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Discussion Forum : General Topics : Coincidence in the life of the Christian

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Joshh
Member



Joined: 2008/8/26
Posts: 62


 Coincidence in the life of the Christian

How do you personally tell the difference between providence and coincidence in your life? Do you think coincidence plays a role in the life of a Christian?

 2008/11/19 3:15Profile
MattC
Member



Joined: 2008/10/11
Posts: 28
Cali.

 Re: Coincidence in the life of the Christian

hm.

 2008/11/19 6:05Profile









 Re: Coincidence in the life of the Christian

I think coincidence can play a part. For example... I coach football and this year we lost to a team in the exact same way we lost to them last year. Same score, same amount of time on the clock, same field position. It was wierd. But did God have a hand in that? I doubt it, I just think thats the way it happened. Nothing spiritual.

It's a coincidence that my wife and my mom share the same birthday.

At the same time too many people attribute coincidence to things that God is actually doing. Usually we can only see this with hindsight. We get several years down the road and look back and can see where God was really directing our paths.

Does that make sense? Christians have the propensity to over analyze things. Some believe every thing that goes wrong in their life is a satanic attack... even when the thing that went wrong is a result of stupid decisions and disobedience to God. Some think that God preordained before the beginning of time that you would pick out Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream at the store last week.

How about many things God does direct, and yes, preordain... and many things are just life happening around us? Thats works for me.

And at the same time, God is in control of it all. Thats the mystery.

Krispy

 2008/11/19 7:49
sojourner7
Member



Joined: 2007/6/27
Posts: 1573
Omaha, NE

 Re: Coincidence in the life of the Christian

Providence is the Old English term for grace.
Where you can see God's hand in guiding and
leading, where you can know God's purpose in
doing His work, that's providence!!

Coincidence is what happens to us while we live.
Some are strange, some are wonderful, but they
are just coincidences.


_________________
Martin G. Smith

 2008/11/19 9:44Profile
JoanM
Member



Joined: 2008/4/7
Posts: 797


 Re: Providence/Co-incidence

Stray thoughts that run around brains that have yet to taste coffee in the morning:

The difference between Providence and Co-incidence is the strength of the prescription in your eyeglasses. Or, is one man’s Providence another man’s co-incidence? The difference between Providence and Co-incidence is your contact with reality.

Co-incidence, you mean like Gravity?
That one out of a bazillion sperm fertilized the egg that resulted in Krispy’s birth?
The Lewis Revival?
The 2008 election results?

So like God created, took His hands off, except every once in a while (“my people”, “answered prayer”, etc.)?

How much control over your own life do insist you have, think you have, want to have? What is the biblical meaning of slavery? How many co-incidences occurred in the life of Jesus, the life of Paul?

What would Cranmer say? What would Simpson say? Ah, and God, what would He say? What has He said?

(I mean after saying my child is grumpy today? Sorry guys.)
:-)

 2008/11/19 11:10Profile









 Re:

Quote:
That one out of a bazillion sperm fertilized the egg that resulted in Krispy’s birth?



... all we are is dust in the wind.

Krispy

 2008/11/19 13:51
ginnyrose
Member



Joined: 2004/7/7
Posts: 7534
Mississippi

 Re: Coincidence in the life of the Christian

Joshh,

I have been thinking a lot about your question since reading your post a couple days ago. You are asking an interesting question: how can one discern between coincidence and providence?

There are some happenings in life that are very odd and the probability for it to happen is very slim. Consider: my husband's name is Rollin Dean. We named a son after him, making him a junior. Get it? Ok, less then a year later my sister marries a Roland Dean. Now, what are the probabilities of that EVER happening with an unusual name like that? I still call it coincidence, albeit a very interesting one. (I told my remaining sister that she cannot get married unless she finds a fellow by this name but she declared there are none left! LOL)

Now, in ones walk with the LORD interesting things happen as well. When we are asking Him for direction, guidance, insight, or whatever and something very unusual happens, I would call it Providence. What do you think of this? Last week the song "Be Silent, Be Silent"
(http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/r/treadsof.htm) was scrolling through my mind - had not thought of this hymn for a long time. And it has come back to minister to me in many ways....here is what happened:

1. We had meetings scheduled for months for pastors from out-of-state to come help our church in selecting additional leadership on this weekend - Nov. 21-23.
2. A lady from a neighboring church dies and the funeral events are scheduled for Friday and Sat. Nov. 21-22. And this would involve our brotherhood as well.
3. My husband's favorite uncle from FL dies and his funeral is on Friday - Nov. 21. He leaves to attend it, leaving me here to take care of things (and make sure the waste oil furnaces work properly in the GHs!!!) and to be his rep at church.

Now do you think I need to be quiet and listen and know that God it in the middle of all of this? You better believe it - when I think about all this I feel very overwhelmed, frustrated and anger wants to rear its ungodly hear! But if God is in all this he will give grace to deal with it.


What all does this song say?

Be silent, be silent,
A whisper is heard,
Be silent, and listen,
O treasure each word!

Refrain

Tread softly, tread softly,
The Master is here,
Tread softly, tread softly,
He bids us draw near.

Be silent, be silent,
For holy this place,
This altar that echoes
The message of grace.

Refrain

Be silent, be silent,
Breathe humbly our prayer,
A foretaste of Eden
This moment we share.

Refrain

Be silent, be silent,
His mercy record,
Be silent, be silent
And wait on the Lord.

Refrain

Brother, how on earth can we live without the assurance that God is control working to show himself above our circumstances?

I know what I wrote deals with opinions, cannot be substantiated by Scripture, however, is this not what one can reasonably expect when you live where the rubber meets the road?

Blessings,
ginnyrose


_________________
Sandra Miller

 2008/11/20 9:37Profile
savannah
Member



Joined: 2008/10/30
Posts: 2265


 Re: Provide the Evidence

"Accident, and chance, and fortune,[and co-incidence] are words which we often hear mentioned, and much is ascribed to them in the life of man. But they are words without meaning; or, as far as they have any signification, they are no other than names for the unknown operations of Providence; for it is certain that in God's universe nothing comes to pass causelessly, or in vain. Every event has its own determined direction. That chaos of human affairs and intrigues where we can see no light, that mass of disorder and confusion which they often present to our view, is all clearness and order in the sight of Him who is governing and directing all, and bringing forward every event in its due time and place. The Lord sitteth on the flood. The Lord maketh the wrath of man to praise him, as he maketh the hail and the rain obey his word. He hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps." (Theological Dictionary)

Every event in the lives of humankind(both believers and unbelievers)is due to God's eternal purpose, all of which is to be revealed in Jesus Christ.

If my name is Pam and my husbands' Sam, what more than the fact that the names rhyme is there to be noted in that. None.

What's to be noted is who they are and where they came from and all the events in each of their lives which led to the marriage between them.

Such is what has to do with God's eternal purpose. Which Providence is the stump which emerges from the root of His eternal purpose.

The big or seemingly small events in our lives are the branches which make our particular tree.

Praise be to God for revealing such comforting truth to His people!

Ecc 3:1-15 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
What profit hath he that worketh in that in which he laboreth?
I have seen the labor, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
He hath made every thing beautiful in its time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.
I know that, whatever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be added to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

 2008/11/20 11:39Profile
White_Stone
Member



Joined: 2008/10/25
Posts: 1196
North Central Florida

 JoanM, ginnyrose, savannah - excellent posts, I agree 100%

Amos 4:7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and [b]I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.[/b] 8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmer-worm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the LORD. 12 Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 13 For, [b]lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought[/b], that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

He does it all, [b]nothing[/b] happens by chance. If the car is difficult to start on a cold morning, Praise the Lord, it is for your good. If the Doctor's office calls with dire news, Praise the Lord, it is for your good.

Romans 8:28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

I makes me very happy to see you understand as I do. Most times in this world, I feel like such an outsider.

Kind regards,

white stone a/k/a Janice


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Janice

 2008/11/20 13:27Profile





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