Several evenings ago, my two little boys begged me to go dig for gold and treasure with them in the backyard.
Their hopes were high, as every young boy knows pirates surely buried piles of looted gold and treasure all over the place.
I went out and we rooted around digging small holes but no gold nor treasure was found.
They dug more yesterday, again with no results but they just knew it had to be there. Their faith was high and their hope was palatable, so they worked diligently to find the treasure. Faith in action.
Today after they got home from the school day, I carefully hinted they might want to go look some more. Their little boy visions of finding piles of loot fired up again and they went back out, more determined than ever to find it.
They began digging deeper in the same hole we’d dug two days ago and whaddayaknow…they started finding treasure.
Little Axel jumped up in elated surprise, holding up a dirty quarter and yelling that he’d found treasure. Next, little Dane yelled in shock and bounced up and began jumping around while clutching a few other coins he’d found buried even deeper in the hole.
They bound around like the human puppies they are, celebrating their success, and I smiled along while enjoying their joy and celebration.
They dug deeper and found coin after coin, becoming little-boy rich with their exciting find.
Watching this unfold brought to mind God’s will for our lives.
We often have no idea the pathways our lives will take. At times, life is hard and full of complexity. Some of the time, life feels muted for seemingly unending periods and there is only perseverance. This is when we see that prayer is hope’s breathing. And on occasion, there is great joy, often with the deepest joys coming when the unexpected yet quietly hoped for combine through prayer to bring about amazing circumstances through the pureness of God’s allowance and blessing.
You see, I knew those two happy, hopeful, hard-working young boys would find those coins. Those coins had been pre-placed long before they began digging today.
Imagine what God has already pre-planned for your life…something that may seem highly unlikely or even ridiculously impossible, yet He knows and has already prepared your path long before it could ever occur.
Like a parent who prepares a great surprise for their kids and then gets the gift of seeing them lit up with joy as it unfolds, I’m sure God also enjoys our moments of discovery and excitement after persevering in faith, hope, prayer, and righteous actions.
God knows what’s wanted, or needed, or deserved, and he knows the desires of our hearts even better than we do. We are simply called to work faithfully and hopefully towards the goals and callings we’ve been given, and we are called to put our faith in His grace, with the knowledge God can easily handle what’s hard for us and bless hugely when and where needed.
Just as it was so much fun watching my young guys explode into excitement from finding the buried coins, God surely also takes great pleasure at watching our joy and celebration when the hard is lifted and the reason for celebration comes.
Just as a father joys in our children’s joys, God joys in our joys and celebrates with us, even though He knew long ago what was coming for us.
It’s always time to dig that hole out of faith, to persevere in what’s right, to hope in the unknown and the unlikely, to trust in God to bring about His perfect will, as He knows many years ahead of time the pathways of our lives…and when the time is right, to joyously celebrate when He brings about the very best for our lives, knowing He will be rejoicing right along with us.
Jude 24 & 25:
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Adam Winch
Founder, Defenders USA
