Divine Intervention

My freshman year of college looked bright.

As the second semester drew to a close, I started to feel pretty comfortable with myself.  I had a steady girlfriend, a solid car, good grades and a decent job.  I was also far from where God wanted me to be. 

I became protective of my possessions.  I took security in my relationships.  I enjoyed the money of my job.  I felt arrogance at my good grades.  Despite being active in campus ministry, I was far from the path God wanted me on.  I acknowledged him, but I certainly wasn't obeying him.

God needed to get my attention, and he did.

In the span of a few months, I flunked my Calculus class.  It was the first (and only) time I had ever failed.  Then, someone rear-ended my car on the interstate.  It was totaled.  That job I loved?  Yeah, I got fired at the start of the summer.  By the end of summer, I broke it off with my girlfriend.

As I started my sophomore year, I felt pretty low.  I had no job, no girlfriend, a second-rate car and a less than stellar GPA.  At my lowest point, God got my attention.  He quickly showed me that he had much better things in store for me and that all the things I cherished - cars, relationships, jobs, money and grades - paled in comparison to the treasure he is.

The realization hit me at a campus ministry gathering.  I shared some of my story, then sat in the floor and bawled.  God had broken me, but he would soon restore me.

Out of those dark months, new things came to light.  I began hanging out with a guy who would become my best friend.  A year later I would meet the woman who would become my wife.  By December, I was working at a better job than before.  My car, well, it was OK.

More to the point, God had set me on a path to ministry.  If not for those few months during my freshman year of college, I would not be in ministry today.

I was reminded of that as I read the small, one-chapter book of Obadiah.  The Edomites felt they were secure from any threats, but God warned them that no wall is too strong for him. 

I learned that the hard way.  God can overcome anything I place in front of him.

I have never been so glad to be broken.

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