October 18, 2026 | An Unlikely Deliverer

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Devotional Reading: Ecclesiastes 7:1–13

Background Scripture: Judges 3

Introduction

A. Surprising Solution

It was my last Sunday at the church I attended through college. It was the weekend of my graduation. The minister called me to the front of the church and announced my plans for further education at a seminary hundreds of miles away. What he didn’t know was that although my departure date was imminent, I was stressed because I didn’t know where I was going to live. The new university did not have on-campus housing set aside for seminary students, and I had only briefly visited the town before acceptance. I was unfamiliar with the area and had no connections.

After the church service, my friends and family said goodbye and wished me well. An older couple hung back and approached me at the very end. They were unknown to me and knew nothing about my plans before that day. The couple told me they used to live in a town not far from my future school, and they still owned a house there. They offered it to me on the spot as a place to live while I attended seminary. I was thoroughly surprised by God’s method of provision!

God often prepares help for us long before we know what we need. Sometimes, that help shows up in unexpected ways or through unlikely people.