Wonderment: a state of awed admiration or respect
Surprised: Being in a state of mild astonishment or shock because of something unexpected.
Who would have thought that an undelivered package would be the avenue through which God would so clearly show His presence and His provision? I am in wonderment, but not surprised.
It was Thursday morning last week. My husband, daughter and I were at my friend’s house in New Zealand ordering some things online to bring home to our other children, whom we left in Colorado. (Okay, and some items for ourselves, too!) We were leaving the next Tuesday and although the timeline was a little tight, my friend was fairly certain we would receive the items before we left.
On Monday, I walked up to the mailbox several times on their beautiful property, beginning to think we would need to leave some money for them to ship the items to us after our departure. It wasn’t a huge deal, but I was hoping to have gifts to bring home to our kids and to avoid the hassle of having to ask our friends to ship them to us. So, as I am learning to do, I just asked the Lord: “Lord, please help those things come before we leave.”
What brings a smile to my face is that God is teaching me to ask Him, and then turn my worries over to Him. What better place to practice that than in a matter that was seemingly so small? I felt peaceful.
He wants me to approach Him with Open-Handed Expectation.
Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to trust You with something little.
I know You are good; I know You provide…
I leave it up to You to determine the best way to do it!
I expect Your goodness,
but trust You to determine what Your goodness looks like.
That night, my friend approached me. “You know,” she said, “I don’t think this will happen, but remind me as we drive through town tomorrow to look and see if there is a red courier truck at the post office. It’s unlikely, but if there is one there, it could be that your things are on the truck.”
With her car loaded down with our bags, we headed to the airport the following morning… without our package. We left early so we could stop by a store before she dropped us at the airport. We also had to make a stop to drop her son at a friend’s house before we headed through the small town, Palmerston, closest to their sheep farm, and then off to Dunedin and the airport. As we drove through Palmerston, I reminded my friend about the post office. As we drove up, there was actually a red truck parked out front. We began to get excited when we realized that is was just the regular mail truck. Bummer!
Then, as we paused in front of the post office, what comes driving up right behind us? And I actually mean, literally, right behind us? A red courier van.
We explained to the driver that we were headed to the airport, and would he mind checking if there was a delivery on his truck for us? He was happy to oblige, and a few minutes later, we were holding our package. There was only about a 10-minute time frame during which that would have been possible, and the Lord placed us right there at that moment.
I was in wonderment, but I was not surprised.
I was in a state of awed admiration and respect for the Lord, but not astonished or shocked, because, well, God is good. Does He always say yes? No… because yes isn’t always for our best. But He often says yes, and I just absolutely love that He chose such a CLEAR way to reveal His yes in that moment.
It reminds me of the Israelites and one of the times they needed water in Exodus 17. God knew that, and He would provide it. But he didn’t lead them right to an oasis where they would say, “Ah, look what we have here! That’s perfect!” That would have been simply a neat provision. Perhaps the Israelites may not have even recognized it as from the Lord. No! He let them get a little desperate, and then blew their socks off by the provision of water gushing miraculously out of a rock. I believe God doesn’t just want to provide, He wants us to find Him in His provision.
Are you waiting on anything right now? The answer to your personal hope or need may be yes, no, or wait… I don’t know. But I do know that we can look- look for His perfect provision with open-handed expectation. In the mean time, recount the Lord’s goodness in past provisions- be they at the mailbox, shipped by a friend, or delivered by red courier van.
Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.
