or Intelligence was involved. They appear to be “set-ups,” mind-teasers surrounded by particular details known only to the person or persons involved, and removing the possibility of any other rational account.
So such stories of people’s experiences have more impact upon those they’ve actually happened to, and in the end, they aren’t really for anyone else. They are more in the category of tailor-made angel or God events that are aimed at the mind and heart (and faith) of one or two, or a small group.
Events like these confirm in our hearts the love of God and the truth that he cares about every aspect of our lives. Nothing about us is too inconsequential in his eyes. He created us with the utmost care and love, and through these and other ways, he wants us to know that we are in constant contact with him.
So what inconsequential or great thing in your life are you going to pray about today? If you have any “lost-and-found” stories, I would love to hear them.
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- Invincible Joy: Oliver Asher on Finding Joy in Hopeless Situations - April 8, 2024
