Can you share specific evidence of God working in your life and "world?"

[Monna]

In many psalms and other parts of the Old Testament we are encouraged to remember the great deeds that God performed for the Jewish nation and in the lives of its founders (Abram, Isaac, and Jacob). Part of the New Covenant in Christ is that we participate together in the "Lord's Table," the "Last Supper" of whatever you wish to call it and do so "in remembrance of me (Jesus Christ)."

I have worked for 40+ years in the professional world of "projects" and seen a progressive sharpening or tightening of the principles for designing projects to increase their chance of "success." One of the latest things is the requirement to examine assumptions being made (implictly as well as explicitly) and to provide solid evidence that the approaches, methods, and tools being proposed have worked in similar sets of preconditions.

As followers of Christ we believe in a God who is active in the world at large, and in the lives of his people individually and collectively. And while it is relatively common that we encourage people to "give their testimony" this refers predominantly to their road to salvation, not to their spiritual growth thereafter. How do we know that He is active in our lives and world, and how do we know what specifically He is doing? Are we discouraged because He seems to be absent? Or are we simply unobservant, and missing a lot of things for which we should, in fact, be very thankful for? Is our lack of attention affecting our sense of gratitude, our sense of wonder, our understanding that He is indeed a major force in the world?

As a help "to encourage and help one another be His disciples," I wonder if any of you who read this thread can share:
1) specific evidence of God working in your own life and your world context;
2) any ways, routines, practices, you may use to help you be attentive to God's constant and active participation in your life. How can we be more conscious of God's on-going activity around us?

In the next post, I will try to give an example from my own life.

 

[Dave L]

As a young Christian, I made a career following the Sermon on the Mount. Especially Matthew 6:24-34 where Jesus tells us God will provide all that unbelievers train and spend their lives looking for, if we will seek first his kingdom and righteousness.

So instead of seeking a career, I made a career from Matthew 6:24-34. Long story short. I never missed a day's work from not having a job. I went from washing dishes part time @ minimum wage to retiring early, debt free out of my own pocket. A couple of serious recessions along the way with job closings. Not having a job on the last day, I went to work the following Mondays. Working better jobs from out of the blue each time. I have many individual examples of God's providence I might share too.

 

[drjean]

DAILY and OFTEN!
First, I do not believe in "coincidences".

A small example from yesterday (though a few things occurred through God's work). . . I am in the process of clearing out cleaning up my home getting it ready to sell. I have given away at least 9 / 10ths of everything so far, including ridding my home of leftover paint/cans from living here 19 years.

The other month I had had the assistant (I'm disabled and get help during the week) clean and repaint the screw heads on the screened patio, and that was done. However yesterday when I was outside I noticed some of them had not been painted completely and were trying to rust up. BUT upon looking around the garage one of the very small cans of paint I had not removed was the very "white white" paint I needed for touching up those screw heads!

Second, one needs to be aware, mindful, of God's work in his life.
This is a skill one must teach oneself ... and even still there will be things that occur in life that won't immediately be recognized as what some call "a God thing" but will hit 'cha later with OH WOW GOD THANK YOU!

Third, it's important to me to not only recognize a small blessing, miracle but to thank GOD immediately for it!
Another small case in point: I drive a 21 foot van with a slider door in case I need the wheel chair, but also for service dog and I to exit. I can't just park it any where (and often handicap accessible aren't van length and even then they put the SIGN denoting it in front of the curb marker and you cannot pull all the way in!) So when I go to a new place whether for doctor or shopping, I need God's help in finding a close by parking spot. God never fails... often He tells me to pull near a filled spot and wait..and within 30 seconds or so, the driver comes out of the facility and gets into that vehicle and opens the space for me. . THIS is God working in my life.

Fourth, remember anyone can notice the BIG miracles/blessings in a person's life. It takes focus and thankfulness, I think, to realize the little day to day protections God gives us. Case in point: I keep track of traffic for the route I'm taking that day, via radio. There have been many a day when no problems are noted and yet God tells me to hurry up and leave early or wait and don't go yet. Nearly every time I learn of a horrific accident or traffic back up (construction accident on route etc) that I would have been caught in or part of if I had left when I wanted to. If I was so involved in my own life, I doubt I would have noticed. I thank GOD for this protection and guidance!

Fifth, I expect God to guide me and provide these for me. I think expectation is key, looking for God's intervention not just when times are tough, but all the time. This helps me not worry (though I do at times like everyone does ) but to trust God---HE KNOWS where I'm at, what I'm going through, doing and HE will provide and even if I mess things up, HE IS FAITHFUL and HE WILL FIX IT FOR ME. (Yes if it's my mess up I still suffer some consequences for it at times.)

Yes, there will be those who think such is ridiculous and just daily living things that happen. Don't believe it.

 

[Monna]

God told Jeremiah "before you were conceived I knew you" and that He had a purpose for his life. Is it impossible that the same holds true for all of us?

We think often that we have "free will" and that we have innumerable options available to us. But our free will is actually rather limited in scope. Consider the fact that most if not all of the significant factors shaping us in our formative years (as infants and children) are/were not our choice.

I did not choose my parents, let alone their respective parents, or my family. As such I did not choose the social or economic status into which I was born. I did not choose my genetic makeup, my gender, the biological determinants of my basic personality, my IQ, my susceptibilities to various diseases, etc. I did not choose my place of birth, and therefore the socio-cultural context within which my values were shaped. I did not choose my education nor the schools I attended, my teachers or fellow students. More widely I had no choice in the wars that destroyed two of my homes, and left my family with virtually nothing. I could go on listing macro and micro circumstances over which I had no control.

Just therefore, I can begin to see God's hand in shaping my life's preconditions. Both of my sets of grandparents were godly people, who passed on their moral and spiritual values to their children, my parents, and who had a direct influence on my own life too. My father was moved to become a linguist in Africa, abandoning a relatively lucrative and sure career as a chemical engineer. He chose to go to Africa without any stable income, and my mother went with him, though both were commended to this endeavour by their church. Their calling meant living in small forest communities so that I was sent to boarding school at the age of six, an event that profoundly affected my life. The boarding school was also in a remote location, but it's educational standards were first class, with an amazing emphasis on learning the Scriptures and through them the Lord. My early life meant exposure to several cultures, languages, concepts and therewith gave me the foundations, opportunity and ability to understand the enormous value of diversity and richness of perspectives in viewing events and ideas. I was not more than an average student, and did not understand the enormity of events surrounding me. Naive is probably a good word to describe my perception of major movements occuring in Africa in the 1950s and '60s. This was, in retrospect, probably a very good thing (chosen by God), for it meant that I, a rather timid child, didn't fully grasp the dangers surrounding me and was not therefore in terror of events. I could relate specific ways in which I and my family were protected and sustained through two wars, and may later explain the positive effects the horrendous of that period have had in practical ways in my later life.

Again I could go on, and maybe will add evidence in later posts from later in life. But so far I can see the hand of God in my formative years - including the years before my conception - at least two generations back. I can now also see how God used many 'negative' events in my early life to contribute positively to my life. He has "been there" for me, from before my beginning, and throughout my "becoming." And I am profounding thankful for it.

 

[SkyWriting]

In many psalms and other parts of the Old Testament we are encouraged to remember the great deeds that God performed for the Jewish nation and in the lives of its founders (Abram, Isaac, and Jacob). Part of the New Covenant in Christ is that we participate together in the "Lord's Table," the "Last Supper" of whatever you wish to call it and do so "in remembrance of me (Jesus Christ)."

I have worked for 40+ years in the professional world of "projects" and seen a progressive sharpening or tightening of the principles for designing projects to increase their chance of "success." One of the latest things is the requirement to examine assumptions being made (implictly as well as explicitly) and to provide solid evidence that the approaches, methods, and tools being proposed have worked in similar sets of preconditions.

As followers of Christ we believe in a God who is active in the world at large, and in the lives of his people individually and collectively. And while it is relatively common that we encourage people to "give their testimony" this refers predominantly to their road to salvation, not to their spiritual growth thereafter. How do we know that He is active in our lives and world, and how do we know what specifically He is doing? Are we discouraged because He seems to be absent? Or are we simply unobservant, and missing a lot of things for which we should, in fact, be very thankful for? Is our lack of attention affecting our sense of gratitude, our sense of wonder, our understanding that He is indeed a major force in the world?

As a help "to encourage and help one another be His disciples," I wonder if any of you who read this thread can share:
1) specific evidence of God working in your own life and your world context;
2) any ways, routines, practices, you may use to help you be attentive to God's constant and active participation in your life. How can we be more conscious of God's on-going activity around us?

In the next post, I will try to give an example from my own life.

How to have every prayer answered,
by asking for the correct prayer.

https://www.christianforums.com/blogs/answered-prayer-steps-1-2-3.51955/

 

[Mountainmanbob]

As I sit here and think on a Sunday morning I realize that most of my prayers have been answered and I think the ones that haven't been -- probably for good reason -- which only God knows. Makes it all much easier knowing that God knows exactly what is best for me (us) and sees exactly where I'm (we are) at.

For the believer this is the closest they (we) will ever be to hell. For the non-believer this is the closest they will ever be to heaven.

Of most importance -- self-examination, repentance, and finishing the good race.

M-Bob

 

[mama2one]

DAILY and OFTEN!
Third, it's important to me to not only recognize a small blessing, miracle but to thank GOD immediately for it!
Fourth, remember anyone can notice the BIG miracles/blessings in a person's life. It takes focus and thankfulness, I think, to realize the little day to day protections God gives us.]

agree ^

being an introvert and 1/2 my life being quiet and shy was never one to pray/thank God out loud
but now being a parent, finding myself saying thank you prayers out loud more and more, when we're in the car or wherever we are because our child has been the biggest blessing in our life
And I want her to know,believe,and experience God daily, too

when we got the call from the adoption agency and her name was translated for us, one of her names meant "Blessing"

and she has been such a blessing
if a stranger says our child is lucky to have been adopted,
we say that WE are the blessed ones

God taught us patience through the long wait for her so we would be the best parents for her

we did not become parents in our 20's so we're "older" parents and I can say w/o a doubt we are better parents for our child because we are older
we would not have had the patience, knowledge, and faith in God that we have now, had we become parents in our 20's

in God's timing, not ours......

 

[dreadnought]

In many psalms and other parts of the Old Testament we are encouraged to remember the great deeds that God performed for the Jewish nation and in the lives of its founders (Abram, Isaac, and Jacob). Part of the New Covenant in Christ is that we participate together in the "Lord's Table," the "Last Supper" of whatever you wish to call it and do so "in remembrance of me (Jesus Christ)."

I have worked for 40+ years in the professional world of "projects" and seen a progressive sharpening or tightening of the principles for designing projects to increase their chance of "success." One of the latest things is the requirement to examine assumptions being made (implictly as well as explicitly) and to provide solid evidence that the approaches, methods, and tools being proposed have worked in similar sets of preconditions.

As followers of Christ we believe in a God who is active in the world at large, and in the lives of his people individually and collectively. And while it is relatively common that we encourage people to "give their testimony" this refers predominantly to their road to salvation, not to their spiritual growth thereafter. How do we know that He is active in our lives and world, and how do we know what specifically He is doing? Are we discouraged because He seems to be absent? Or are we simply unobservant, and missing a lot of things for which we should, in fact, be very thankful for? Is our lack of attention affecting our sense of gratitude, our sense of wonder, our understanding that He is indeed a major force in the world?

As a help "to encourage and help one another be His disciples," I wonder if any of you who read this thread can share:
1) specific evidence of God working in your own life and your world context;
2) any ways, routines, practices, you may use to help you be attentive to God's constant and active participation in your life. How can we be more conscious of God's on-going activity around us?

In the next post, I will try to give an example from my own life.

The Lord solves all my problems for me. He'd solve all the world's problems, also, if they'd listen to him.

 

[Humble me Lord]

I probably could write 3 pages of all that God has done for me in my lifetime.
After watching my dad die in front of me at the age of 11, my life was chaos. My mother was not a Godly woman and mental illness ran in her family.
In my late teens, out of the blue a neighborhood woman I didn't know knocked on the door and after a short conversation, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior, and I actually felt the Holy Spirit flow into me, it almost knocked me to the ground. But I did not know where to go from there.
So my sister and I had basically raised ourselves and I went out into the world on my own, not having anyone to guide me, I fell into the worldly pattern of living. Sure, I knew God was real and I attended church occasionally, but was living my life my way, for my own needs. The scales over my eyes were still blinding me.
After many years of struggle and strife, a failed 9 year marriage, with only the shirt on my back and a junk car, I pulled over into a parking lot off the highway and I just sat there, going over all the failures in my life. I cried out to God and finally admitted that I could no longer live my life my way and humbled myself, balling like a baby and admitting all the sins I had committed against Him.
I made a commitment to God that I would live my life His way, though it didn't happen instantly.
Within two weeks He put the woman who was to be instrumental in transforming me into a Godly husband and father into my life, my precious wife.
We both had nothing when we started out, and through our love of God, putting Him first in our marriage, tithing when we had nothing and tithing when we had plenty, we now live in a beautiful land and have no mortgage.
We are now in a position to help others and further His Kingdom, only through His amazing mercy and grace, our God is an awesome God, indeed!

 

[A_Thinker]

I can testify to much that has already been said ... God seemingly steered me into a fulfilling career which lasted for 36 years ... and allowed me to support myself and family, and provide for retirement.

Additionally, I was guided to meet the love of my life ... and to be used in a variety of christian ministries.

Spme particular events which seemed to be the providence of God ...

* I was out to pickup newspapers for my motor route at the beginning of the 1978 Midwest blizzard, ... and got back home to park the car in front of the house ... where it died ... and didn't restart for days as the snow piled up.

* I was getting some car work done, ... and realized, when I went to pay, that I had left the funds to pay for the car repairs at home. Right before confessing my blunder to the shop, ... a voice said ... "see if you have enough on you anyway". Hesitantly, I proceeded to count my loose bills and change ... and found that I had enough to pay for the repairs ... with only a few pennies left over.

* I had spent the day registering for my first semester in college ... and finally had come to the point where I would pay for my selected coursework. I reached for my hard-earned college funds ... and wouldn't you know it ... I had left the money at home (this is a recurring theme, I'm afraid).

To go home, get the money, and repeat the registration process would take hours ... and I would likely lose access to some of the classes I had selected. Before giving up and stepping out of the payment line, a voice said ... "see if you have enough on you to pay". Despite the need for several hundred dollars, I was persuaded to give it a shot. Once again, unbelievably, I had enough to pay, down to a few cents left over.

* I attended the University of Illinois for my graduate degree. While I was there, I noticed that there were a number of openings/opportunities for participation in various school/other choirs.

Despite my degree being more career oriented (engineering), I had attended a few choral music performances and had become highly motivated to participate in similar musical endeavors. I decided that I would check out the local college scene upon return to my hometown to see if I could find similar opportunities. I was particularly interested in doing some choral singing for the upcoming Christmas season.

Upon my return home, I looked all over for such an opportunity, only to come up with nothing. The Christmas season came and went ... with no results. So I gave up looking. However, a month or so later, I happened to see a call for tryouts for the local symphonic choir in my local paper. I tried out, was accepted, ... and sang with the group for the next (12) years, ... including as many Christmas seasons.

 

[Dave L]

I have many examples of God's providence. This is my testimony of how as a young Christian, God delivered me from one of the deadliest cults in America. This is from the Testimonies section of this board. Please click this link.

 

[Monna]

As a discipline for awareness of God's active presence in your life, Fancis Xavier's Examen, applied daily can be a model on which to build a routine that is specific to you and your experiences.

It's most simple or basic form is:

The Daily Examen
1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.​

as presented at http://www.stxchurch.org/Ignatian-Prayers.

A deeper presentation, with some additional links, is given at https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen/how-can-i-pray.

Many of us have jobs that we experience as "draining." This connects in part to a feeling that we are constantly being called upon to give, to give, to give. In other words that we start the day as a "full bowl" and feel emptied by the end of it.

Start by letting it sink in very very deep that we are recipients, not original givers. Every single thing we have and are has been given to us by God. Then we can approach each day as if it/we are an empty bowl, that God fills successively with a wide variety of his blessings, until by evening it/we are full to overflowing. Perhaps if we can look back on each day (or do it even in lunch break) at the many specific ways God has contributed to our life, we can be increasingly thankful to Him, and make ourselves more open to not only receiving His gifts with joy, but becoming a channel for them to flow on to others.

 

[Monna]

Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this thread so far. It is terrific to read of answered prayers, of God providence, of the things God has done for you. I find this very encouraging.

My mother used to tell us "God has far more to do to you and in you than He has to do for you and through you." Of course these two categories are not totally independent of each other. Many things can happen in us as we allow God to work through us. For example, if we see love as an "action verb" rather than an emotion or feeling, and actually start consistently performing acts of loving kindness to our "enemies" i.e. those we really don't like, one of the most likely effects will be that we in fact begin to like them, and we find a transformation has occured in our own hearts and lives.

I wonder if anyone has specific stories to tell of how God is active in transforming you, beyond the many things He continues to do for you in answer to prayers on "practical" problems?

 

[Dave L]

Thanks to all of you who have contributed to this thread so far. It is terrific to read of answered prayers, of God providence, of the things God has done for you. I find this very encouraging.

My mother used to tell us "God has far more to do to you and in you than He has to do for you and through you." Of course these two categories are not totally independent of each other. Many things can happen in us as we allow God to work through us. For example, if we see love as an "action verb" rather than an emotion or feeling, and actually start consistently performing acts of loving kindness to our "enemies" i.e. those we really don't like, one of the most likely effects will be that we in fact begin to like them, and we find a transformation has occured in our own hearts and lives.

I wonder if anyone has specific stories to tell of how God is active in transforming you, beyond the many things He continues to do for you in answer to prayers on "practical" problems?

Speaking of God transforming us, this is how I came to faith in Christ.

When I was 20, the Lord converted me over a period of 3 days. I began telling people that I didn't know what was going on but I think Christ is real and he is dealing with me.

The joy of the Holy Spirit and God's love had become real and I was thrilled. I knew I had something precious and didn’t want it to stop, but feared that it might. On the evening of the 3rd day my happiness turned to remorse. God convicted me of sins I didn't even know existed. I began praying, sobbing and asking God's forgiveness.

I also asked Jesus into my heart. I heard you are supposed to do this, probably as a child in Sunday school. I fell asleep in tears only to wake up the next day absolutely convinced Christ had saved me.

I had never been so excited about anything. I began telling friends and others. I saw a whole string of conversions in and around people I knew. They wanted in on it too. So we began experimenting with going to different churches. None of us knew the first thing about religion. Only that Christ saved us.

Within a year I found a Church to Baptize me. I gave up my career as a musician since robbed my joy being unequally yoked with unbelievers. I began living the Sermon on the Mount as my new career, seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. As I shared earlier in post #2 in this thread.

 

[Monna]

Thank you Dave!

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Being on christian forums has given me more specific evidence of God in my life than any other. Many, many times I've relied on Him to supply answers to questions I've had that constantly come up. Because of that, confidence in Him has grown in leaps and bounds. I can't count the number of times I've gone blindly into something (knowing it to be true because it's been shown to me but not having a clue how to prove it) saying "God I'm counting on You for this" and He's come thru every time. I've had to do the legwork but it's taught me to reach out in faith. I was thinking about this the other day and if it weren't for that I probably wouldn't have half the faith as now. God bless CF

 

[Monna]

For most of my life it has been pounded into my brain that a believer in Jesus Christ should do good works. We are not saved by doing good works, but we are redeemed in order to do good works. It always seemed as clear as mud in the sense that the good works would basically mean keeping the "10" commandments, plus the other specific instruction contained in "Pure religion is this - to visit orphans and widows in their distress." Of course, underpinned by "love one another; love your neighbour as yourself, do everything with thanks, do everything as if you're doing it for God himself" You get the idea. All of this meant, of course, the need for my transformation into the likeness (even the fullness) of Christ.

So re-reading Ephesians 2:10 especially in several different versions came as an eye-opener:

NCV
God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.
NET
For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.
NIRV
We are God’s creation. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good works. Long ago God prepared these works for us to do.
NIV
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
NIVUK
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.​

These translations of the Scripture imply that not only will God prepare me, He has also already prepared specific "good works" for me to do. In a broader more encompassing sense, He has already prepared a specific "life style" of doing good works appropriate for me! Wow!

This puts the onus on me to pray constantly for powers of observation (listening, seeing, understanding) in order to know what those particular good works are. Following through on them day after day will lead inevitably to the broad lifestyle he wants me to live (along with developing the experience and character appropriate to it). It means waiting in anticipation but with great self-discipline, for HIS go-ahead for each one. If I try to second guess Him, my good deed will fail - I can do nothing on my own, anything is possible with Him.

This understanding has since been backed up with other scriptures: when God sends someone to do something, He has already prepared the "other end." He sent Elijah to a foreign city and to an unknown widow woman - but He had already prepared her to be receptive to his coming. God moved Moses' mother to put the baby in a basket and float it in the river; but He also moved Pharoah's daughter to take a stroll along just that stretch of the river, to be curious about the strange basket, then to be moved with compassion when Moses woke up crying. He also prepared Pharoah's daughter to respond favourably to Miriam's suggestion to find a Hebrew "wet nurse." God sent Philip to the highway to Ethiopia, but He had already worked in the Ethiopian eunuch's life and heart and reading material.

It is slowly dawning on my thick skull that I do not need to worry about being able to accomplish what I am given to do; I do not need to be afraid of the consequences, because everything has been prepared. He is so far ahead of the game! I do not need to rely on my own strength or wisdom so long as I keep my spiritual headphones on and follow His prompting.

This is the kind of thing that is happening in my life. Praise the Lord!