New hope (Part 2) – Day 6

Stefan was a talented 15-year-old cricketer from Bellville. For two years, he has been the only cricketer from his high school that was invited for the Western Province U/19 cricket trials. At the beginning of that year, he and his single mom faced a challenge. His equipment was getting too small for him as he was already standing 1.9 metres tall wearing a size 12 shoe and, due to financial pressures at home, they could not afford new equipment for him.

This is why Stefan’s mom sent Radio Tygerberg an e-mail to help him. With her e-mail, she included a testimonial by Stefan’s cricket coach telling us about his special talent, and that he had decided to coach Stefan free due to the financial pressure at home.

A colleague of mine was touched by this e-mail, and decided to buy leg pads and gloves for Stefan. Two days later, we were able to phone Stefan during our morning show on air with the surprise. He was ecstatic. A few of our listeners contacted us via our SMS-line in the studio immediately afterwards, informing us that they also want to contribute financially towards Stefan’s new equipment. By Friday that week, we were able to phone Stefan again with the news that we can also add new shoes, a bat, a helmet and a new kit bag to his equipment list.

After the program that Friday, I received a call from a listener named Paul. He had played cricket for some time in London. On his return to South Africa, something went wrong at Heathrow airport and his cricket kit stayed behind. In South Africa, he was forced to buy new equipment, as he had to play a few matches for a local cricket club. He used the new equipment for about two or three games when his cricket kit bag arrived from England. It is a few years later now and his almost brand new equipment still stands in his garage. He wanted to donate it to Stefan. What I found interesting was that the equipment was exactly the sizes Stefan needed – even the number 12 pair of shoes! Paul also offered to contact Stefan, so that he could encourage him or act as a kind of mentor for him.

Paul’s call made me realise that we can look at this incident in one of two ways: We can either see it as mere coincidence that his equipment was exactly the right size and that he wanted to help Stefan. On the other hand, we can see it as a divine intervention from God. As for the latter, one could say that Paul’s temporary inconvenience with the equipment stranded in London was actually all part of God’s plan, because he knew that Stefan would need the new equipment and also Paul’s support for a time such as this.

God knows our future and he knows what we need before we even know it ourselves. In Psalm 139:7-12, the psalmist reminds us of the fact that we can never escape God’s presence: Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me; your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. And in verse 16, we are reminded that God knew each of us before our birth: Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

So, if you feel discouraged today, begin to thank God for being a part of your present and your future circumstances. Your temporary discomfort might be all he needs to shape your character and work things together behind the scenes, so that you can experience your breakthrough at exactly the right time! Trust him, he always knows best. God bless.