This is going to be a really simple post.
Joel’s at the age when patterns are a big part of math. So I see stuff like this all the time:
oo~ oo~ oo~ , or xcvxcvxcv. See? Joel often points to a bunch of trees or something and says, “Hey Dad, look, a pattern!”
God likes to use patterns too. There was a rhythm to creation, a pattern to Noah’s ark. His Temple was intricately patterned to reflect heavenly realities. Some of these patterns are number related: God is a trinity, and humans are body, soul, and spirit. There are twelve tribes in Israel, and twelve gates in heaven. You get the idea.
All this is to say, pay attention to the patterns in your life. Or rather, become attentive to your life and notice its rhythms, its patterns, its repetitions, its coincidences, its echoes. If you find a pattern, talk to God about it.
I worked nine years in Winkler, Manitoba as a successful youth pastor. I never got another job offer in the first eight years. Not one. Year nine? I got five. DING!
I’ve been praying about a facet of my ministry that used to be a prominent one: prayer ministry and healing. Hardly a blip on the screen in the past few years. And then, two appointments in one week. God’s got my attention, and my response is a combination of Joel’s and the bible boy Samuel’s:
“Hey Dad, look! A pattern! Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
Is he in the pattern? Maybe, maybe not. But because I’m listening, I’m going to find out.