An act of God

It strikes me as unfortunate that we use the term "act of God" to refer to catastrophe. Have you ever read a property and casualty insurance policy? It may state that the insurance does not cover losses from hurricanes, or tornadoes, or high winds, or other "acts of God."
Today I want to tell you about a little "act of God": an answer to a little prayer.
Last week I attended the Renovare' International Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Renovare' is an organization dedicated to Christian spiritual formation, dedicated to helping folks in the journey of becoming like Jesus. I love this. I am so grateful to God for the chance to become more like Jesus--to be changed from the inside out, transformed by His grace into the likeness of His son. (If you'd like to know more about Renovare', check out the website. Or email me with any questions.)
Anyway, the Renovare' International Conference was wonderful. I could feel my heart and soul expand with joy from being there.
Unfortunately, my brain doesn't always keep pace with my heart and soul. And my not-so-full-brained self lost my computer on the trip home. I got to Durham, unpacked a few things, and discovered that my computer was missing.
So I prayed. I was by this time exhausted, so my prayer was simple: "Lord, you know when a sparrow falls, so I'm sure you know where my computer is. Would you tell me, God?" The next day, I had lunch with a friend, and she boldly asked God to get my computer back to me.


Well, guess what the FedEx man brought to my house today? Here I sit at my computer, thanking God for His goodness, thanking God that He cares enough about me and my everyday life to help me find my computer. (You might like to know that, after I prayed, I "saw" myself in the security line at the San Antonio airport, putting my computer into its own separate bin. I called a TSA representative in San Antonio to ask if they had my computer. They did not. But get this: the TSA representative asked me to describe myself and to tell him when I had come through the airport. He then reviewed the security video until he located me, and he watched the feed to see what I had done with my computer. He could see that I had walked away from the security line with my computer in my hand and then walked into a gift shop. He put me in touch with the gift shop and with Airport Police. My computer was Item #735 in police custody.)



And so my episode of absent-mindedness led to an act of God. Not a big Act of God--nothing that warrants a newspaper headline. But one of those small, routine things that God does every day, as He loves and cares for His people. Those He rescues from the sometimes treacherous paths of our everyday lives. Those people who "in Him live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). People like you and me.

Oh, Savior, my Redeemer,
What can I but adore,
And magnify and praise Thee
And love Thee evermore?
(Frances R. Havergal, "Is It for Me?")