06/10/2025
A couple of years ago, I was in the Denver airport early in the morning, waiting to catch my flight home. I walked into one of the many restaurants to eat a quick breakfast, and there was only one seat open in the entire place…at the bar. It was 7 am.
I sat down, ordered my breakfast, and then glanced at the gentleman sitting to my right at the exact moment he glanced at me. I’m sure we both had the same stunned expression when he said, “Pastor Rick! What are you doing here?!?” I recognized him from church, but I didn’t know his name, so he introduced himself, and we took time in that twenty-minute, pre-flight breakfast to get acquainted.
As I left the restaurant and began walking to my gate, I thought to myself, What are the odds? This guy is a businessman who flies all over the country. Of all the airports he flies in and out of, why the Denver airport at the same time that I happened to be there? Of the gazillion restaurant options in the Denver airport, why did we both pick the same one? Why was there only one seat open in that restaurant…and it happened to be right next to him?
It was one of those rare moments when the only explanation I could offer was that this was either a random, chance encounter or that God was at work. Come to find out, God was at work. That “chance” encounter has led to a friendship and further ministry opportunities possessing tremendous potential for greater Kingdom impact.
I’ve been told by people I love that there is no such thing as coincidence. Maybe. I’m not quite there yet. I’m still not a pre-determinist, which sounds more like a Muslim idea than a Christian one, but I do acknowledge that God sometimes shows up in mysterious ways like a random “divine appointment” in the Denver airport.
William Cope Moyers describes a moment in his life when he suddenly and against all odds came face-to-face “accidentally” on the street with someone from his past. That chance encounter unforgettably illuminated for him the grace of God in his life at the exact moment he needed a gentle reminder. He writes, “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous” (Broken, 350-51).
Although I don’t think it’s healthy for us to assign every random event as a “God-sighting,” becoming more aware of His presence in our day-to-day lives is a spiritual practice of maturing believers.
So, here’s my challenge for you today. Be open to those random moments and little coincidences you may encounter. They may be unexpected opportunities to see God at work, even if He chooses to remain anonymous.
“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8, ESV).
