It is hard to see how God is at work in our lives in real time. In the present, life seems very random.   On some days, we feel lucky, and on others we feel unlucky.  It is only when we look at the past, that we more easily can see God’s hand in our lives.

When I look back on my own life, I can see God clearly at work.  For instance, when I was a teenager, He blessed me with a youth pastor who took a special interest in me.  She made me feel like I wasn’t alone when my parents went through a messy divorce.  It is only in hindsight, 30 years later, that I can see how God blessed me with her mature and compassionate presence.

However, the goal is to be aware of how God is at work in our lives today. Why?  Well, when we are aware of God’s presence, we feel at peace.  We know that we are not alone.  And we have hope.  We know that God is working to make sure that we meet the right people and have the right opportunities, so that we can fulfill His purpose for our lives.

Being aware of God’s presence is not something that comes naturally to us.  Instead, it is something that we have to learn how to do. We have to train ourselves to pay attention to glimmers of the divine in our daily lives.

For instance, it is important to consider who God has chosen to place in your life. The world has 7 billion people.  If out of all those people, God has placed certain ones in your life, it is for a reason.  God will use some of those people to bless you.  Others He may use to teach you a lesson.  One person may be an example to you of how not to act.  Another person may be in your life to expose your shortcomings.  Someone may show you that you need to work on your patience.  Someone else may show you that you need to be more compassionate.  So, it is important to realize that people aren’t in your life randomly.  Instead, God has placed certain people in your life for a reason.

We also need to consider why we are in a certain place right now. So often, we wish that we lived in a different place or had a different job.  But realize that God has you where you are for a reason.

I lived in the Middle East for two years.  When I moved there, I was not thrilled. It was dusty and hot.  Doing everything, from buying groceries to renting a car, was incredibly complicated.  Often, I wished I was back in America.

But while I was there, I became involved with an organization that helped Indonesian women who had been brought over to work as maids. These women had been abused by their employers, and had escaped to the Indonesian Embassy’s shelter.  While waiting for clearance to return to Indonesia, we would visit them and teach them skills in English, computers and needlework.  I taught them typing skills.

Through my experience with working with these ladies, I realized that God had brought me to the Middle East for a reason.  God, in His infinite wisdom, had brought me there to change me.  While living there, He showed me that there are so many people in our world who are vulnerable.  Their emotional and physical safety is at the mercy of others.  And sadly, there are people in our world who are neither kind nor decent, and who will take advantage of the vulnerable in our society.  I learned that there is evil in the world, and it is our job to combat it with whatever resources that we have.

We also need to pay attention God’s presence in our lives through the small tests that He gives us each day.  When you become aware of God’s presence in your life, you realize that a traffic delay is not merely a traffic delay.  It is God testing your patience.  That rude family member is not an irritation, but rather is God testing your maturity.  The frustrations of life aren’t random.  Rather, they are opportunities for God to see if we are growing spiritually.

This week, consider how God is at work in your life. Pay close attention to how He may be using your circumstances to mature you.  Think about the people in your life, and consider how He may be using those people to bless you (or to teach you a lesson).  God is constantly at work in all our lives.  We simply need to become attuned to His presence.

(Photo Courtesy of Pexels)