Have you ever noticed how God seems to work? Most days are just another day. Yet somehow some days seem to be more special than others. Breakfast may be the normal. The morning routine may be ordinary. Lunch is typical. Yet somehow, out of nowhere…there is this voice. The kind that speaks to your heart. That whisper that gets your undivided attention. It may even direct your steps differently that day. Somehow, someway, God speaks to you. No one else hears His voice. The people around you have no idea what is taking place in your heart. But it’s a life-changing event.
That’s what happened to David in the Bible. David was keeping the sheep just like he did every other day. This day was different. It was the day that Samuel, the Prophet, anointed him King of Israel (I Samuel 16:13).
A young Jewish girl named Esther (Esther 2:17) won a beauty contest and was chosen by King Ahasuerus to be the new Queen of Persia.
Some of the disciples were busy about their fathers’ business, fishing. The Lord just happened by and called them to be His disciples. There are no accidents in the way the Lord chooses people for His service. Somehow, He picks ordinary people in ordinary places doing everyday things, and he speaks to them in such a way there is no mistake. It is the Lord who is doing the speaking.
Nehemiah was going about his daily duties when his brother Hanani arrived from Jerusalem to tell him the condition of the city. The report broke his heart. The news made Nehemiah weep. It was sad that the city, the capital of Israel, laid in ruins, and there were no plans to correct it. But what could Nehemiah do? He was over 500 miles away. There was only one thing he could do. Pray. So, Nehemiah prayed and fasted. He prayed for months.
It was an ordinary day. Nehemiah was at work doing the cupbearer’s job, a responsibility that required him to taste the King’s wine. It was Nehemiah’s responsibility to taste the wine to make sure that it didn’t have poison in it. If someone wanted to kill the King, it was the cupbearer’s responsibility to die before the King drank the poisoned wine. But when the King saw that Nehemiah was sad, he was in big trouble. It was against the law for anyone to be unhappy around the King. Yet the King allowed Nehemiah to explain. Explain he did. Nehemiah had the nerve to ask the King for permission to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls. He even had the boldness to ask for the resources from the King to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. It was just an ordinary day, the King said, go to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall.
God somehow answers prayer. It may take months to get an answer. Sometimes in an extraordinary way on an ordinary day, our God will answer. It’s just a reminder to pray on ordinary days. You never know when God will answer your prayer or redirect your life. But it will be on an ordinary day.