So often, we hear of people saying, "We are so lucky" Someone has defined “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” To me, luck is defined as "When preparation meets divine arrangement!"
I remember many years ago when I was teaching in Singapore. All of a sudden, I felt an urge to send second sister some money. Not much, but then my salary as a teacher at that time was also not high. I decided to send Sis $115/-. $100/- for her and $15/- for my Second Uncle, the only surviving brother of Dad's. I am one of those impatient people who detest lining up at banks and post offices! Through the years, I have mellowed, as now I will read whenever I am stuck in long queues.
A few days' later, Sis called me and sounded quite emotional. She had lost her purse which she had momentarily placed on her desk in the kindergarten where she was teaching. She was upset and panic stricken because that was her last $30/- which would be the marketing allowance for food for the family for the last few days of the month. (My brother-in-law was then a pastor of a church in Penang and his income was just sufficient for the family. Thank God, now the family is better off). Sis refused to allow worry to overcome her, and prayed that whoever had stolen her purse be blessed. If the person had to resort to stealing, it implied he must be very desperate. When Sis returned home, she was surprised to receive my bank draft for $110/-! She had received three times what she had lost! I was thrilled to be the instrument used by God to bless my Sis.
My friend, Freddy Kang, sent me this email which also shows that God often sent angels in the form of people to help us in our moments of despair and desperation. For those of who declare, "Where's God? If I can see Him, I will believe!" No, you can't see God but you can see Him through His love and blessings, carried out by people around you, as the following story will illustrate.
ON THE ROAD
It was a warm Saturday morning in Montpelier, Idaho. I had worked all week
and was thinking about passing on my much-needed yard work for a day of
fishing.
I'd never been to this particular reservoir before, but had always thought
about going there. Some of my customers at the feed store had told me how
to get there, but it wasn't what most people would consider an easy trip.
Working around the yard that morning, it wasn't until 2 p.m. that I finally
convinced myself I needed to stop and head for the reservoir. I called my
brother-in-law, Ron, and invited him to join me. I didn't bother to tell
him our destination until I picked him up. He agreed to my unexpected
offer, so I threw my equipment into my old blue Jeep and headed over to
Ron's place.
“It's way too late to try to find it,” he said when I finally announced
where we were headed. But he still went along anyway.
Driving without benefit of a map or exact directions, we drove down the
highway until we came to a dirt road, where I turned off. After another
ten miles, we finally came to a fork in the road. I simply turned without
any hesitation.
“How'd you know which way to turn?” Ron asked.
“I'm not sure,” I replied.
That probably reinforced Ron's reluctance, as he kept insisting it was
getting way too late to even try to get some fishing in. Another five miles
passed, another fork in the road came, and yet another unhesitating turn
didn't help Ron's confidence in me. He was convinced we were going to get
lost.
Finally, at sunset, we crested a small hill and were greeted by the sight
of a beautiful reservoir. With the exception of one little, topless Jeep
parked near the water, there was no one else around for miles. We would
have the entire lake to ourselves.
When we approached the other Jeep, a young man happily greeted us. He was
there with his wife and their newborn baby, and their car battery was dead.
They had no matches to build a fire, no coats, and there was only one thin
blanket for the baby. He had been very worried, knowing that his wife and
baby wouldn't make it through the night if he had walked out the many miles
for help. And since it was getting dark, he might even have gotten lost.
The young man told us he had just had the Jeep overhauled and was out with
his family for the day. After the battery died, he had decided to stay with
his family and simply hope someone would come along.
Ron and I got out our battery cables and gave his Jeep a jump-start. He
profusely thanked us, and they left for home.
As we watched them drive off, Ron turned to me. “You still want to fish?”
“No” was all I said. We got back in our own Jeep and followed them out to
make sure they got home safely.
That was over thirty years ago. I have never returned to that reservoir,
and I am not even sure if it's still there. But there is one thing I am
sure about: the Lord answered a father's prayers through my love for fishing.
By Doyle Portela
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