God’s Guidance, Not Coincidence
“I once thought everything good was just coincidence, but now, after inviting Jesus into my heart, I truly see that it was no coincidence. It was all part of God’s plan for me.” says Jace.
Jace’s journey with God started as he prepared for school at the University of Southern California. As Jace was getting ready to leave home, he was struggling with the meaning of his life, the purpose of his existence. Further thought led him to consider a book that he had heard about, but had never read, the Bible.
“I once thought everything good was just coincidence, but now, after inviting Jesus into my heart, I truly see that it was no coincidence. It was all part of God’s plan for me.” says Jace.
Jace’s journey with God started as he prepared for school at the University of Southern California. As Jace was getting ready to leave home, he was struggling with the meaning of his life, the purpose of his existence. Further thought led him to consider a book that he had heard about, but had never read, the Bible. Before he left home, he decided to start reading the Bible, to see what it had to offer him in his search for a deeper meaning in his life.
In the midst of these musings, another ‘coincidence’ occurred. Jace met Mr. Lee. Mr. Lee knew quite a bit about USC because his son, Sun, was a student there. Mr. Lee told Jace about Sun and about the Trojan Christian Fellowship, the InterVarsity chapter at USC, a good place to meet ‘cool’ people.
Jace made his way to USC. When he arrived at his dorm, he realized that, coincidently, he was rooming next to Sun Lee. During his first week, Jace also chanced to meet Teresa, a student leader of the Trojan Christian Fellowship. The Holy Spirit had led her to live in the dorms to be available for students like Jace who wanted to know more about spiritual things. She invited Jace to a GIG (Group Investigating God) to explore the Bible in more depth. Here, Jace spent time in God’s word with his new friends from InterVarsity.
These friends invited Jace to Fall Conference at Campus by the Sea, InterVarsity’s training facility on Catalina Island. Shortly after he arrived at Campus by the Sea, Jace prayed that he would be shown something or told something that would push him closer to God. Jace tells us what happened next. “The weekend at Campus by the Sea was my answer. I became a Christian that very weekend because I recognized God’s plan for me, and was witnessing it in action. God brought me to USC, to the dorm I was in, to InterVarsity and to Catalina. He’s led me to this place and he would lead me to a better life. Jesus’ love is so powerful, and for that, I am grateful. I am also grateful for all the new brothers and sisters that God has brought into my life.”
After accepting Christ, Jace read Luke 15, the parable of the prodigal son. He says, “Reading that portion of the Bible reminded me that I have finally come home. Times aren’t always good, but faith is what helps us through. I really have come to God’s home.”
To some, the events that led Jace to the conference at Campus by the Sea could be attributed to chance, but Jace knows that God was drawing him closer to a saving grace in Him.