Let God Skin the Cat

I learned a new thing this Saturday: There really is more than one way to skin a cat.

I had the absolute blessing to serve a good friend this weekend. As you may or may not know, I am an amateur astronomer and I give presentations on the heavens to folks. You can visit my site at http://www.starryhost.com/ to see the stuff that I do.

Well, one of my friends had a trade show to do but since he is in New York and I am in Vista, CA (15 minutes from the trade show), I volunteered to rep his incredible equipment line. Now the deal with this particular show is that they have a raffle at the end of the day giving away tens of thousands of dollars of great equipment. I have wanted to win for years but have not. And of course this year they would not let me enter the raffle because I was a representing a vendor.

I prayed, "God, I really want to win a particular piece of relatively inexpensive equipment so I can use it in my ministry with Starry Host. You know that I want it and that it would really bless the folks I work with. But these kind folks say I can't play. So if you want to give it to me, you'll have to do it another way. I trust that you are able to to do it if you want to."

I went to the expo and met a nice man my age who talked with me for only 5 minutes. He said he wins something every year to which I responded I don't and I can't this year. We parted ways and I kept working. At the end of the day during the raffle (which I was not paying attention to) this guy ran up to me and said, "See! I told you I win every year." And he handed me an envelop with his prize in it and said, "Now you are part way there to that equipment you wanted." It was a gift certificate to an astronomy company.

Tears welled up as I realized God's work in our lives through the lives of others. I don't know this man, but God used him nonetheless to bless me.

I remembered that God has already set into motion my entire life and all the answers to all of my prayers. When Abraham sent his servant to the homeland to find a wife for Isaac, the servant had an impossibly improbable task of finding God's choice of that wife. So he prayed, "Gen 24:14 NKJV - Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink'--[let] her [be the one] You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master. And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.

Can you imagine that? BEFORE he had finished praying, the answer to his prayer was already in the works, walking directly towards him. Our God is sovereign in all things at all times. [Mat 6:33 NKJV] - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Be encouraged that whatever you need in your life is already planned for in God's plan. He's just waiting for us to ask. And remember, there is more than one way for God to "skin a cat."

Jack