PLANNED AVOIDANCE AND DIVINE INTERVENTION
“’Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the messiah?’
So the people came streaming from the village to see him.”
John 4:29-30 (NLT)
In the fourth chapter of John we read about Jesus travelling through Samaria where he met a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. To us this may appear as a normal sequence of events, but upon further investigation, we gain a new perspective regarding this interaction. A typical Jew would never find himself in this situation. The Samaritans were so disliked that Jews and Samaritans structured their times of travel and work so as not to come into contact with one another. This prevented them from unintentional interaction, aka planned avoidance. But we see divine intervention.
Jesus pushed back the customary boundaries created by man. He revealed himself in a powerful way convincing this woman that He was the Christ, the Savior of the world. Through her testimony many thereafter believed on Christ.
When we find ourselves in a similar situation encountering hurting people typically unnoticed or under our radar, we need to ask God to use us. Look at the situation as an opportunity for God to display his glory.
A few years back the transmission went out on my car. Because it was so near Christmas, I knew the only way I could pay for a new transmission and give the family a decent Christmas was to get a second job. After the first day on the new job I came home and told my wife, “I know I am not at this job just to pay off the transmission.” God used that set of circumstances. He opened that door so I could minister. There, I was able to bring His love to those who sorely needed it.
Practical Application: Look for God in all situations. Some trials we go through serve kingdom purposes. Look for hurting people that only you can reach –those unnoticed. Allow God to use you and take every opportunity to give from the well of living water within you.
—Trevor MacMillan
I have been a witness to what you are saying. Often times, when we least suspect, Jesus will use us to be at the appointed place to come into contact with people we would never have known, and give us opportunity to be a bold witness. He not only puts us there using our circumstances, but He also gives us the words to say to let others see the light of Jesus in us. I pray today for opportunities to do just that.
Thank you Pat for your response!
Blessing to you, hope you are enjoying all the devotionals.
They are all on our website if you want to catch up, they were all written by folks in our church.