God Nods (10/18/2025)

Friday was one of those days. My first appointment ran over, and I was afraid I was going to be late for my next one. I headed to the interstate. As I approached the on-ramp, all I could see was two lanes of cars and semis, and I braced myself for a difficult merge into traffic. But as I neared the end of the on-ramp, the traffic passed, and there was nothing but open lane beside me and behind me. And I tipped my imaginary hat in the air to the LORD who’d just given me a “God Nod.”

“God Nods” are those little things that surprise us in good ways like a hole in traffic so we can get in, a green light when we’re running late, an empty seat on the aisle so we don’t have to climb over others, the last donut in the break room the day we didn’t have time to make breakfast. Some people would call it coincidence. Others would call it luck. I think it’s providence which is what “God Nods” are. I believe the LORD blesses us in unexpected ways. And the LORD knows how much I enjoy surprises.

One of the most important parts of our journeys of faith is recognizing that we do not go alone. “I am with you always” was His promise and if there’s one thing we should all share as people of faith is the conviction that our Savior is trustworthy. And not only do we have His promise of His loving presence but the promise of the Spirit. We’re not alone.

And part of sharing a journey is recognizing what the other is doing along the way. We seem to easily recognize when we are being tested; but I don’t always see the same level of recognition among others of the times the LORD is not only not testing us but leveling the playing field for us or even improving our chances.

I remember the old poem about taking time to start the day with prayer and how the day the poet didn’t didn’t go so well. Then the poem went on to note that the next day definitely began with prayer. And I often wonder if that is partly the source of the “God Nods.” When we begin the day with our recognition of both our need for the LORD and our trust in the LORD’s loving presence, perhaps we are more conscious of the LORD addressing our needs and of the LORD’s loving presence at just the time needed.

As we begin our weekend, let us open our minds and hearts to our LORD’s loving power and presence in our lives. Let us be on the alert for providence, for “God Nods” that punctuate our days with grace and love.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.