Are There Any Coincidences?

The thought entered my mind without much fanfare. I should check the tire pressure. The timing was inconvenient, and I would have instantly brushed the idea aside if not for a long trip that was coming up. I reluctantly walked towards my car. It was a good thing I did.

I headed towards the closest gas station, but it didn’t have an air compressor. Because traffic was getting congested, I decided not to go where I normally fill up but instead drove to the second nearest place. As I pulled up to the air compressor, one of the workers was standing nearby. He offered to check the tire pressure for me.

As soon as he started filling the first wheel, air poured out of the valve stem with a loud hiss. Nothing could be done to stop the flow, and before long, the tire would be completely flat. My blood pressure quickly rose as I helplessly watched. But the man calmly pointed to a mechanic that was only about 50 yards away and said, “Quick. Drive over there before all the air is out. You still have time.”

I didn’t need any convincing to follow his instructions. The mechanic promptly got to work replacing the valve stem, and he checked the pressure in all the other tires. Before I knew it, I was on my way.

As I was driving home, I couldn’t help but marvel at all the series of events that had to happen for the tire to be repaired in such a painless way. First of all, the thought to check the pressure came out of nowhere, and it wouldn’t let me go. Secondly, I was at a station that happened to have a mechanic as a next-door neighbor. And finally, the worker was standing right by the air compressor at the very moment I pulled up.

I’ll admit that none of this is important in the grand scheme of things. But I don’t believe it was by accident – as if God was directing it all from above. I see what happened as a clear example of divine protection. A tire suddenly losing all its air during a long trip would not be fun, not to mention dangerous. All I can do is thank God for his wonderful care.

Imagine if I hadn’t listened to that initial thought planted by God in my mind? Could it be that we don’t see more such “God moments” because we aren’t listening to him?

I don’t pretend to understand the mechanics of how he works. We sometimes see his hand clearly, while at other times, he seems distant and detached. Nonetheless, I’ve experienced enough similar incidents to know that God is involved in the lives of his followers and orchestrates events according to his purposes. How it all works together is a mystery we’ll never solve, but we don’t need to. We can trust him, knowing we are secure in his loving arms.