Douglas Corrigan, a pilot in New York, had applied to fly from there to Dublin, Ireland in the mid-1930s, only to be turned down because his plane was in poor condition and he didn't have the necessary experience. He applied again, and was again denied. So, he applied for a flight to California instead. The story goes, onlookers were surprised as he headed east instead of west. As he dropped below the clouds again, he was, he says, shocked to find himself above the ocean. Miraculously, he ended up in Dublin -- right where he'd wanted to fly in the first place. Upon his return, his pilot's license was revoked, but he was thrown a ticker tape parade in New York City and welcomed back a hero.
If the ancient nation of Israel is famous for anything (I mean, besides being specifically chosen by God to carry out His will for mankind), it's for consistently going the wrong direction. Yet, in spite of their constant disobedience to God, and in spite of wandering homeless in the wilderness for 40 years, they eventually wound up right where God wanted them.
Samson, a Judge of Israel and set apart as a Nazirite, also messed up constantly, finally even allowing himself to be so defiled as to lose the strength given to him by God. Yet this mistake put him in a position to destroy many of Israel's enemies, the Philistines.
King David allowed lust to control his actions, committed first adultery, and then murder. But the woman whose hand he won in these misdeeds, Bathsheba, would mother the direct line of Jesus Christ.
God has a place for each of us. A plan for our lives. We mess it up, inserting our own frail ideas, and may well find ourselves off-course. Circumstances may arise to make us believe we'll never fulfill God's plan. But through His strength -- and not our own -- He will ultimately bring us exactly where He wants us to be. Even if we have to wander around 40 years to get there.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:28-29)
I got really sick a few years ago, lost a lot of weight. The whole time I was hurting and the act of eating threw me into immense pain. I kept wondering why. A year later, my best friend disappeared, and again I wondered why. Then she turned back up, with amnesia, and I was the only person she remembered at first. And because I had gotten sick and lost weight, I looked exactly the same as I did when we were very young (the period she was remembering). She said I was the only person who "looked right." Her parents and siblings had aged past where her mind was, but I "hadn't." It was a huge, huge touchstone in her recovery. If I hadn't been sick, who knows what would have happened. If her mind hadn't "rebooted," she would not be so strong today. God has a reason.
ReplyDelete