Winking at You

God reminds us through His Word and the realization of His presence that He is with us. Isaiah 41
delivers this truth; we can read:
8 "But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.
9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its farthest regions, And said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

We can know and be assured that God is with us.  He has redeemed us and brought us into a relationship with Himself, and He desires to walk with us, helping us to navigate the challenges of this life.  We can track, or identity, how He is working and look to Him as we confront the difficult decisions that we make.  His Spirit will show us the way we should walk and will orchestrate the events of our life in accordance with His plan; we can be sensitized to that, so we will follow where and when He leads.

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In the book of Philippians, Paul teaches about the Holy Spirit partnering with us to fulfill His plan for us. In the 2nd chapter, we find these words:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world...

We can look for the evidence of the presence of God, the One who sees us and wants us to know Him.  The One who made us is the One who sees us and knows us.

Kathie Lee Gifford and Nicole C. Mullen have collaborated on a short film called, The God Who Sees.  The website for the project, which is described as "A Modern Oratorio," describes it this way:

The God Who Sees is a short film directed by Kathie Lee Gifford based on a song written by Gifford and Grammy-nominated, Nicole C. Mullen. Mullen is featured as the narrator and performer as she journeys throughout the Holy Land recounting the stories of Hagar, Ruth and David during their wilderness experiences, and ending with Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem at the tomb of the Risen Savior, Jesus.

The song at the center of the film, which is just over 12-1/2 minutes long, was nominated for a GMA Dove Award this year, for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year.  Kathie Lee and Nicole were presenters during the awards show, and visited the press room to talk about how the video and how God is working through their lives.

You can access a video of Kathie Lee and Nicole's comments in the Press Room at the 2019 GMA Dove Awards here:

In their comments, Kathie Lee mentioned her involvement with the Godwinks series of films on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel.  Last year's A Godwink Christmas will be followed this year by A Godwink Christmas: Made for Love, which debuts on Friday, November 15.  You can catch the original this Saturday night at 8:00 CT.  It was inspired by a true-life love story of Gery and Paula Conover, who own the Charlotte Inn on Martha's Vineyard.  As the Godwinks.com website states: "Godwinks of weather and divine alignment lead Paula to meeting Gery Conover..., owner of the charming Charlotte Inn on the Vineyard."

A CBN.com story featured the co-author of the series of Godwinks books which have inspired the movies, SQuire Rushnell.  In its article on the book, When God Winks at You, it states:

SQuire defines a "God wink" as a personal communication from God to an individual, which is usually a circumstance or event that seems like coincidence but is too personal to be so. They are messages of reassurance and encouragement from God throughout one's life to reassure an individual that he or she is on the right track. "God winks" are like sign posts -- sign posts usually don't direct you; they reassure you of where you are going. Sometimes we wonder if God really listens to us directly, and a "God wink" can be a direct response to that.

Rushnell, who met his wife through a series of such events, according to the story, is quoted as saying: “God is watching us, and 'God winks' are messages of hope that come when we need them the most,” adding, “Our lives are not random experiences taking us to destinations unknown...Our lives are part of a much greater plan.”

This concept falls right in line with the work of God in a Christian's life. If only we can learn to recognize and listen to the plans of God.  Ultimately, I would contend that the ultimate plan for our lives is to come to know Christ and follow Him wholeheartedly.  And, along the way, God is attempting to get the attention of everyone, believer or unbeliever, with the intent of that person surrendering to Jesus.

It can be helpful and encouraging to look back and see how God has led you to this point in time.  When we have a sense of how God's hand has been upon us in the past, it can provide assurance that He is continuing to guide our lives.  He has not left us to fend for ourselves - now, if we decide to "go it alone," He will certainly allow that, but we face the negative consequences of our uninformed choices.

Day by day, we can know God walks with us.  There will be those times, I believe, that we can attribute to the Holy Spirit, arranging situations, getting our attention, directing us in a decision.  He is active in our lives, and we can sense His presence with us and know and affirm His love and care.