What do you expect of God? A BSF buddy wrote this week about spending time with his buddies on a camp out. The question of “What do you expect of God?’ resonated long after the campfire went out. But what do you expect from God? Chances are we don’t think too much about it until we have a “Bigger-Than-Me” need, then we go to God asking for a miracle. That’s good but… what about day in and day out? Are you moving so fast through the day that you miss God’s cookies?

It was Sunday morning and I had just finished discussing with a member of the church staff the room setup for our BSF Band of Brothers Annual Biscuits & Gravy Breakfast. As I turned  to leave, I almost crashed into Damone. Without thinking I asked him, “Are you going to be able to make it Saturday morning?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “Great can you take our group picture?” As he was saying, “I don’t have a tripod,” up walked Kevin and said, “I’ve got a tripod.” BAM.

I began to shout! This didn’t just happen. God who is the God of Big Things is also The God of the Small, Overlooked Details of life. Think about it. The three of us were at the precise location, at the precise time with exactly what would be needed six days later. This was a God orchestrated moment.

You might say, “That’s no big deal. That just happened. You are trying to find things that are not there. Afterall, why would God do this? There are wars, evil & wicked things going on. Why would God care?”

I discovered the answer in the Bible. The cool stuff is found in the Old Testament where the stories are located. Take the Book of Esther, where God orchestrated impossible situations. He gave a pagan king, who could not sleep one night, the thoughts & ideas that resulted in saving Queen Esther and the Jewish remnant. In this fascinating story we see the precise order & timing that only God can do. I challenge you to also read Daniel and Nehemiah, and don’t miss the fascinating stories of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and, of course, Joseph in Genesis. All stories with small details that were critical. I have learned this year in the Bible Study Fellowship, God uses the most unlikely people in the most impossible situations to reveal His Power & Glory. That’s part of the “WHY”!

But there is more. We were created for relationship… relationship with Him, our Creator. He used the “tripod moment” to reveal His Power & Glory to say “I Am here!” It’s His Presence. The same God, who promised Joshua, “for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

I call these special moments God’s Cookies. He provides these little things in life to say, “I love you.” “I am thinking about you.” “I’m right here!” “Come closer.” It’s these small moments, the life cookies, He uses to give me confidence in the storms of life, “ I AM here!” This is exactly what Jesus taught His Disciples and us on that stormy night on the sea. They thought they were going to drown while Jesus slept. After Jesus calmed the storm, he said to them & to us, “Why are you so afraid?” Mark 4:40.

Here’s a challenge. For 30 days, start each day with Him, spend 30 minutes in prayer and Bible study. Then approach your day as if you were going into an adventure park. I call this, God’s Great Adventure. You will experience the twist & turns… the up’s & downs of life. You will have those moments where it feels like you are going to fly into space. But you are safe & secure. It’s the confidence of knowing His Promise, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:28 Those hands, they are the same nail pierced hands that hold your heart. We’ll call it the 30-30 Plan (30 minutes for 30 days) .

What have you got to lose? Wouldn’t be nice to have Joy in your life? Can you imagine someone asking you, “What are you doing? Why are you so happy!”

Will you accept the challenge? Let me know.