Providence

​At approximately 3:30 a.m. the bright flashing lights of the police car in his rearview mirror meant pullover time.  He stopped and started to get out of his car—not a good move!  The stern voice of the policeman ordered him to keep his hands in sight and get back in his car.  He noticed with apprehension the lawman holding a flashlight in one hand while unlatching his holster with the other.  The agitated officer moved forward checked his license and then searched the contents of his car.  Fortunately, he was not charged or ticketed, one of his headlights was not working.  

Later that day, he purchased the necessary lamp.  When he opened the hood of the car to install the new bulb he discovered that three of the four bolts holding his engine block in place had come off.  In essence, his car was in a precarious state. Had he not been pulled over how many miles more would he have traveled before his engine twisted loose potentially causing serious damage to his car and possible injury to himself or others? Instead of being angry at being stopped and therefore late to work, Alan recognized the providential hand of God and was thankful.  

Have your ever been frustrated because circumstances worked against your well-designed plans?  For sure! Yet, what we see as disastrous God may see as salvific!  We may be groaning over His handiwork.  Corrie Ten Boom, the famous holocaust survivor once said, “If God sends us on stony paths, he provides strong shoes.”  Maybe we should spend more time thanking Him for what’s on our feet than complaining about the condition of a trail we would not have selected.  

D. Martyn Lloyd Jones wrote, “Though you are one of the teeming millions in this world, and though the world would have you believe that you do not count and that you are but a speck in the mass, God says, ‘I know you.’”  Not only does our God know us He cares for us, often exercising His divine direction.  Does this mean that when bad things occur God isn’t around?  Maybe it depends on how we define “bad.”  
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Human perspective of an event or series of events is always snapped from a handicapped shutter speed.  No matter how brilliant we may be we are still fallible and incapable of truly seeing the BIG picture.  Our eternal Lord sees all, knows all and directs accordingly.  The fiber that makes up faith therefore is the trust that although I may not understand life God knows what He is doing!  So how in the heaven are you?
 
Meditation
Proverbs 19:21--Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail.
 
Inspiration
If Jesus Christ can keep me walking on the top of the waves, He can keep me underneath them.--Oswald Chambers in God’s Workmanship
 
©1999 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)