God moments are awesome! You know, those times when there can be no doubt that you just experienced God working in your life?

I had a God moment recently. It started as a really, really bad afternoon. (Ever notice that we usually only perceive God at work during a period of trauma, sadness, or pain?) I felt defeated and exhausted with life. I felt unloved, unnecessary, and completely alone. In my head, I knew that wasn’t totally true, but when you have a giant heartache, those are the kind of thoughts that can creep in. And this was bad enough that I quietly cried myself to sleep in the middle of the day. When I woke up, not only did I not feel any better, I had developed a huge headache, as well.

So, I finally did what I should have done right out of the gate—I gave it all to God. I didn’t ask Him for anything. I just told Him how I was feeling, and cried on His shoulder for a little while. Then, I dried my tears and tried, for at least the 37th time, to write a complete blog post. But God had other plans for me.

The Rescue

Just minutes after sitting in front of my computer, my phone rang. Someone, whom I only talk to a few times a year, called and said (this is the highly abridged version of the conversation), “Hey, are you busy? Because I need you.” She and some friends had gotten into a situation on the Appalachian Trail. It was getting close to sundown, and they needed someone to come and pick them up right then. I could do that. So, she “dropped me a pin” for her exact location so I could find them on the trail, and I set out for who knows where.

It took a while to get to them, so during the drive I listened to some of my go-to podcasts (Ligonier Ministries, Cooper Stuff, Alisa Childers), and spent the time thinking about my unusual day, while trying not to get lost or skid off the gravelly washboard mountain roads. I was still sad, but also grateful for the distraction of an unplanned rescue situation, and glad that I had filled my gas tank earlier in the day.

When I arrived, as I drove around the final curve, my headlights lit up four tired, but elated, young women, literally jumping for joy. I only personally knew one of them, but they all treated me like a long-lost friend. I got giant hugs, and over and over they thanked me, grateful that I had been able to come right away. During the hour-long drive to their car, we all talked and laughed, and I got even more much-appreciated hugs when I dropped them off.

My heart was healed, my headache gone. Those sweet girls thought I had rescued them, but they had rescued me! I think I smiled all the way home.

I’m sure you’ve already joined the dots together by now, but it was only on the final leg of my impromptu journey that I realized what had actually happened. I had told God I felt lonely and unneeded, and suddenly someone called me, specifically because she needed me, and I met three new friends! God answered a prayer that I didn’t even articulate. But the Holy Spirit knew what to pray when all I could do was weep (Romans 8:26). God let me know that He was with me, and that I am absolutely needed. Some might call that coincidence, but I don’t believe in such silly things.

It was a memorable God Moment, and a humbling reminder that I can and should trust my heavenly Father in every situation, big or small, good or bad.

Memorable God Moments

There are a lot of instances in the Bible concerning Christian suffering that eventually led to some pretty awesome God moments:

In 2 Timothy 3:11 (ESV), Paul talks about his “persecutions and sufferings” and says that “from them all the Lord rescued” him. You can check out 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 to learn about some of Paul’s sufferings. His whole life, from the Damascus road, forward, was filled with God moments!

The entire book of Job is about suffering. Simply as a test of his faith, Job lost everything, including his ten children—seven sons and three daughters. But when his trial ended, “the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning” (Job 42:12a NLT). “He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters” (Job 42:13 NLT). God didn’t just give Job more children, he gave him the exact number of sons and daughters that he had lost. God made sure Job knew where his blessings came from.

David had to hide from King Saul’s murderous wrath for years (1 Samuel 19-31), until he was finally able to take his God-ordained place as king of Judah (2 Samuel 1). From outlaw to king. Epic!!! 

And then, of course the big ones in the books of Genesis and Exodus, like the flood (Genesis 6-9), the ten plagues in Egypt (Exodus 7-12), and the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14). 

Biblical examples of God’s merciful, gracious, healing work in the lives of other sufferers are reminders of God’s sovereign power and His love. They can give us hope and comfort when we are struggling. Perhaps my own simple story of God’s involvement in my recent grief might give someone else hope in the midst of their own sadness and cause them to seek God’s solace, too. I hope so.

Hidden God Moments

But, as much as we want God’s rescue from actual turmoil, and are thankful when He provides that God moment for us, we should also be thankful for the hidden trouble that we never have to face in the first place. Every time we arrive at a destination safely, ace a test, or just wake up in the morning, we are experiencing a God moment, and should acknowledge and thank God for His protection, guidance, wisdom, and faithfulness. He is with us in our joy, our sorrow, and our most mundane, uneventful days. We have God moments even when our life isn’t feeling momentous—even when our lives are falling apart.

Now, I might not be the crispest chip in the bag on this subject, so I’ll defer to Solomon, the crispiest chip who ever lived (1 Kings 3). He tells us:

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him” (Ecclesiastes 7:14 ESV).

God is sovereign over everything. He might not cause our adversity in every situation, but it doesn’t happen without Him allowing it, and the same goes for our prosperity. And both situations are good and right. Prosperity brings us joy—Yay! But it can also bring out our pride—Yikes! So we can all use a big dose of humility at times, and adversity is often the perfect agent. It’s all a balance, and it’s all from God. And while our recognizable God moments are there to lovingly remind us who is really running the show, our hidden God moments are there, too, quietly bringing us along in our sanctification.

In All Things…

Never forget that “God is for us” (Romans 8:31b NLT). He “causes everything to work together for the good of those who love [Him] and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLT).  Celebrate those visible God moments, but don’t ignore the ones that happen quietly in the background. Give God the praise, the honor, and the glory He deserves, in every situation, every day.

(That beautiful image of the lion and lamb is by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay.)