He Works Behind the Scenes

Well, the first ever Pillars Girls Conference has come and gone. I think we are all still processing all that God did and how powerfully he moved in the lives of the girls, mom’s, leaders and even breakout leaders this weekend. I am sure we will be processing until next year when by His grace we do it all over again!

The day before the conference Candace and I were just talking about how humbles & blown away we were by the Sovereignty of God. He is into the details. His hand and fingerprints have been ALL over this conference LONG before we even had it in our minds God had it in His! He had this conference in mind long before we did and brought the right people together that He wanted to be apart of this movement! Nothing happens by accident! This post is one I posted awhile back, but this morning as I reflect on this past weekend my mind just keeps going back to it! Our God is a “Master of Ceremonies.”

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” (James 1:17 NIV)

Now that we’ve defined friendship, lets’ consider why God gave us this gift. After all, He certainly didn’t have to. Yet in His infinite goodness He did. God hardwired us for friendship. He placed in our hearts the desire for these relationships and the ability to form them. More important, in His wonderful sovereignty, the Lord orchestrates and weaves life’s together so that two individuals will cross paths and from that point forward walk together as friends. C.S Lewis observed this truth by saying

“We think we have chosen our peers. In reality, a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one University instead of another, posting to different regiments, the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting—any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, “Ye have not chosen me, but I chosen you,” can truly say to every group of Christian friends, “You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.”

Recalling the various moments God used to introduce me to the people who are my closest friend, I am awed by His handiwork. He actually has employed everything from boy crushes to Bible study classes, shared cubicles, shared experiences, and a shared love for Mexican food. He knew that I would need each one of these amazing people in my life in order to fulfill His purpose, and vice versa.

I have come to realize that friendships of all kinds are not accidental or coincidental. God is extremely purposeful in all He does and wastes absolutely nothing. He has a purpose for our friendships. He places people in our path for seasons and lifetimes for a reason only fully known in His all-knowing and all-loving nature. Lewis perfectly describes this involvement by comparing God to a secret Master of Ceremonies at work who chooses us for one another.

Excerpt from:“The Girlfriends Guidebook: Navigating Female Friendships” by: Marian Jordan