Right Place at the Right Time

 ^"I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time." (Ecclesiastes 9:11, NLT)

I read Ecclesiastes 9 this morning and this verse jumped off the page. I had several verses around it highlighted, but today this is the one the Holy Spirit chose to show me. It resonated with my heart today.

When I read this, the verses that came to mind immediately was Psalm 37:23-24 that says, "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. ²⁴ Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." This Psalm was written by David, the father of Solomon who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes.

I began to ponder on these two scriptures. Both King David and King Solomon were successful. David was in the right place at the right time when God chose him to be the next King of Israel. Solomon, was the second son born to King David through one of David's most remembered sins, adultery and murder, and of all of David's sons, he was the one chosen to become king after David. He was born in the right place at the right time. What does this say about God? It says that He does work all things together for good...(Romans 8:28).

The scripture doesn't say much about this father/son relationship, but Solomon must have observed his father and his ways. David had a heart after God and didn't focus on his position or wealth. What gives this away is that when God came to Solomon and asked him what he wanted, he asked for wisdom and not riches.

King Solomon ended up with all of it. Not only did he have wisdom, he had wealth. But this verse in Ecclesiastes shows us that he recognized that life is in the hands of God and where you end up truly has to do with how much you are listening to the voice of God. We see that later in King Solomon's life, he stopped listening to God and ended up losing his way.

I don't know where you are today. Maybe you like me are wondering, "how did I get here?" It may not be where you thought you'd be. Or maybe you are living a life more that what you thought you would have. Wherever you find yourself at this moment, lost, it's not to late to invite Him to join you now. On the other hand, if you've allowed God into your journey, then you are where you are "for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14) 

Keep listening for Him to tell you when to take the next step. If you do, you will end up in the right place at the right time.

Enough IS Enough

 

The first photo was taken April 27, 2016, 8 years ago. The second photo is of this same plumeria, today, April 27, 2024. I will explain in a bit the third photo.

In 2017-18, we transplanted our plumeria from the front yard to the backyard, in the corner behind the waterfall. It has grown into an incredibly large tree.

 Yesterday, I commented on a post of someone unrelated to me. She’s not even following me. This morning I was notified that 92 people liked my comment.

I believe the Lord used these two illustrations to confirm the comment that I posted. Our world often says being up front is success. But in the Kingdom of God, more growth happens in the back corners. 

 

 Many times I share the things God is teaching me and maybe I find the “like” button an encouragement because I am a “words of affirmation” person, but I may only have a few people respond. Yesterday I commented on something the Holy Spirit revealed to me and got 92 responses from people I’m not connected to. I realized that maybe what I share isn’t being shared in the right places. The question I need to ask is am I sharing with the right people? Yes, we have seasons of dormancy, like where this plumeria is now. But when it comes into a full bloom, it’s the first thing you notice in the yard, even though it is tucked away in the corner. 

 

The Apostle Paul says “We can be confident that He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it.” (Philippians 1:6) You don’t have to strive for “more” or “success” because if God is in it, He will grow it. I have often felt that because what God has placed in my hands to do hasn’t become “more” or “successful” by the world and to some degree the Church’s standards, I feel like what I do has no value or validity. 

 

Several months ago when a situation happened that looked as though things were coming to an end and as God always does, came through at the right time. I was asked by a friend what have I learned through all of these lessons in my life. And what came up from the depths of my soul was, "Enought IS Enough!" I don't need to be more, do more, or have more. What God gives us for the day, the week, or even the hour is all that we need. 

 

As I closed the comment yesterday, enough IS enough if you choose to invite God into the process. He is more than enough. When we do, it doesn’t matter if you don’t look successful, God sees you as a success! And that’s really all that matters!

What a Blue Bird Showed Me About God

The other day Jordanne noticed a blue bird on the fountain on our patio. She sent me a video of it drinking the water. As I watched the video, the passage in Luke 12 when Jesus is talking about not worrying about what to eat, drink, or wear because if God takes care of the ravens and the lilies, He will take care of us, came to mind.

I woke up this morning to the sound of unexpected rain. As I lie in my bed all snuggled up and warm, this photo came to mind. Thinking about it and what it spoke to me spiritually. It says so much about God and His Kingdom. It was my fountain on the patio that this beautiful bird discovered to quench his thirst. But the key here is that I didn't fill it up with water. It was water from the rains we had a few day before. God had provided the water that filled this fountain because He knew that this bird would be needing a drink at that very moment. We were blessed by the seeing the blue bird because are not very common around here. It is a reflection of the beauty in God's creation because this bird is beautifully dressed.

 

This speaks a lot to the way God works in our lives. As a follower of Jesus we should be like this fountain, always filled with a fresh rain of God's Holy Spirit, ready to provide for the moment when we encounter one who is thirsty that they may drink from the Living Water that flows from us (John 7:38). 

 

But as I read these words of Jesus, the Holy Spirit showed me this passage from another perspective. Jesus says, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. 32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom." (Luke 12:31-32, NLT) I realized that the Kingdom is Jesus! In Luke 17:21, Jesus is having a conversation with the religious leaders and he tells them "the Kingdom of God is in your midst." He was speaking of himself.

 

When we seek the Kingdom of God, in return, God gives us His one and only son (John 3:16), His best, who is Jesus. You see Jesus is the "Bread of Life" and the "Living Water." He says "whoever comes to him will never go hungry and will never be thirsty" (John 6:35). It is Jesus who clothes us in His righteousness so we are seen by God without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) and can stand boldly before the throne of grace (Hebrews 7:25). 

 

You may be in a place where you are feeling fearful, worried, or completely famished in your soul. I pray this post will be to you like the surprise rain we had this morning. It was unexpected, yet it provided water for the plants and animals that depend on God for their needs. It reminded me that it's God's desire to reign in our lives and refresh our souls daily. I encourage you today to seek God's Kingdom, Jesus! You will be pleasantly surprised at how He will provide "everything you need." (Luke 12:32)