It’s easy to see God in the miraculous. A sunset that paints the sky a thousand different shades. A mountain so majestic it takes your breath away.
An impossible prayer answered or an improbable dream reached.
It’s in those moments that I can be confident of God’s amazing and extraordinary love.
A powerful God…
It makes sense that God would come through when it’s all on the line. That he would prove himself faithful when every other option has failed.
That’s who he is right?
He’s big and powerful, all-knowing and omnipresent. But God also this habit of showing up in the smallest of circumstances.
He has a knack for making himself known right in the middle of a plain, old, ordinary day.
Sometimes I wonder if those aren’t the encounters that bring the most comfort and hope.
While those bigger than life moments clearly show his power, he’s also a God who is all about relationship. And what better reminder of that truth than his consistent presence in our everyday lives.
I’ve seen this play out time and again. When he answers the prayer I feel ridiculous even uttering because it matters to no one but me. Or when he blesses me in a way that goes unnoticed by the rest of the world, just as a reminder of my worth and value.
Those experiences are the lifeblood of my faith.
Check out “15 Verses to Remind You of God’s Perfect Love“ for more on God’s amazing love for you!
An ordinary day…
Over a decade ago, on a beautiful spring day, he took the opportunity to send me another one of those reminders.
My husband and I were dating at the time. He lived in a nice neighborhood in the suburbs and I was renting an apartment closer to the city.
I had a bicycle and enjoyed going on the occasional ride to clear my head. He wasn’t too fond of the paths close to my apartment that took me along semi-deserted trails.
On that particular day, I chatted with him on the phone about my plans for a quick ride down one of those trails. He suggested I bring the bike to his house and pedal around his neighborhood instead.
I agreed and when we hung up, prepared to load my bicycle into the back of my car.
The smallest of problems…
I had to remove the front wheel to fit the bike into the trunk. In my hurry to leave, I left two screws sitting on the trunk lining.
As I pulled out of the parking lot, I suddenly remembered I’d forgotten to secure those screws. I stopped and rushed to the back of the car, hoping they hadn’t fallen to the ground when I shut the trunk lid.
I found one of the screws close to the spot I’d left it, but the other was missing. A thorough search of the trunk turned up nothing. I backed the car up to where I’d loaded the bike in hopes I would find the screw on the ground.
I came up empty again.
As I climbed into my car, I was thoroughly disappointed. It was silly to be frustrated over such a small inconvenience, but I’d really been looking forward to that bike ride!
On top of that, I’d have to find a replacement screw before the bike would be functional. Needless to say, the chances of a relaxing cycle in my near future were slim.
A simple prayer…
As I drove to my now husband’s house, I remember uttering a frustrated prayer. I can’t recall exactly what I said, but it was somewhere along the lines of telling God how irritated I was and asking him if he could help me find that screw.
When I arrived at the house, I told my husband the story. He could see my disappoint and suggested I look again.
I assured him I had already searched every possible nook and cranny of that trunk. But on a whim, I decided to look one more time. I opened the trunk lid and peered inside.
To my complete surprise, there lay the other screw—in a place I’d already searched at least a dozen times!
a Glimpse of god’s amazing love…
Now, did God cause that screw to materialize out of thin air? Was it hiding in some crevice and shook loose during my drive? Or did I simply overlook it?
Regardless of how it happened, God used that tiny screw and my silly prayer to teach me a powerful lesson.
He showed me that even though no problem is too big for him to fix, there will also never be one so small that it doesn’t matter.
A lost screw and missed afternoon bike ride were insignificant events in the overall scheme of life. Yet on that day, they mattered to me.
When I saw that screw in the trunk, I realized it mattered to him too. And as I rode my bike around the neighborhood that afternoon, one thing seemed perfectly clear.
The love of God is limitless.
God’s love is present in both the ordinary and the extraordinary…
God has answered some pretty big prayers in my life. He’s worked the impossible in a number of situations.
He’s walked with me through times of intense trial and provided comfort in the midst of unbearable grief. Each of those experiences have grown my faith and reminded me of his character.
Yet somehow, the memory of the bicycle screw is often first to my mind when I think about God’s amazing love.
In a world that needs big answers to huge problems, trusting we have a God who works miracles provides comfort and security.
But knowing a God with that kind of power who also desires to be found right in the middle of our everyday, ordinary lives. That brings a special kind of hope.
I will never cease to be amazed at the extraordinary lengths God goes to demonstrate his love.
Whether he paints a beautiful sunset or simply delivers a bicycle screw.
The amazing love of God is a comfort we desperately need. Do you have a story of when God unexpectedly showed up for you? Please share in the comments below!
I was cleaning up some emails and found the one Melanie sent me telling me about your blog! You are a great writer Stacy, keep doing what God has lead you to do. 😊
Thanks so much Ramona! That really means a lot to me!