Many times in my life I have heard the words "Wow, what a coincidence!" or "Boy, was that lucky!" and we tend to do things to avoid bad luck and bring good luck.
Knock on wood, not walking under ladders, cross your fingers. But is there truly real luck? Of course not. There is no such thing as luck. Unless you want to say God's love IS our luck.
In 1985 I was a divorced mother of two small children. Deb was four and Cindy was two. I was working hard at making a life for us. A friend of mine and I had been working together for a while and this one particular time I was listening to a radio show that would wake people up on their birthday. I thought, "I should do that for my friend, it would be so funny to have someone wake her up like that." (she was never in too good a mood first thing in the morning) Just then I heard in my heart, "Don't bother, you won't be here." I had been wanting to move to California, so I asked "Will I move?"... "No"... "Will my friend move?"... "No". I asked every scenario I could imagine and the answer continued to be 'No'. Then hesitantly, I asked; "Will I die?"...no answer. I asked again and again no answer. I took that as a very definite YES and I began to argue. I used every argument and probably a few promises I could come up with. I don't remember any of them, probably because they were more selfish arguments that valid Christian love arguments. I argued every day, all day, for 3 days.
Some say that we can not change God's mind, and that may be so, if it is not within His 'will', jf it is okay with Him. But I had one more argument that did just that. I explained that if I died, Deb and Cindy would have to go live with their dad and as much as he claims to be a Christian and faithfully goes to church, he does not truly believe. At that time, my ex believed that when we die, we go into the ground and that was that, no heaven, no hell, no after life, nothing but nothing. I explained that if my girls were to learn to love Him (God) and grow to be faithful believers, I would have to be here to do that. I ended my argument and for a short moment there was nothing, then a faint voice answered through my thoughts, "Okay, Linda, you will be here." I thanked Him profusely and went on with my life.
About 4 months later, I had completely forgotten the whole experience about dying, and was getting ready to drive my children from Colorado to Illinois to see their dad for Christmas. It was always a little scary to drive cross country in the winter, but I was a good driver having grown up in Ohio with winters full of snow and ice. I learned to drive on an icy road and was taught skid control of which I practiced in play every winter. The trip to Illinois was uneventful, however, the trip home would tell another story.
We were on Interstate 80 on the west end of Nebraska not far from the Wyoming border when I noticed my car felt a little wavy. Not much, in fact it was almost unnoticeable so I just dismissed it thinking I would check my tires when we stopped next. My kids were asleep in the back seat. Down the road a bit, a small 'red', I think, sports car ripped passed me. I was going 55, and thought that he must have been going 80 mph at least. He pulled back into the right hand lane and began to spin. He spun and spun right in front of me until he came to a stop cross wise on the highway directly in my path. I was so scared and in a matter of seconds I thought, (beside praying) if I put on the break, I would spin, if I tried to go around him, I would spin. All I could do was let up on the gas peddle and pray while continuing straight to the man who was slumped over. Suddenly, the man sat straight up and looked in my direction, he began to spin again and this time went right off the side and into a cattle fence before coming to a stop.
I had never been on black ice before and I pray I never will again. I told my brother what had happened including "I can't believe how lucky we were!"
That following summer, I was suddenly struck with the thought that I was suppose to die at that time! I talk to my brother about it to which his simple reply was "well, yeah, I knew that!"
I tell you this because it shows the love that God has for us that he is willing to give us another chance to make good. He is willing to listen when you have an argument, and if it is an argument that is within His will, something that is a valid argument, He is willing to change His mind.
God knows everything and is willing to give us a chance to 'choose' in which direction we will go. I could have choose to accept my fate allowing my children to be raised in a non-Christian home, or argue with God that I was still needed! He gave me that choice and I took the latter.
the bible confirms this for us in the book of Exodus.
Exodus 32:9-14
"And the Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people? Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation."
Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: "Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever." So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people."
God's love is a true love that He gave us choice and gives us opportunity to love others. Moses showed his love for the people by pleading for God not to destroy them, even above the power and riches God offered.
God loves, shouldn't we love for more than to benefit ourselves?