Noah Webster defined the word Providence to mean “foresight; timely care… foresight accompanied with the procurement of what is necessary for future use… the care and superintendence which God exercises over his creatures.”  One key word in this definition is “timely”.  In other words, God times events for His purposes, and California is such an example.

Though Natives discovered gold in 1841, nothing came of it.  Though gold was again discovered in 1844, a misinterpretation of the Spanish language led to the abandonment of the enterprise.  Why would years of inactivity “suddenly” occur, and gold “officially” discovered on January 24, 1848 in the little town of Coloma, become so significant?  Hopefully, this history lesson provides a hint as to what God may have had in mind.