Signs and Wonders

As I looked at the beautiful sign that Christina left behind after she and her family checked out of Hattie’s House last week, I couldn’t help but smile. It was such a thoughtful gift—simple, unexpected, and filled with gratitude. It reminded me once again that God is always at work, often in ways we don’t recognize until we pause long enough to notice.

Christina and her son Isaiah had spent months in one of our apartments while Isaiah courageously battled cancer. As they prepared to head home, they left behind this beautiful reminder of their journey and their gratitude. It was far more than a decoration. To me, it became one more reminder that the gracious hand of God is continually at work.

What made it even more meaningful was where Christina is from.

She is from Vallejo—the city where I grew up.

Little did I know as a young boy growing up in Vallejo that decades later God would bring people from that very city into my life through Hattie’s House. In fact, it has happened over and over again. Families have come from Vallejo, Napa, Vacaville, Fairfield, Sacramento, and so many places throughout Northern California where I have lived, worked, competed, built friendships, or simply passed through over the years.

It is as though God has been weaving together threads that were started long before I ever understood His plan.

It made me think about the signs and wonders throughout Scripture.

I thought of the widow whose jar of oil never ran dry as God miraculously provided through Elisha. I thought of the widow who first chose to trust God by making a small cake, only to discover that His provision never failed. I thought about how often God used simple, ordinary moments to reveal His extraordinary faithfulness.

Then my thoughts turned to Jesus.

People continually asked Him for another sign, another miracle, another proof. Yet Jesus pointed them to the greatest sign of all—the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah spent three days in the great fish, Jesus would spend three days in the grave before rising again. His death, burial, and resurrection would become the greatest sign and wonder the world would ever know.

I wonder how many signs we miss every day.

Life moves so quickly. We hurry from one appointment to the next. Our minds are filled with schedules, responsibilities, and distractions. We become so focused on what is immediately in front of us that we often fail to notice what God is doing behind the scenes.

Yet all throughout Scripture, God invites us to pay attention.

One of my favorite verses is found in Nehemiah. Twice he declares that “the gracious hand of my God was upon me” (Nehemiah 2:8, 2:18). What a beautiful way to live—to recognize that God’s hand is leading, guiding, opening doors, providing, protecting, and orchestrating circumstances even when we cannot see Him working.

Perhaps the greatest signs and wonders are not always the spectacular miracles.

Perhaps they are the quiet reminders that God has gone before us.

A conversation at just the right moment.

An unexpected encouragement.

A door that opens when none seemed possible.

A friendship that comes full circle decades later.

A grateful family from your hometown leaving behind a simple sign that quietly whispers, “I was here… and so was God.”

My prayer for you today is that you would slow down enough to notice.

May you recognize the signs and wonders of God that surround you every day. May you become increasingly aware that the Good Shepherd is leading you, directing your steps, and reminding you that you are never walking alone.

And may you, like Nehemiah, be able to say with confidence:

“The gracious hand of my God was upon me