I often say “coincidences” are coordinated incidences initiated by our sovereign God. I have seen this confirmed time and again in my own life. More importantly, I see it confirmed by the account of scripture. These are not simply “card-tricks-by-God” to demo His capabilities, control, or handiwork. This has to do with the glorious and critical nature of Kingdom-planning, Kingdom-timing and Kingdom-progression.
Solomon told us there’s a time for every purpose under heaven (Ecc. 3) and then proceeded to cite a laundry-list of weighty polar-opposites (speech and silence, war and peace, birth and death, etc.) to drive this point home: in order for us to be effective for God we must be in His purposes, in His timing, in the Spirit. Confirming this, Paul speaks of being in the Spirit so that we might redeem the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-18
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
Do you see a theme here?
Understanding what the will of the Lord may be for a particular situation transcends simply recognizing holy vs. unholy. It should mature to a wisdom of timing-anointing. A “holy” or “kosher” decision or action may still not be the will of the Lord, when it is out of time. We want to get this right. I’ve spoken and written about this many times, yet I feel the imminent conclusion of this age warrants yet another mention. A great biblical example (bible examples incite and ignite faith) is the account in Genesis 24. Remember: we’re looking way-early into the birthing of the people of covenant. Elderly-Abraham and elderly-Sarah finally/miraculously receive Isaac, their son of promise (albeit after the messy situation of Ishmael), and now Isaac needed an appropriate wife for the bloodline of covenant promise to proliferate.
Genesis 24:1-52
1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
2 So Abraham said to the oldest (“old” connoting age and experience and earned trust) servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh (you can search this site to read about “under thigh” promises and vows. Hint: “testimony”),
3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;
4 but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
LONG NOTE: Gen 15:1-2, in mentioning Eliezer as the head servant of Abraham’s household, lends credence to the theory that the same Eliezer from Damascus was indeed the servant mentioned in chapter 24. Abraham (in 15:1-2) had presumed Eliezer would be the logical heir to his life, to his fortune and even to his God-promise, since Abraham at that time was childless. Eliezer surely saw the miracle of Isaac’s birth and surely recognized that that divine event had precluded his own potential inheritance, and yet Eliezer remained a trustworthy servant, and therefore a blessed man.
5 And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?”
6 But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there.
7 The Lord God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my family, and who spoke to me and swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.
8 And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath; only do not take my son back there.”
9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter.
10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
11 And he made his camels kneel down outside the city by a well of water at evening time, the time when women go out to draw water.
Although in the next verse Eliezer of Damascus honors his master Abraham by referring to God as his master’s God, it is obvious the Syrian had his own established relationship with the Lord.
12 Then he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
13 Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
14 Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
15 And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.
16 Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up.
17 And the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”
18 So she said, “Drink, my lord.” Then she quickly let her pitcher down to her hand, and gave him a drink.
19 And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking.”
(Bingo! She responds perfectly)
20 Then she quickly emptied her pitcher into the trough, ran back to the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.
(Wise Eliezer still says nothing proclamatory).
21 And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
(Apparently the lengthy camel-drinking event was sufficient time for Eliezer to process the amazing coincidence)
22 So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold,
23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Tell me, please, is there room in your father’s house for us to lodge?”
24 So she said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, Milcah’s son, whom she bore to Nahor.”
Amazing! Rebekah was of the younger generation – not Isaac’s generation. Rebekah was the daughter of Bethuel, not Nahor. Bethuel was Isaac’s first cousin. This was not about scripture affirming cradle-robbing – in this case so Isaac could marry a young babe. This was about Isaac having been born so late in Abraham’s life that effectively Isaac was closer to Rebekah’s age than Rebekah’s dad’s age. How perfect is God’s provision? How perfect is God’s timing?
25 Moreover she said to him, “We have both straw and feed enough, and room to lodge.”
Skip to v35 – Rebekah’s brother Laban is on the scene and hears the well story. Eliezer and his men and camels are greeted into the dwelling of Nahor.
(Eliezer takes the time to recount the critical back-story)
35 The Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
36 And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has.
37 Now my master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell;
38 but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’
39 And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
40 But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house.
41 You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’
42 “And this day I came to the well and said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go,
43 behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,”
44 and she says to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,”—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
45 “But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’
46 And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.’ So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also.
47 Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
48 And I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.
49 Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, “The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. 51 Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the Lord has spoken.”
52 And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that he worshiped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth.
How great is our God?
And how great a mess a begrudging prayerless servant, or a convenient but wrong Canaanite wife, or the wrong well, or, or, or, or, could have been – but instead, by His grace, and with the faithful participation of virtually all parties involved, this story turns out gloriously.
OUR TAKEAWAY: God can, and indeed desires to, coordinate all the incidences of our lives. Co-ordinated incidences are truly PLAN A, and I humbly contend the closer we advance to the conclusion of this age, the more of these incidences we ought to be looking for, praying in, and walking in. This is the season for the revelation of the sons of God. The creation groans, and it’s not groaning as it awaits the revelation of more dead religion, it is groaning as it awaits the revealing of the Spirit-led, divinely anointed sons and daughters of the soon and coming King. That would be us. Will you receive that?
We’ve been born for such a time as this – to be in the Spirit, understanding His will, redeeming the time, doing great exploits.
Ephesians 5:15-18
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
What a formula for spiritual success: Filled with the Spirit, building ourselves up praying in the Holy Spirit. No wonder there’s such warfare against these truths, sadly even in many churches. And yet God will have His people, and His will on earth will be accomplished in and through those who intentionally walk in His ways.
All scripture NKJV