“Coincidence” Or God’s Perfect Timing?

“Coincidence” or God’s Perfect Timing?

Bible Blast: Read Luke 12:6-7

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 1 John 3:1

In the middle of the night during a winter snowfall in Wasilla, Alaska, an eighty-three-year-old woman, Joyce Peldo, decided to go for a walk. Joyce was a healthy person except for one thing: she had Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that affects the memory. A person with Alzheimer’s may have trouble remembering where she lives, who her family is, and how to perform daily tasks. She may even “forget” to wear warm clothes when it’s snowing. Joyce did just that. Wearing only a nightgown, light jacket, and slippers, she went for a winter walk.

At about 5:00 a.m., a man named Phillip Allison was driving to work. He had been in a hurry that morning and didn’t brush the snow off his headlights before he left. Soon he had to stop to clear off his lights so he could see better.

As Phillip did that, he heard a faint voice saying, “Help me.” He looked around with his flashlight until he found Joyce lying in the snow about fifty feet away. He quickly took Joyce to the hospital, where her frantic family found her.

Joyce’s son was quoted as saying about Phillip Allison, “He was there by the grace of God. It’s pretty much a . . . miracle.” But not everyone felt it was a miracle of God’s timing and love. Many people used words like luck, coincidence, and chance.

Today’s focus verse points out something that “people who belong to this world” don’t recognize: that “we are God’s children.” Those who don’t know our heavenly Father don’t get it when things like Phillip finding Joyce in the snow happen. When miraculous stories like this are shared, they don’t see God’s timing and his love for his children. But the Peldos and the Allisons know exactly what happened—and who was controlling the events—that wintry morning.

Girl Gab: Do you think Christians should say things like “What a coincidence!” or “I’m so lucky!” or “What a great twist of fate”? From now on try to give God the credit when you see his perfect timing at work in someone’s life. Discuss what phrases you can use instead of these, and then pray that God will bring them to mind so you can use them.