God is in the Details

I remember the first time I really felt God was working in the details of my life.  Events unfolded in such a manner that it was obvious it was a "Godincidence" - what others might call a coincidence.

It became an altar in my walk...a focal point I could look back on and say "there...God met me right there...and did something amazing."

For years, I harbored a dream that someday I might make a living from singing Christian music.  Along the way, I joined the Gospel Music Association.   They offered a music conference in Virginia which I mentioned to a friend.  She too wanted to attend the conference and we talked about driving down together and staying with her sister who lived in the area.  Problem was, this friend had a habit of over committing.

Knowing that about her, I reserved a room in the conference hotel and a train ticket.   I paid for neither because I really didn't know where the money would come from if I had to go that route.  I shared with another friend my fear that I might be canceled on, my potential alternate plans, and that I really couldn't afford those plans.  And then I said something even I was surprised to hear myself say.


"I'm not going to try to manipulate this situation in any way.  If God wants me to go, he'll have to provide the money."

Right on cue, less than a week before, my friend canceled.  I called the conference coordinators to see if they knew if anyone needed a room mate.  I was told they didn't coordinate such details, but they sent me a list of attendees since I'd receive it upon arrival anyway.  Perhaps I could call those on the list and make arrangements.

I contacted 2 people from New Jersey.  One was so far away it wasn't feasible.  The other, a woman named Helga, never responded.    I chastised myself for even trying to work out that much of the details and prayed again that if it was God's will, He would make a way.

A few days later, my dad got remarried to a lovely lady - his high school sweetheart, Shirley.  After the wedding, he explained that Shirley had sold her home, and she wanted to give us a gift  for welcoming her so totally into our family.  He handed me a sum of money that was sufficient to cover the conference registration cost and the train ticket.  My jaw dropped - maybe I could go after all.

There was still the matter of  hotel costs and sundries, so I continued to wait. 

Two nights before my trip, nothing had changed.  I went to work, and headed home, sad the weekend wouldn't be spent in Virginia.  Around 6pm, a co-worker called.  She had been working late when the phone rang on my desk.  She answered it.  Now I don't know about you, but any office I've worked in, your co-workers just don't pick up your phone - especially after hours!

There was a woman on the other end of the line, Polly from New Hampshire...and she said something about a conference and sharing a room?  Polly asked for my home contact info, but my co-worker didn't want to give that out.  She took Polly's information and told her she'd pass it along to me.

I could barely contain myself as I dialed the woman.  How on earth did she get my name?  Well, it seemed she too called the conference people about a roommate and 'just happened' to speak to the same woman I had spoken to.   That woman remembered (a week after I had called!) I was looking for a roomie too.  My new roommate only needed a place for Saturday night, but having someone split the cost for one of the nights was sign enough for me!  The next day, I headed to the train station to pick up my ticket.  24 hours later, I was bound for Virginia.

At the tiny little station where I was left off, another woman looked as confused at where to go as I was.  Turns out she was from New York and was heading to the conference too.  We split the cost of the cab ride to the hotel.  At the registration desk, we discovered there had been a mix up with the payment for her room so she had nowhere to go.

I offered to share my room for the night and said "Maybe this is why I'm here this weekend - to give you a place to stay!"  The following morning she decided to head back home. 

As I stood alone in the hotel room, it dawned on me I had no way to the conference center.  I was startled by the phone ringing.  The front desk said someone was in the lobby for me - Polly.  She'd arrived early and stopped by to see if I needed a ride.  Like I said, God is in the details!

During the lunch break I saw a woman with "Helga" on her name tag.  How many Helga's could there be at this conference?

"Hey, you never responded to my email" I joked.

She had never received it.  In addition, she had booked a room across town, unable to get into the conference hotel, so I offered for her to stay with me the last night.  She canceled her room and split the cost with me for the last night.  Because she'd driven down, she even gave me a ride to the train station.

By the time I left that conference I learned so much about God and my dream.

Some might think all that miraculous coordination was so I could see my dream come to fruition. But what it taught me SO clearly was that is wasn't what God would have me pursue.   

It also taught me some very important truths about God...

1) God is not restricted -  while I thought inside the box and tried to find someone in New Jersey to share a ride or room with, He brought people from New Jersey, New York and New Hampshire into the picture.

2)  God is creative - the costs of the conference weekend were covered in a wide variety of ways - ways I would never have dreamed of, let alone try to coordinate on my own.

3)  God is in the details - from connecting Polly and I through the conference worker, to providing a stranded woman a place to spend the night, to a ride to the conference and the train station and more, every little detail of that weekend fell into place.

I took my hands off the situation, placed my requests before God, and put my trust in His ability to work things together according to His will.

His will.  It meant the death of one dream, but the birth of another so much more exciting!

Linking up at God-sized Dreams