Godwinks Series

GODWINKS

By: C. Mason Davis

A senior citizen drove his brand-new Corvette convertible out of the dealership. Taking off down the road, he floored it to 80 mph, enjoying the wind blowing through what little gray hair he had left. Amazing, he thought as he flew down I-94, pushing the pedal even more. Looking in his rear-view mirror, he saw a state trooper behind him, lights flashing and siren blaring. He floored it to 100 mph, then 110, then 120. Suddenly he thought, what am I doing? I'm too old for this and pulled over to await the trooper's arrival. Pulling in behind him, the trooper walked up to the Corvette, looked at his watch, and said, "Sir, my shift ends in 30 minutes. Today is Friday. If you can give me a good reason for speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go." The old gentleman paused. Then he said, "Years ago, my wife ran off with a state trooper. I thought you were bringing her back." "Have a good day, sir," replied the trooper.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

James 1:17, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

When things happen in your Christian walk of faith and you say to yourself what a coincidence, but you should know that it’s not, it is the right hand of God working in your life. You desperately needed money for groceries and while cleaning you find 20 dollars. You find five dollars and a homeless person asks you for money. You randomly evangelize to someone, and they say before you told me about Jesus, I was going to kill myself. Your car breaks down and you come across a good Samaritan who happens to be a mechanic. When you go through suffering, remember it’s never meaningless. It is God’s hand that is in your life. When we overcome trials because God helped us and as time passes on and we go through another trial and our adversaries try to discourage us by making us think it was just a coincidence. But it was God and He will never forsake me.” Give God thanks because often He helps us without us even realizing it. It is no coincidence that He answers prayers at the right time. How great is our God and how awesome is His love! God’s plans will stand. Even when we mess up, God can turn bad situations into good ones.

Godwink: What is a Godwink? It is a new word for those little coincidences that aren’t coincidence but come from divine origin. Godwinks are always a sign of hope.

When life gets confusing, stressful, or even tragic, you may wonder if God sees or cares about you. Then what seems like a coincidence or answered prayer enters your life and changes it for the better. These personal touches don’t happen just by chance. They’re messages sent directly from God to you – winks from a loving Father who wants you to know He’s watching over you. He is constantly with you no matter what you’re doing or where you are. He knows all!

There are innumerable ways you can recognize when God is winking at you. For example, try a test. Even if you’re not sure that God exists, decide to act as if He does, telling Him that you’d like Him to reveal Himself to you. Philippians 2:13 “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Try placing your trust in His existence, then look for communication from Him. Know that He will be faithful to respond if you’re sincere in your desire to know Him. Listen to messengers and be one yourself. Expect that God will use other people as unwitting messengers of His encouragement to you in many situations – and that He will use you as a messenger for others, as well. Whenever people are kind to you, consider how God might be reaching out to you through those acts of kindness. As often as you can, treat others with kindness to encourage them. Look for the extraordinary in the ordinary. Pay close attention to how God may choose to validate His presence through any situation in your life. Understand that God reveals Himself not just in momentous, watershed events, but also in small, mundane moments. Remember, He always sees you and is always with you. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Dig into your memories. Take some time to recall moments in the past when you experienced “coincidences” or answered prayers. Consider how those events were timed just right to assure you that you’re not alone in this world and thank God for communicating with you when you needed to hear from Him. So, embrace hope. No matter what your current circumstances or feelings, choose to have faith and belief in God and His promises to you. Know that your hope will help you see God’s winks more clearly, and inspire others to decide to hope, as well. After God gives you renewed hope, spread the hope around.