Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Beauty of Unspectacular Providence

Last night, as I was lying next to my wife in bed and about to fall asleep, I couldn't help but think back and wonder how amazed we would have been almost nine years ago, as 17 and 16-year-old kids, to see where life has taken us. As I traced in my mind where God has brought us - from high-school dating through college and into marriage, ministry, and parenthood, I couldn't help but be amazed at his grace, wisdom and love. It may have felt like we were forging our own path, making decisions and choosing directions, but looking back I can't help but think of Proverbs 16:9 - "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

This got me thinking this morning: we usually only think of God's providence and sovereign rule in terms of the spectacular - those amazing "coincidences" in life that are just too good to be true and beg for a divine explanation. However, this sells God so far short. God is just as much at work in the unspectacular, day-to-day aspects of our lives as well, though we seldom think about it. To us, it seems that we're planning our way, but the beautiful reality is that the Lord is establishing our steps. Every step of your life's journey has been mapped out and sustained by the creator of heaven and earth. What an amazing God we serve! I would encourage you today to spend some time looking back at your own life, thanking God in prayer and meditating on the beauty of unspectacular providence.

1 comment:

Ferg said...

Hey DJ,
Don't have your e-mail address so figured I'd write you through this post. Great post, and I wholly agree that God is working things together in a way in which we can't even fathom.
I just wanted to write to say thank you so much for your comment on my post before I left New Zealand. It genuinely meant a lot and I really appreciated it. If our trip to the states involved Kentucky we'd definitely grab a coffee! Go well and stay strong in Him.
Ferg