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| Sacrifice of Praise |
Early one morning I was on my way to McDonald’s to get breakfast.
I saw a homeless man asleep on the shopping center sidewalk, and for some
reason, it flooded my heart with compassion. I went back home and dug through
my purse bin and found an old billfold that would hold coins and bills. I put
all the money I had, to the last penny, in that billfold and wrote him a note.
I went back to the shopping center and found him still asleep. I wanted to
remain anonymous, so I quietly sneaked out of the car and placed the billfold
up against his cup and tiptoed back over to my car. When I got in the car and
looked back, I saw him waking up and looking at me. I pointed to his cup and
when I saw him look down at it, I drove off.
Someone has said that God works in mysterious ways. I think it’s a song, but anyway… I think that in the same way I was moved with compassion for the homeless man, God is moved with compassion for us. He’s there behind the scenes, working miracles, maneuvering things around secretly so they appear to be “coincidences”, but it’s actually God all the time.
Albert Einstein said, “Coincidences are God's way of remaining anonymous.” He is a behind the scenes God.
Matthew 5:45 says, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” He even blesses the atheist who says he does not believe God even exists.
Actually, I think my compassion for the homeless man that morning was God working through me because He wanted to bless him. Something was driving my actions and I’m sure it was God.
Psalm 86:15 (NLT) But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
There were times when Jesus healed people and He told them not to tell anyone. Great multitudes followed Jesus, and He healed them all. Yet He warned them not to make Him known (Matt. 12:15-16).
Sometimes God just want one individual to give Him glory… that’s the one that He is blessing at the moment.
We bring the sacrifice of praise, into the house of the Lord.
And we offer up to You the sacrifices of thanks.
Thank You Lord!
Click here to read another story I wrote about God's glory.
Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove