GOD'S TOKENS

“And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:19 

“Hidden Treasure”--Anonymous

‘Twas long ago I read the story sweet--
‘Of how the German mothers, o’er the sea,
Wind in, throughout the yarn their girlies knit,
Some trinkets small, and tiny shining coins,
That when the little fingers weary grow,
And fain would lay aside the tiresome task,
From out the ball will drop the hidden gift,
To please and urge them on in search for more,
And so, I think, The Father kind above
Winds in and out the skein of life we weave,
Through all the years, bright tokens of His love,
That when we grow weary and long for rest
They help to cheer and urge us on for more;
And far adown within the ball we find,
When all the threads of life at last are spun,
The grandest gift of all—eternal life.”1
 
I must admit that I’ve never looked at my life as a skein of yarn, but when I now do, I can clearly see how God has woven tokens of His love into it to encourage me not to waiver from the path He has laid before me.  My Father does this in His own timing and in His own way.

We all know that in life, we will be faced with a multitude of trials:  “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” James 1:2-4   James' words do not state if troubles come, but when troubles come (they are guaranteed), we are to consider them opportunities for joy.  These trials develop within us strength and endurance to help us become the people God wants us to be, and we learn to focus on the joy set before us--the grandest gift of all--eternal life.

If we but look during those times of our deep, hard struggles, we can discern God’s loving hand as He drops into our lives tokens, hidden until needed, that encourage us along our journey.  What possibly could they be?  Yours will differ from mine, but I would encourage you to look back and recount those episodes that have lifted your hearts during times of darkness.  Here are a few from my life:

1. When going through a difficult time as a principal of a small Christian school, a mom came to me with a gift of flowers.   She told me that as she was driving, there at a corner stop sign stood a woman whom she’d never seen before selling flowers.  Suddenly the Lord put in her heart the message, “Stop and buy some flowers for Candice and take them to her.”  She had no idea of why she should do this, but she obeyed the nudging of the Holy Spirit and did just that!  This mom’s obedience to God brought me a joy I cannot describe and will never forget.  The gift of her presence, kind words, and flowers in a time of darkness were tokens from God.
2. I’ve described before how my son was in a horrible head-on collision that should have taken his life when he was seventeen.  God placed a wise woman at the scene who gave her phone to my son and told him to call me, but because ambulance and police sirens were blaring in the background, she told him his first words should be, “Mom, I’m okay.”  The sirens were scary, but my son’s words reassuring.  God’s placement of this woman with a phone at the wreck was a token from God and surely brought light to a situation that could have been far different and calmed me enough to drive to the scene.  
3. My family physician retired, and I went to meet my new doctor.  I mentioned that I thought I was having acid reflux, but he immediately scheduled me for a stress test, believing I had a heart problem.  The test was irregular, so he referred me to a cardiologist.  When within the next week I went in for a follow-up with my new doctor, he asked what the cardiologist had said; I told him I had not yet been scheduled for an appointment.  My doctor disappeared and came back saying I had an appointment for three o-clock that afternoon with the cardiologist.  This was on a Wednesday.  When I saw the cardiologist, he too disappeared and came back asking if I could be at the Assante Hospital in Medford at 5 a.m. on the following Monday morning for an angiogram.  Of course!  He then told me to do nothing—not even vacuum—and prescribed a nitroglycerin patch for me.  Monday morning, after the angiogram, my cardiologist told me I was not going home, but was having open heart surgery the next morning—a triple bypass. Talk about gifts from God!  He sent me to doctors who cared enough to get me immediate care to extend my life—more time with family and friends—more time to grow in Christ and share Him with others.  What is especially meaningful is that this included sharing Jesus with my precious son's wife, who I know is now in heaven with her Savior. So it is with a grateful smile each time I think of what God did for me, and all within a two week period of time!
4. I was tired, having had a long morning running errands when I found myself in the back of a long, extremely slowly moving line at Wal-Mart’s Customer Service counter, waiting to return something I had bought.  After I had been helped and started to turn away, the customer representative stopped me by saying, “You are beautiful!”  I was stunned, but immediately replied, “That’s Jesus in me.”  Her face lit up, and she smiled, giving me a thumbs up.  The token God gave at that moment was like sunlight.  That long, gray day turned into light because of Jesus and the knowledge that the Holy Spirit was letting me reflect Jesus.  I still delight in that fact!
5. I think of my husband, daughter, son, friends, and my Christian brothers and sisters—those who though they see the weaknesses in me, still love me!  I cannot count the many gifts they have given me throughout the years when I’ve needed a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or prayer for my family, other friends, or myself. Their smiles, their presence, their phone calls--each action or presence was a token from God, and I have been blessed beyond measure.
   

These are just a smidgen of the hundreds of gifts God has blessed me with during times of trial.  When I think on them and all God has and continues to provide me with as the yarn of my life unwinds, I see that each token has been expressly designed to bless, encourage, and strengthen me when I needed and still need it most.  God is so good, so very, very good…there are never words adequate enough to express the wonder of who He is.  So I recognize and praise the Lord, knowing that “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.  He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” James 1:17  Thank You, Father, for being unchanging and for Your faithful love and care!

1.  Leaves of Gold, edited by Clyde Francis Lytle, 1948, Coslett Pubishing Company.

VERSES:

Acts 13:2   “One day as these men (prophets and teachers at Antioch) were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.”  So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.” 

John 1:16  “From His abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.”

Isaiah 41:20  “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.  Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with My victorious right hand.”

Numbers 6:24-26  “ ‘May the Lord bless you and protect you.   May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.’ “

PRAYER:  Thank you, Father, for blessing me with trinkets—tokens—gifts—not before or after I need them, but when I need them.  With each of these, You help me rise from possible despair into the joy of understanding who You are and how good You are, no matter what circumstances may indicate.  You are the great I AM—the all-knowing, all-loving, all merciful, kind, and caring God who has chosen me in my wretchedness to be saved through faith in Your Son, Jesus.  Please fill me daily with Your Holy Spirit so I may worship you with a clean heart, being thankful for all You’ve given to save me.  Amen.

DISCLAIMER:   I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since.  How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?!

These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him.  However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word.  Therein lies the source of all truth!