Prearranged vs Predestination
Many times people confuse the “natural savior” with the True “Spirit Savior.” Like the old joke about the man that slipped on the roof of the 6 story building he was roofing and while sliding down the roof slant and to his certain doom, cried out in desperation, “God please save me!” And a second later a large protruding nail snagged the seat of his britches and brought the roofer to a halt, to which he exclaimed after realizing he was safe, “Never mind God, this nail just saved me.”
God, while not a God of individual predestination, is a God of “prearrangement” in many of the situations of life. And these prearranged situations can easily be mistaken for merely natural occurrences—which they are, in one sense, but when one realizes that it was God who placed that certain someone, thing or event into the world for a certain place and time and for a certain reason then the glory is God’s not the natural’s.
The tree that Zaccheus was to climb, I think, was a prearranged tree—even though it had grown there for years—yet it also had not only a natural existence but also a spiritual destiny! The Bible story of Zaccheus makes that clear to me—he sought to know who Jesus was and was prevented by the crowd—but lo and behold a tree was there—just right to get a view! Conicendince? I think not—I think it was part of God’s many “prearranged” miracles. The tree did not zip up out of the ground in an instant (now who would miss calling THAT a miracle?) But because it had been there for years—no one thought of it as a miracle. BUT it was!
We all know that God does work instantaneous miracles (like blinded eyes opened, etc) BUT He also works through prearranged miracles. Since God KNEW the prayers before we prayed He is able to answer them long before they are prayed. “You have not because you ask not.” And “He knows your need before you ask.” Therefore God’s miracles many times are written off as “just a natural occurrence.” Yet to those that understand a bit about how God prearranges – they still see a miracle while others only see an old established sycamore tree.
So, the next time you find yourself praying for a miracle. . . don’t forget to look for an old tree by the roadside. . . it might just be “your” tree of destiny..
And how many people fail to see the “Tree” of Calvary….
–jlg–