A young boy wanted to see and hear the man called Jesus. The popularity of the man grew with all the stories being told about him, and the young boy wanted to see for himself. His mom packed him a lunch, not knowing whether or not he would get hungry before returning home, but being mom, she knew she wanted to keep his appetite satisfied. She may have spent the day keeping up with her son’s curiosity, or, he may have caught up with some friends to mingle with the growing crowd, intent on seeing this man as they followed him up a hillside. And before the young boy became aware of his own hunger, a young boy’s day unfolded a miracle of God’s provision for thousands of people.
Once upon a time, our Bible study ladies called the woman, “Sue.” She was a Samaritan, a woman with five husbands, despised by neighboring Jews, and wise enough to plan her own days to avoid their stares and sarcasm. She went to the local well to draw water during the heat of the day – alone, but Sue was able to maintain a bit of dignity in her aloneness. Today though would be different. Today, she met a stranger who changed her today, and all of her tomorrows.
Ten lepers cried for mercy as Jesus entered their village. Jesus instructed them to show themselves to the priests, and on the way, the mercy they had cried for, brought healing to their bodies, changing their day and their lives. And although only one leper returned to thank the giver of the miracle, all of them now had the potential to regain families and livelihood. And one God-given day in the life of a blind beggar, his faith reached for Jesus as Jesus passed in front of him, and the blind man exchanged darkness for light. And I could tell still more stories of men and women from biblical times who had God-given days, much different from what they had expected.
My own life has been saturated with God-given days, although some stand out more than others. We had planned a memorial visit to the gravesite of our daughter on the anniversary of her birth and death – something we had not always been able to do. That alone would have been a God-given gift since we were well aware of the many years we didn’t even know where to go. And the rain was flooding many of Charleston’s streets, but still, we were intent. And then a phone call came and my brother had fallen and needed help getting home. The last thing I told my husband before he headed off to give help was to evaluate the situation and we would do whatever was needed. My heart was fully in what I said to him because I had already acknowledged that my day was not my own, but it was God’s day. A God-given day that He would unfold. And God gave what God had in His heart for me, my husband, and our son Jeff that day. It rained at the cemetery, but only lightly, and we were able to avoid most of the flooded roads on our way there. Our memories were stirred, our gratitude rekindled, and the relationships between the three of us were warmed. Lunch followed in the historic district of Charleston, and I knew the day I thought might not happen, did happen, and it was a God-given day. And I realized afresh that at the center of every God-given day is a man or a woman simply reaching out or responding to, the man called Jesus.
– Bev
(Related Bible reading: John 6:1-14; John 4:1-42; Luke 17:11-17; Luke 18:35-42)
