The Godwink Effect [Divine Coincidence, Answered Prayer, and God’s Blessing…]

With God there are no coincidences.

Back in the 2010’s while living in Nashville, I told God I was not going to message Jerry Jenkins unless He caused one more coincidence to occur. The next day, Jerry Jenkins posted the above quote. It was God’s green light; a Godwink I couldn’t ignore. We had a nice exchange and, hands-down, he gave me the best writing advice I’d received. But more importantly, He restored my faith that good people do exist in the commerce of all things Christianity related. I worked in the music industry. So, I had experience. 😉 Not to mention that the two local authors, both of whom were in my church community, were “busy” I recall.

What is a Godwink?

But this sweet exchange with a NYT best seller not only restored my faith that great leaders really do lend a hand down the ladder, but it also cemented the idea of a Godwink into my consciousness. A Godwink is an event or personal experience, often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention, especially when perceived as the answer to a prayer. It’s not that I hadn’t experienced them in my life, but I now had a phrase in my lexicon that linked the events to an acute awareness of God’s love in moments of confusion, disappointment, gratitude, or even His beckoning to jump.

A Godwink Story

I’ve experienced many Godwinks during my life. Recently, God granted my sweet Stormy Girl, who by-the-way is no longer a girl, her own Godwink encouraging her to jump and change course. Just as He had when it had been our turn to make a God-sized leap to Hometown, OK in the early days of 2020. What makes both these Godwinks even more incredulous is that they not only coincided on the same calendar week, six years apart, but they also coincided with the same calendar week of when my chasing justice journey began in 2015 with Cousin Carl. I guess God likes to make big, flashy moves around the sixth of January. Or at least in our family’s lives. Coincidentally, January 6th is the Day of Epiphany.  You can’t make this stuff up, y’all. My mind is literally blown.

The Godwink Effect

When traveling, I love visiting indie bookstores or the B&N. On one such trip I purchased The Godwink Effect by Squire Rushnell. After my daughter’s recent brush with her own Godwink, I couldn’t resist scooping up the book from my TBR stack and reading it. In the book, the author of Schoolhouse Rock fame shares seven secrets for experiencing God’s signs, wonders, and answered prayers. One of my most favorite quotes was in Chapter One, “Each Godwink invites us to trust Him more” reminding us we are loved. Amen.

Through stories of coincidental moments, The Godwink Effect reminds us God never leaves us and prompts us to look for the Godwinks in our lives. God truly moves mountains to comfort, protect, inspire, and guide us, friend. He cares down to the smallest details of our deepest longings. And the good news is when we recognize the totality of His mercy, grace, and compassion in these Godwink moments, we see the enormity of His love for us. And His love is unfathomable, humanly speaking. 

God uses these Godwinks (or divine coincidences) to cause us to be exactly where He wants us to be and encounter exactly whom or what He desires us to encounter causing a ripple effect of His goodness. And because of God’s great love for His Creation, He blesses each and everyone with His good purpose in the doing. The question is, Will we have the eyes to see Him at work?

“For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:5).

Have you experienced a Godwink in your life? How did it strengthen your faith? Let me know in the comments. 💕