Last Sunday I picked up one of my wife’s books titled “Small Miracles: Extraordinary Coincidences from Everyday Life.” I could not put it down until I had read every page; devoured every story.
The book’s authors note in the introduction:
Coincidences have been variously defined as “luck,” “chance,” “a fluke,” “something out of the ordinary,” or a “random conjoining of inexplicable events that define our sense of the reasonable.
We firmly believe that coincidences are much more than simple accidents or quirks of fate. To us, coincidences are blessings, the spiritual manna that hosts of angles send down to illuminate our Path. They are vivid, striking, awe-inspiring examples of Divine Providence. They are acts of God.
While I read the various stories of “coincidences” in the book, I was reminded of the awe-inspiring examples of Divine Providence in my own life.
The missing key
One afternoon, after attending a temple session, I was walking back to my car and noticed two Sister missionaries looking for something in the grass near the temple. I walked over to them and asked if I could do anything to help.
They replied that they had lost the key to their bike lock and needed help finding the key. As “luck” would have it, I happened to have my lock picks in the car and offered to pick the bike lock. I was able to pick the bike lock and the Sisters were on time to their next appointment.
I am confident Heavenly Father could have led the missionaries to their lost key faster than I could have picked the lock. However, he chose to demonstrate his love and care for these Sisters through a temple patron.
Before leaving the temple grounds, I said a prayer to my Heavenly Father, thanking Him for allowing me to serve.
Protected from harm
At the age of 15, I thought I knew everything. I didn’t, of course.
One Saturday afternoon, a young adult advisor from a scouting organization I was involved with called me and asked me if I wanted to go to Lagoon (Utah amusement park) with him. My parents were not home at the time, so I excitedly said yes. I told my older brother and siblings that I would be at Lagoon for the rest of the day.
My “friend” arrived at my house shortly after making the call and we began the drive from Orem to Lagoon. The ride was uneventful and our conversation centered on our scouting activities.
We arrived at Lagoon and my “friend” purchased two all-day ride passes. I couldn’t have been more excited, and yet unaware of the potential dangers that lay ahead of me.
My “friend” suggested that we should ride the train and decide which rides we should go on first.
As we were waiting for the train to leave, I caught a glimpse of my parents out of the corner of my eye. They had worried looks on their faces and walked quickly to where I was.
After chiding me for leaving without their permission, they told me I couldn’t stay with my “friend”. I was disappointed that I would be unable to spend the day at Lagoon, but understood that I had left without permission.
As we walked to the car, my parents hugged me and told me how much they loved me. My dad then related to me how they found out from my brother that I had left for Lagoon and the prompting they both felt that I was in grave danger. My parents left immediately to get me and were lead directly to where I was.
Although I did not then understand the gravity of the situation, or fully appreciate my parents for coming to my rescue, I now see and know how damaging things could have been. I am grateful to my parents and to my Heavenly Father for watching over me and keeping me from harm.
Your stories of Divine Providence
I could share more stories of Divine Providence in my life and in the lives of friends and family members, but I am anxious to read the stories of our M* readers.
Last week I taught the JS lesson on Obedience and was doing some additional research Sunday afternoon for posting. For whatever reason I pulled out an old book that I hadn’t read since my mission that was off topic while I was doing something else.
While looking through the book, I found a note stuffed into its pages that I must have put there during my mission. I pulled it out and noticed that it was from my mission president and was a birthday note to me. One of the lines in the middle of the note struck me. It said, “Remember obedience and success are in direct proportion to each other.” This was exactly the type of thought that I had been researching earlier in the day.
While not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, to me there is not way something like that was coincidence. “Knock and it shall be opened” I guess.
For some reason six years ago, I visited the chapel during a weekday and there encountered a woman who was talking to the sister missionaries. The sister missionaries had mentioned that week in PEC that the woman had been going to church off and on for two years but had never been baptized. So, as we were talking that day in the chapel, I felt prompted to ask her why she hadn’t been baptized. She said, “I was wondering I’d you (Geoff B) would baptize me but didn’t know how to ask.”. Well, two weeks later the woman was baptized (by me) and confirmed.
Hans, I, too, found that obedience was a key to success in my mission. Much easier to baptize when you are doing what you are supposed to.
Geoff, that is a wonderful story. How exciting that must have been to help someone come to Christ in such a direct way.
These types of incidences have also been called synchronicities. I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time now, since several of the readers on my blog have said that they’ve experienced these in their lives as well, even in relation to reading my blog. I read a good book on the subject a couple years ago that took it from a more scientific angle called The Holographic Universe. I do believe that there is more going on than mere coincidence in these occurrences, and that they are evidence of God’s interaction in our lives.
Here’s a story from my life. One day my wife and I decided to go the temple to do a session. While we were there we both had the impression that we should also do sealings before we left. We hadn’t done sealings before, so this was new to us. We went to the sealing office and we were told that at that moment there was a group that was about to begin a sealing session under my same last name. Soon we found out that they were some cousins of mine doing sealings for some of my great great ancestors. They welcomed us to join with them in doing these sealings, and it was a marvelous experience. I have no doubt that there was a divine hand guiding us that day, and perhaps angels on the other side prompting us to take part.
Awesome story, Bryce.
One of my favorite stories from the book I linked to in the post was of a man who was out walking and saw a man attacking a woman in the bushes. The man stood for a moment, pondering his choices. His decision-making took seconds, but too the man, it felt much longer. Utlimately, despite his reservations, he decided to help the woman being attacked. After a brief struggle, the attacker left and the man discovered that it was his daughter being attacked. Now how is that for coincidence!
Brian,
Maybe I am not reading your second story well, but what exactly was the “danger” from you going to Lagoon at age 15 with your scouting “friend?”
As to your point of whether things are “just a coincidence” or divinely inspired, I think that there is not a definitive answer one way or another. I think a lot is left up to chance. I can relate far more instances where I didn’t get an answer, or find lost keys, or this or that than where I did. I think the mission experience was quite strong in proving this. On a mission, you constantly pray to God to “find” those who seek the Gospel. But if you keep statistics of your efforts, you’ll find that you get very few results for all the efforts you make. I baptized 14 people on my mission, but I spent 55 hours a week searching for them and many many more.
We’re not always somewhere for some divine reason. I think that God lets us actually make our own decisions and do things of our own free will.
For example, I’m not writing this particular comment because I am inspired by God to write it so that someone out there who just happens to be looking for this exact advice will see it. I’m writing this just because I want to. It would be coincidence if there actually is someone out there who just happens to be wanting to read this very train of thought. (That would be scary. I kinda like being unique, peculiar and different) 🙂
Dan, my “friend” was much older than I, 19, I think and a predator of young boys. He is now a registered sex offender in Utah.
Brian,
Ah, you didn’t mention that in the article. Now of course it makes sense.
CS Lewis said, basically, that there are no coincidences.
And then we have DC 59:21,
“And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.”
Geoff: RE: being talked about in PEC.
One day at church right before sacrament meeting, people were extra friendly to me, and more people greeted me than normal. I could tell something was afoot because it was obvious I was being “love bombed.”
In a later conversation with the bishop, I found out I was talked about during PEC or Ward Council.
There are coincidences.
Let’s flip this around. Say you lose your job. Was it because God thought you were unworthy? Say no one showed up to help you find your keys. Was it because God didn’t think you were worthy of help?
Bookslinger, as I’m sure you know, the bishopric’s intentions are good.
Say you lose your job. Was it because God thought you were unworthy? Say no one showed up to help you find your keys. Was it because God didn’t think you were worthy of help?
Or perhaps God knows better than you do that you need another job, or to change your locks.
The Doctrine and Covenants states that we offend God when we do not acknowledge his hands in all things.
Not that that means hardcore Calvanistic determinism, but since we don’t have the “God’s eye view”, for all we know God wanted us to lose those keys, that job, etc. for our own good.
Ivan,
I thank God in my daily prayers for the blessings of my life, as well as the challenges. However, I do not believe in determinism. I believe that God truly lets us make decisions as free entities, that have consequences towards others both for good and for ill. I don’t like the idea that someone kills an innocent person because God deemed it was time for that innocent person to go. That, for me at least, cheapens and demeans that death, and weakens the punishment to be meted out on that criminal. After all, he can claim he was doing God’s will in killing the innocent person.
The whole issue of God’s hand is difficult, really.
I loved President Eyring’s talk on journaling, specifically asking and answering the question whether he had seen the Hand of God in his life that day. It helps us remain aware of just how active God remains in our lives.
Sometimes Heavenly Father intervenes, resulting in a gain or a loss. When He intervenes, He has a purpose.
On the other hand, sometimes He does not intervene and has no opinion on an issue. It’s up to us. He lets things happen, or not happen, as circumstances fall where they do.
So, it’s difficult to know when to attribute something to Heavenly Father, and when something just happens.
That said, if we loose track of the fact that Heavenly Father is involved, then we can fall into the Korihorite heresy (found in Alma 30:17) of believing we did it on our own.
I think the important parts are to acknowledge God’s hand in our lives when He acts therein, and to seek God’s hand, trusting in the arm of the Lord rather than in the arm of flesh. (See 2 Nephi 4:34-35.)
I am very impressed with my Sunday School students: one thing they have taught me is rejoicing in God’s power and ability. They are very quick to credit God for successes in the Church or in their lives. They quickly credit God for the wonderful events that have occurred in the Book of Mormon. And they are very well aware, and mention it often, that the Holy Spirit is essential for us to do God’s work. Without the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing.
I should mentioned these students are adults (I’m in a singles branch).
All of your stories are very powerful.
I think all such stories of remarkable, miraculous interventions shows us that Heavenly Father is caring and loving, and He uses His children as instruments to protect and save.
I hope I’m more in tune so I can do what He wants me to do when I should do it.
I don’t like the idea that someone kills an innocent person because God deemed it was time for that innocent person to go.
That wasn’t even close to the point I was making, and I wish you hadn’t resorted to straw man arguments rather than deal with the actual point I was making.
Let me use another example:
Today in sacrament meeting, one of the “pioneers” of our little ward in Alaska gave a talk on the beginnings of the church in this area.
She talked about how the first church building they were building burned down when it was half completed. A tragedy. Just a coincidence, one of those random bad things that happen?
Well, she said it was probably one of the better things that happened. Apparently, the contractor wasn’t very enthusiastic, didn’t like having to deal with branch members building the building (as they did back in the day). Because of the fire, they got a new contractor. They discovered the previous contractor was also doing a rather shoddy job and cutting lots of corners.
Because of the fire, they got a better building, and the little branch became stronger, as they came together after a tragedy and completed the building anyway.
I’ll even go there with your straw man example of the killing of an innocent. Since the Lord commands us to acknowledge his hand in all things, then where is the hand of God in that event? It has to be there somewhere. The real test is in our response to the event – the hand of God can come in how we (and others) react to the events and the changes we make in our lives.
Just saying “well, sometimes bad stuff happens and God has nothing to do with it” – well, I’d rather side with the prophets and the scriptures than with the flawed reasonings of fallen mankind.
Just as a baby chick needs to break his/her own shell to strengthen muscle tissue that will be necessary later in life, we need to sometimes pass through adversity.
God may allow your car to break down the day you leave your cell phone home on a dark road that is infrequently traveled. The only way for your spiritual muscles to really flex is to exercise greater faith than that necessary to weather lesser storms. Maybe your prayer will be answered with mortal servants, maybe you will be required to walk through darkness before you see the light.
Though I do think some take things too far, I knew someone who would pray to find out which shirt to wear everyday and whether to have cereal or oatmeal in the morning. I do think God gave us minds to think, though we are taught to pray over our fields (endeavors), and when we need the spirit’s guidance we should be prepared to listen. Nephi wasn’t told every step of the way what he would need to do to get the brass plates, but in the moment he needed guidance he was give the knowledge. So to I believe it is with coincidences, maybe not every thing that happens is part of the plan, but every necessary coincidence is part of God’s design.
Ivan,
Chill dude. That wasn’t even a straw man. It has everything to do with the point. I’m not going to continue further however, because apparently we’re just going to talk past each other.
Dan –
perhaps you’re reading more into my words than I intended.
“I don’t like the idea that someone kills an innocent person because God deemed it was time for that innocent person to go.”
Epictetus had a great rejoinder to such a thought.
“What it is to thee by whose hand the giver demands something back?”
Here’s another translation of the saying by Epictetus, the great stoic philosopher:
11. Never say of anything, “I have lost it”; but, “I have returned it.” Is your child dead? It is returned. Is your wife dead? She is returned. Is your estate taken away? Well, and is not that likewise returned? “But he who took it away is a bad man.” What difference is it to you who the giver assigns to take it back? While he gives it to you to possess, take care of it; but don’t view it as your own, just as travelers view a hotel.
Found here: http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html
Another translation: It’s not your business what agents the original giver used to get it back.
Found here: http://ideonautics.com/manual2.htm
About confessing God’s hand in all things: I recently finished reading The Hiding Place, which has a great example of this – the anecdote about the sisters thanking God for the fleas in their sleeping area of a Nazi concentration camp, and later discovering that these fleas kept the guards out, allowing them to hold Bible study groups.
About coincidences: One Saturday after shopping for groceries I returned to the parking lot to find that my car wouldn’t start. I was teaching a lesson on the power of prayer the very next day, so I decided this would be a good opportunity to practice what I was going to preach. I prayed as faithfully as I could and did what I knew how to get the car going, but nothing seemed to work.
Frustrated, I gave up and headed back to the store to call someone to come get me (I didn’t have a cell phone at the time.) As I walked into the store, the first person that I saw was my neighbor, coming out with his own groceries. He agreed to give me a ride home.
I realized afterwards that this “coincidence” was God’s way of answering my prayers.