Welcome to another inspirational moment from historical Christian romance novels.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God engineers our circumstances. How many times have you thought or said, what a coincidence? I have thought this probably a million times, we all have. Yet the closer we walk with the Lord, the more we realize nothing is a coincidence.

He has engineered every circumstance in our lives. This is because He is working out all things for our good and His glory. For nothing and no one can or will thwart the will of God.

In this week’s book club episode Jamie and I discuss Redeeming the Prodigal by Jodie Bayse. She wrote a beautiful story about a young woman who made a bad choice, which led to very unfortunate circumstances. I don’t have a direct quote from the book for you this time, but rather a quick overview of how, through her story, Jodi demonstrates how God engineers our circumstances.

Josephine, or Jo, makes a rash decision based on her emotions. We’ve all been there, and I think we can all say, these types of decisions rarely take us where we wanted to be, at least not without God’s intervention. Jo finds herself in a brothel without hope of every finding her happy ever after ending. This is where God comes in.

First, Jo is brutally attacked and placed in the town doctor’s home to recover. And get this, the doctor and his wife know exactly how to minister to Jo, because the doctor’s wife used to be in Jo’s predicament. Then, who should show up on the doctor’s doorstep? None other than Jo’s long, lost, love, Gideon. If you read romance novels, then you know Gideon is a man of God who fights for his lady love!

Now, I realize this is a fictional story, but we can all relate to Jo to some degree. We’ve all been in circumstances that looked bleak, yet out of nowhere someone comes along and offers us hope and a way out. Just take a moment to stop and think about all the times God has pulled through for you.

·      An unexpected check in the mail, just when you needed the money to pay the bills.

·      An unexpected gift of a car when yours was just totaled.

·      The job offer you not only wanted but needed to keep food on the table.

·      The person in the checkout lane ahead of you, who pays for your meal.

·      The phone call from a friend or family member that kept you from jumping off the ledge.

The list could go on and on. When we take the time to think back on these dark and desperate times, we can clearly see God’s hand in all our circumstances guiding, protecting, and providing for our needs. He does all of this because we are His children, and He loves us unconditionally. If you want to dig more into how great His love is for you, check out my episode Redemption: Your Best Life is Just Ahead.

I was reminded again on Sunday about how God engineers our circumstances. Pastor Jordan Gillette spoke about Peter and how he denied Jesus three times. When Peter was denying Jesus, he was warming himself up by a charcoal fire. This detail can be overlooked because it seems miniscule, yet it has a profound impact when Jesus returns from defeating death and seeks Peter out.

You probably already know that smell is what I like to call a strong memory recaller. Everyone has been there. You smell that certain scent and you’re taken back to a specific memory. The smell of a charcoal fire did that for Peter and the memory it recalled for him was not a pleasant one. Jesus met him after His resurrection, while cooking fish on a charcoal fire. I can only imagine how Peter felt as that memory assaulted him, yet Jesus didn’t condemn him, but rather offered him hope and a second chance.

God had engineered Peter’s circumstances to not only rescue and restore him, but to prepare him for his ministry to further the Kingdom of God.

I just have to add that during this church service God engineered my own circumstances. If you listen to my podcast then you know that yesterday, Sunday, I helped Julie Lessman kick off her A Dare and a Prayer book launch with a review. (If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should. You can do so here.)

Her newest book sheds light on human trafficking, therefore she is donating proceeds from the sales of A Dare and A Prayer to Project Eden in the Philippines. They provide a safe recovery home for those who have been rescued from sex-trafficking.

My husband and I felt led to come along side Julie in her efforts and will be donating $1 for every book sold, in October, to Destiny Rescue. They are an organization who goes in and rescues young girls from sex-trafficking and then provides a safe recovery home for them.

My book review and announcement for these campaigns went out Sunday morning before church. Can you guess which ministry was spotlighted during our church announcements? Yeah, representatives from Destiny Rescue were at our church sharing about their ministry! This was not a coincidence it had God written all over it! It was great to connect with these gentlemen and share our effort to support their work, but it was even more thrilling to see how God engineered our circumstances!

I have links here for both Project Eden and Destiny Rescue so you can learn more about them and donate to their cause if you feel led to. I also have a link for the 2023 Freedom Walk in Goshen Indiana. You can register and learn more here.

I will leave you with this final thought: Nothing is left to chance, because God engineers all our circumstances for our good and His glory!