CONTINGENCY (Genesis 48:15)

See God in the Contingencies of Your Life.

• "..the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.." (Gen 48:15, NIV).
• "...the God who has looked after me all my life till this day..." (Robert Alter).

** Are you here today because every contingency throughout your life has led you to this very moment?

Contingency in life:

• Unexpected, chance occurrences, a conversation, meeting, accident.
• Profoundly shape your life path, radically alter long-term outcomes.

** Hassn’t your life been shaped by small, random, uncontrollable events?

• 
  Oswald Chambers' quotes: "Never believe that so-called random events of life are anything less than God's appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere."
• [Even] "dark times are allowed and come to us through the sovereignty of God."
• "A saint's life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see."

What are some verses about contingency?

• "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Gen 50:20).
• "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Rom 8:28).
• "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails" (Prov 19:21).
• "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Est 4:14)

** Can you "see" God in the big and small events in your life?

** How do you think God takes care of you?

• God guides and takes care of you through your life: through events, through the work of the Holy Spirit and through Scripture.

My Life before Christ: Restless Wanderer, Quiet Desperation.

• The Lord said, "You will be a restless wanderer on the earth" (Gen 4:10, 12).
• Cain said to the Lord, "I will be a restless wanderer on the earth (Gen 4:13-14).
• "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Henry David Thoreau.

An Epiphany Moment: Emptiness (Gen 1:2).

• "Now the earth was formless and EMPTY, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (Gen 1:2).
• "Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are." Soren Kierkegaard.

The verse that led to my conversion: "...you must not..." (Gen 2:17).

• I met the God who lives in unapproachable light (1 Tim 6:16).

My first "One Word" was FIRST (Mt 6:33).

My second "One Word" was Deny Myself (Lk 9:23). 4 "D's" to follow Jesus:

1. Desire. "If anyone would come after me..."
2. Detachment. "...he must deny himself..."
3. Decision. "take up his cross daily..."
4. Direction. "...and follow me."
5. Die: All the above "D's" require you to die!
• "Christianity is ongoing training in dying early." Stanley Hauerwas.
• "Die before you die, there is no chance after." C. S. Lewis.

Concluding Questions:

• Do you see God in all the details and contingencies of your life?
• Will you let God take care of you? Or do you make sure yourself?
• Do you live without any fear of whatever the future may bring?
• Has God been your shepherd all your life to this day?