Coincidence Or Divine Intervention?

Occasionally there are occurrences in our lives that cannot be easily explained. We are left wondering – was this just a coincidence or something much deeper, something that we may never fully understand or explain. I think each one of us, at some point in our life, has wondered….did that really happen? Or, phew….I dodged a bullet. (metaphorically speaking, of course). Or perhaps, for a few, literally. To define ‘divine intervention’ in the simplest form: ‘A miracle or act of God, that causes something good to happen or stops something bad from happening.’

Personally, I believe in divine intervention. I believe in it because I believe in God, and I believe I have experienced it at various times in my own life. I know many folks will probably explain away inexplicable events in their lives as coincidence, fate, chance or whatever you choose to call it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and belief system. I never write to try to convince someone to see things as I do. But, by writing about certain things, I would hope it opens people’s minds to other possibilities and begins a discussion with folks of differing opinions and beliefs. 

To give some examples of unexplained life occurrences. (not necessarily my own life) A seven year old child visiting a beach while on holiday and being swept under by massive waves in the ocean. She at first struggles against the current, her tiny hands and feet flailing against the massive waves. She then slowly starts to give up and feels her body sinking under the water. She looks up and sees the blue water of the huge ocean, literally on top of her, as her body is being submerged. She feels herself being carried deeper and deeper to the ocean floor. Then; just when she thinks it is all over….a hand reaches in and grabs her and brings her back up to the surface of the water. She is then taken to the shore and is resuscitated on the sands of the beach. That rescuer was an uncle, a long distance swimmer who was used to that beach and was using fins that day, so he was able to get way into the depths of the sea. Now, some may say, that was just well….maybe coincidence. After all, the uncle was there on the beach. I call it…divine intervention. That child was seconds away from drowning before that hand came and plucked her from the perilous underwater of the ocean. Her uncle did not have to notice her gone at that given moment and rescue her in the nick of time.

Then, there’s a woman who went to live in a rural town. Away from everything she knew, doctors included. She was unable to keep up her medical visits. Eventually she returned to the big city and started a new life. Life in that small town was just not for her. One day, shortly upon returning to the city, she had a terrible dream. Woke up in the morning and without hesitation, called her family physician and made an appointment. During that doctor’s visit, she discovered she was seriously ill. If she had not returned to the city and made that appointment when she did, she would have died. Coincidence or divine intervention?

More seemingly straightforward instances of divine intervention. The employee who never calls in sick, but does so one day. He could not shake the urge that he should not be at work that day. That same day, there was a terrible shooting at his workplace and it occurred within his department. The person who swerved just in time to avoid a serious car accident. Simply because an inner voice told them to do so. The examples of divine intervention in this post may be explained away by some. I do not give examples of someone seemingly helping you in the middle of nowhere and then apparently disappearing into thin air. There are those stories as well. There are also stories of people being held up on their way to a destination. They are upset and annoyed at this sudden delay and inconvenience, only to discover later; it saved them from a terrible disaster. So, essentially, the delay was a blessing in disguise.

I believe God operates in myriad and mysterious ways. Sometimes, he uses the presence of people already in your life to help you. For instance – that uncle on the beach saving that young child from drowning. Or, he uses you yourself, and your God given intuition. Like the woman experiencing that dream overnight. She then had the presence of mind to know….she was being alerted to the fact that something was very wrong with her body and she needed to see her doctor immediately. She could have ignored that dream. Furthermore, she could have stayed in that rural town. God gave us free will. He doesn’t force us to do anything. When that employee felt that overwhelming urge to call in sick on that given day, he could have gone to work anyway, but he did not. I prefaced these stories by stating… “I know many folks will probably explain away inexplicable events in their lives as coincidence, fate, chance or whatever you choose to call it.” I do believe there are coincidences, however; there are some instances where it can only be explained as divine intervention.