Coincidence and Prayer

1 John 5:14,15 And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him. (NRSV)

Prayer is a funny thing. Sometimes we turn to prayer as a last resort. But what if, instead, it was our first option. What if, instead, we took more and more to God in prayer – the big stuff and the small stuff?

Have you ever heard someone take what was pretty obviously a coincidence and say, “God did that. God came through for me!”? Meanwhile you’re thinking, “Hang on a minute, it was just a coincidence.”

I used to think that, until one thing led to another and Jesus became real to me. And even though I’m one of those rational, logical people who plans things out and makes them happen, I’d find myself praying. I’d ask God for things and they’d happen – and not just happen, but happen with a miraculous twist.

Like the time I was out of money many years ago and we had a car boot sale at the church that weekend. I sold everything within an hour whilst nobody else sold anything for the rest of the day!

Okay, one coincidence is just a coincidence, but a string of them, when they link directly to something you prayed about … that’s a lot harder to explain away.

John 5:14 And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him. (NRSV)

Someone said to me recently that coincidences are the things that stop happening when you stop praying. God isn’t going to dance to our every whim and fancy. He is, after all, God. But like any great dad, He will pitch in and help and no job is too big or too small for Him.

When you pray, He hears you.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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