BIBLICAL BRIEFS 105
Certainly, circumstances are a rather subjective measure in which we can try to ascertain the voice of God. How does one distinguish whether what happens to you is necessarily God is trying to communicate something to you? Broadly defined, “circumstances” means the following: “Circumstances are events used by God to communicate concerning Him and His will.” Unbelievers will regard events as a mere coincidence, but believers will take note and realize: this was predestined! In the Word, you will find thousands of examples of circumstances God used to speak to people. The great quest to find the right wife for his son Isaac was very important to Abraham. In Gen. 24 it is explained in detail how Abraham taught his servant exactly what he is looking for. He performs all sorts of rituals (verse 2), making the match maker swear (verse 3), prescribing from which country and territory she ought to come, and then gained this prophetic insight into guided angel supervision: God will send an angel before you so that you do not make the wrong choice by chance (verse 7)! So where do you start with such an assignment (and do not accidentally step on the angel’s wing)? In verse 11, we read that the servant was tired and discouraged and made the camels kneel down by the well of water at evening time on the outskirts of a city. But then he does a strange thing – he prays and says: talk to me through circumstances. “Let me meet her today,” he prays in verse 12, and in verse 14, “let it happen”. And he asks God for a sign so that he will surely know if it is truly the one. Verse 15 then says: “Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah … came…” Lo and behold! And she is very beautiful and she is a virgin. Accidental? Verse 21 then beautifully states: “Meanwhile, the man was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the LORD had made his journey successful or not.” In verse 27 he realized, “as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way … ” Did he hear a loud voice directing the way? No. Has the woman been walking around with a halo? No. There were many coincidences, but the servant was always in counsel with God, and indeed: the will of God happens even in the apparent unlikely events. Indeed, it is like Prov.. 16: 9 spells it out: “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” Therefore Jeremiah confesses (in 10:23): “I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.” For the believer, nothing is coincidental. If you persevere in praying, He will guide your path(s) and the whole world will become a source of divine information. Be aware of how He can use anything to talk to you. A job offer, an advertisement, a cloud formation, a wandering sentence in a conversation, a car crash, an unexpected gift, an extraordinary conversation, something you pick up, a billboard next to the road, a registration number, a child who looks at you and says something completely out of order … then you realize and you are absolutely sure in your spirit that God has indicated direction unto you. Unite what you have heard with faith (Heb. 4: 2) and then walk in obedience. It is more important for God to be obedient than whether you have heard right. If you are called according to His purpose, He will make your obedience to work together for you for the good (Rom. 8:28).
Dr Tom Gouws
