Divine Connections, Divine Opportunities – July 31, 2016

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

This post came to my remembrance as I was studying today about God’s ultimate, eternal purpose — all that He intended to accomplish through His Son in the fullness of time. It was originally written on my first blogsite “Daughter of Destiny” on July 31, 2016.

In Matthew 4:2-4, when Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil after fasting forty days and forty nights, satan came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “… It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Jesus’ encounter was the unfolding of God’s eternal purpose. According to Adam Clarke’s Commentary “but by every word” means:

But by (or, upon, επι ) every word – Ρημα, in Greek, answers to דבר dabar in Hebrew, which means not only a word spoken, but also thing, purpose, appointment, etc. Our Lord’s meaning seems to be this: God purposes the welfare of his creatures – all his appointments are calculated to promote this end. Some of them may appear to man to have a contrary tendency; but even fasting itself, when used in consequence of a Divine injunction, becomes a mean of supporting that life which it seems naturally calculated to impair or destroy.¹

God has plans for each and every one of His children. He strategically places people in our lives for the fulfillment of His eternal purposes. Often people will refer to these as “divine appointments” or “divine connections.” What are divine connections? Let’s look at the words divine and connection. Merriam-Webster states divine means coming directly from God or a god and connection means-to link, join, bond, or association.² So, divine connections are relationships or associations sent directly from God. These connections or people are sent to link, join, or bond with you as a part of God’s eternal purpose. They are designed by God to help bring to past a promise or a future event that is pre-ordained by Him.

Divine connections are priceless because God uses these relationships to direct us to our destiny and bring increase to us. In my life I have been blessed with wonderful people of God who have not only loved me and been spiritual leaders who helped guide me, but, who have also been there to watch out for me. Many times these people are placed into our lives so we can glean their wisdom and knowledge for our life choices. But they are also placed in our lives to pray for us and protect us from traps perhaps we don’t even see coming.

Divine connections really are divinely inspired to remind us that we are not alone on our journey, that He will provide and that He uses others who have something we need so He can give it to us through them. Throughout the Bible God uses divine connections, covenant relationships, such as Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan, Elijah and Elisha, and Paul and Timothy, to bring people into their destiny according to His eternal purposes.

Divine opportunities, divine connections can represent new connections, new doors and new seasons in our lives. The opportunity rarely comes packaged the way we expect it to. I call this a divine test to see if you will obey God or not. It is very important that we recognize divine connections for one reason; they have a destiny assignment attached to them. Remember the story of Ruth and Naomi. If Ruth would have left Naomi during the rough times, she would have never meet Boaz! There is no way Ruth could have been able to predict where her life would take her without God divinely connecting her to Naomi. Ruth had to recognize the benefits of remaining with Naomi instead of returning to her family like Orpah. Ruth made a vow or covenant to remain with Naomi, calling judgment upon herself if she ever left her (Ruth 1:17). Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi was rewarded by marriage to a rich eligible bachelor named Boaz. Boaz was a type (prophetic symbol) of Christ and His redemptive work in our lives today. What a story! Through this union God was able to redeem all that had been lost.

The book reveals the extent of God’s grace, accepting Ruth into His chosen people and honoring her with a role in continuing the family line into which His appointed king, David, and later His Son, Jesus, would be born (Matt. 1:1,5).

So, we see that divine connections are sent to help fulfill what God has purposed to happen. In 2016, the Lord connected me with Women In Ministry Network (WIMN) in which I was later ordained as a minister. I share this as a testimony of how God divinely connects people for His eternal purposes. As Adam Clarke’s commentary states: “Our Lord’s meaning seems to be this: God purposes the welfare of his creatures – all his appointments are calculated to promote this end.“

I believe divine connections in these last days are critical for the body of Christ like never before. The fulfillment of God’s eternal purpose depends greatly on His Church divinely connecting and growing into a mature body. Take a moment to reflect on who God may have divinely appointed to be in your life right now. Thank Him for connecting you with those who will help bring about His eternal purpose for the Church. Now go one step further and ask the Lord to reveal to you the people to whom you are their divine appointment. Who has God put in your path that you were strategically placed there to love, encourage, strengthen, support, etc.

Don’t miss your divine connections! It’s important at this time to make sure to discern who to link up with for God specific purposes for your life and His eternal purpose.

In His Service,

Minister A. Francine Green

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