I want to continue today to explore a very critical spiritual disciple that we call Going on a God Hunt. What we’re doing is learning how to begin to look for evidences of God making His presence known in our everyday worlds in four key ways:

1. Any obvious answer to prayer.
2. Any unexpected evidence of His care.
3. Any help to do His work in the world.
4. Any unusual linkage or timing.

Specifically, we’re exploring evidence of God at work in our lives through unusual linkage or timing.

Yesterday, we had just finished reading 1 Samuel 24:1-12 when I stopped for the day.

Young David is scrambling for his life. A jealous king is after him with 3,000 carefully chosen strong warriors. Having tracked David into the desert, the monarch has to take a bathroom break, and wouldn’t you know it, he chooses the very cave where David and his men are hiding out. I would say that qualifies for unusual linkage or timing. Wouldn’t you?

It’s dark enough in the cave that David can sneak up and actually cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. David doesn’t kill Saul, but he certainly could have. His men gave him every reason to.

They whisper “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with or you wish.” It certainly appeared to them that this was exactly what God had done.

Apart from David’s response of sparing Saul, which takes us in a different direction, there can be little doubt but what God was involved with this perfect setup. I mean there wasn’t a man in that cave, including Saul, who wouldn’t later testify that the Lord himself had arranged these circumstances.

Unusual linkage or timing—they kind of go together.

Tomorrow, as I always do on Wednesdays, I will post a “Preaching Tip” blog especially for pastors. But, if you will be so kind as to return on Thursday, I will continue sharing about this key spiritual discipline we call Going on a God Hunt.

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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For any who are new to the series of blog posts, the God Hunt is simply choosing to recognize God anytime He intervenes in your everyday life. In this series I have trained you to look for God in:

1. Any obvious answer to prayer.
2. Any unexpected evidence of His care.
3. Any help to do His work in the world.
4. Any unusual linkage or timing.

Here’s an example from Glen Pease, “Coincidence or Providence?” found at Faithmania.com:

Catherine Marshall wrote a book on the life of her late husband, Rev. Peter Marshall. She wanted to know more about Peter’s stepfather, Peter Findlay, but did not know how to obtain it. One night while dining with a couple of new friends, she told them of her desire to learn more about his stepfather. One of the friends replied, “Certainly you couldn’t be speaking of Peter Findlay?”

“Yes, why?” she answered.

“I worked beside him for years in the same office at Stewarts and Lloyds in Glasgow. I knew him well. What do you want to know?” the man said.

Of the hundreds of thousands in the Washington, D.C., area, the one man who knew Peter Findlay invited Catherine to join them for dinner.

Now that’s unusual linkage or timing!

Here’s an example from 1 Samuel 24:1-12:

After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for his is the anointed of the Lord.” With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went on his way.

Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. Now understand and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you’ve done to me, but my hand will not touch you.”

What an incredible narrative this is. I’m going to stop for today. But, if you’ll come back to this blog tomorrow, I will continue this fascinating story.

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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

Share and Enjoy