God is not a distant clockmaker who built the world, set it into motion, and stepped away to see what would unfold. This idea is called Deism and was a prominent ideology spread about during the Enlightenment. Many of our American forefathers held the belief that God made the world, and then took a step back to watch what happens.
In truth, God is a Loving Father who designed everything and is constantly at work to bring about good from the choices we make. Also, He guides us to discover what is best for us. We are all a part of His plan. He tells His prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5 –
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
God knew us before we were formed in the womb. As a loving Father, He has a great design for us. He knows what we will be, do, and who we will meet, befriend, and marry and guides us to discover this plan so we can be happy.
The summer before my senior year in college, I was all set to go on a pretty amazing month-long pilgrimage through the Holy Land, Greece, Medjugorje, and Rome. The group of pilgrims included a few friends of mine from college as well as my now wife, who was my girlfriend at the time.
Due to medical reasons, I had to miss the first week of the trip in the Holy Land. I had originally decided not to go at all, but at the last minute decided to meet my group in Athens, Greece. However, the only flight I could get arrived one day in the ancient city before my fellow pilgrims. We planned to meet at the bus, which would take us to the port, where we would catch the boat taking us to Patmos and a few other Greek Islands.
My thoughts on the plane were to go to Mass as soon as I got to Athens, and ask priest if I can sleep in a pew for the night.
It turns out that the Church I chose to attend, which ended up being far from the airport, happened to be the only Roman Catholic Church in Athens with an English-speaking Filipino priest named Father Arthur. Not only did he let me stay and sleep in what appeared to be the parish hall, but he took me to a cool restaurant with rooftop seating overlooking The Areopagus where we sang songs from Mary Poppins and the Sound of Music. He later helped me buy a bus ticket to the airport for the next morning so I could meet up with my group.
Looking back, I really had very little info on where they were going to be, I just knew their arrival time and the number of the bus that we were supposed to take to the port. I would later learn that some of the info I had was incorrect, but it only manifested God’s greatness even more.
Oh, and keep in mind, this was before international communication on cell phones was as easy as it is today.
The next day, I went to morning Mass, grabbed a cheese Danish for breakfast, and hopped on the first bus to the airport. I noted the time was getting close and prayed for God’s help. The bus trip took longer than I planned. I arrived at the airport, found my bus and boarded.
After a few minutes, I began to get a little nervous. The rest of my group’s plane should have already landed, and there was only one other person on the bus with me. I asked him if I could use his phone to call my pilgrimage leader, but he pointed to the airport and told me to use the pay phones inside. I grabbed my suitcase and walked off the bus and through the automatic doors of the airport.
Shockingly, I was greeted by my group as soon as I walked through the doors. My wife had not known I was meeting up with everyone after all, so it was very exciting to surprise her. As it turns out, they had stopped in that exact spot in order to give everyone time to catch up. Now we were in a serious hurry to make our boat, so we hurried to the bus. However, we got on a bus that was not the bus I was originally on.
Basically, if I had not gotten off the first bus and tried to use the phone, I would have missed my group and, most likely, the boat. I am sure God could have fixed whatever mess I caused, but I put the whole trip in His hands from the beginning and, trusting in Him, took each step in hopes of doing His will.
We made it just in time to board the boat!
There is nothing special about me. God wants to do this for everyone. If we seek His plan over our own, He will do great things.
God helped me navigate the streets of Athens to miraculously meet up with my group. This is just a microcosm for the rest of my life. He has aided me through car accidents, tests, job applications, married life, problems, opportunities, joys and sorrows. He has been with me every step of the way.
While I have made mistakes many times, He has brought good out of it to lead me to where I am right now. He does this for everyone who loves Him. God is leading us, so we can take comfort in the truth that it’s impossible to seek the Lord and mess up your life.
This means that if you are seeking the Lord and His plan for you, He will come through for you. You won’t miss out on meeting your spouse, a great life, or more. You will be ultimately always be happy.
The key is trusting that God is guiding you, say your prayers and put your life in His hands. Surrender. It may seem like you are giving a lot up, but you are truly receiving more than you ever had when you give your life to God.
Use our surrender prayer to make a daily gift of yourself and trust in God today! You can find it at www.zenithministries.com/prayers.
