“Is it odd, or is it God?”
My husband coined that phrase in the early stages of learning to hear God’s voice. For instance, he frequently came across the number 333 in his everyday world. Eventually he considered searching it out in Scripture and landed on Jeremiah 33:3
“Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
It wasn’t odd. It was God!
A question follows—was this just a message for Jeremiah, for his situation, in his time? Or is the Bible a living book? Does the Holy Spirit use the ancient text to bring the same invitation to us? I believe it was for then and for now. Here’s another example.
Many years ago, I felt unloved as a wife. Our marriage hit rock bottom in the mid- 80’s, and I turned to God in my desperation. One day, while reading Song of Solomon, I came across these words:
“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.” Song of Solomon 7:10
I can still recall the ache inside my chest as I read that sentence. My marriage remained broken for a number of years. Yet, in that moment, I also felt a stirring in my spirit. What if God was saying those words to me? Susan, you are my beloved, and My desire is for you! A rush of warmth encompassed me, head to toe. My eyes welled up, and tears lined my hot cheeks. Maybe God would fill that emptiness inside me.
The verse became an “I love you” message between God and me.
After that, with uncanny frequency I started seeing “710” all the time. A license plate on the car in front of me ended in 710. An afterschool stop for snacks at a convenience store cost $7.10. A cell phone commercial on TV depicted a ringing phone. “The message is for you!” said the narrator. The tiny model number on the phone was 710. And once, while visiting a friend in Seattle, the power went off. When it returned, all the digital clocks in the house started flashing “7:10.” Was it odd, or was it God?
I wondered about it. Perhaps those coincidences were happening because I was looking for them. So I picked a random number—“506.” I’d watch for it too, in case I was playing mind games with myself. But 506 only came up once or twice over the years.
The most amazing 710 moment happened one morning in my kitchen. Duncan and I like our coffee “just so.” Therefore, to keep the peace, we have two coffeemakers. Each pot has a digital clock, but we never bothered setting the time. On that particular day, I stood at the counter stirring milk into my first cup of coffee. I looked down and happened to notice something. My husband’s coffeemaker said “7:10,” even though it was 8:15 in real time. Warm buttery feelings enveloped me.
“Hi God,” I whispered, tilting my head to one side. “I love you too.”
A smile stayed on my face as I headed toward a favorite chair to read my Bible. But God wasn’t done talking. Within the hour, I returned for a second cup, utterly stunned to find the clock on my coffeemaker said “7:10”! I gasped. What were the statistical chances of that? There are moments when you can’t help but sink down to your knees. And down I went. Bowing my head, I released deep sighs from my chest.
“Oh God!” I said under my breath. “You really love me! You really do.”
God speaks, now one way, now another, because we may not understand it at first. But He’ll keep trying, because the moment we get it, something supernatural touches our very being. The intimacy of God—closer than our skin—becomes a transformational experience.
Is it odd, or is it God? That question may pop up in your life. Don’t brush it off. Take a second glance at the simple and ordinary things so easily overlooked in your world of divine happenstance.
Please share your Odd-or-God moment with other readers!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your personal experience.
This is so good Susan. Such words of life. You do know His love and it continually pours out of you!
sus (suze), does anyone call you that for short? i can always call you darling since i know you like that old-fashioned expression. as with many others who believe, rainbows have come into play (ha, yes, PLAY. could be a blog, ‘playing with god’ which you’ve actually already brought into your posts). once when i needed comfort after my earthly dad died, a piece of rainbow in a dark overcast sky showed up like a wink. i knew, i knew. then another time, after basing an entire hugely important decision on what i decided were little miracle directions, i panicked when everything seemed to be coming apart. but just then, cresting the top of a long reach of road i was greeted by the most massive rainbow and all the warning car engine lights went off with no further problems as my teenage daughter and i (alone but not really) cruised into bozeman where i knew not a soul. first motel we came to? the ‘rainbow motel’ and from there we found a house to rent and a nurse job for me. rainbow placement to relieve anxiety attacks. god letting me know i was managing to follow the breadcrumbs of his will, locating myself in his plan by rainbow GPS! oh, and those rainbows have never stopped reassuring me when needed. usually in desperation, but sometimes just a treat like a dairy queen from daddy.
You, only you can call me “sus” or “darling” — I love it! I am very moved by the rainbow over the sky–reminder of the promises of God and He is the kind who keeps them.