I spend a lot of time outside watching the birds. There is an Eastern Phoebe nest under the awning at the patio, a Carolina wren nest in the eaves, and another wren nest at the other side of the lawn in the big birdhouse.
I watched the mom of that one go back and forth constantly, bringing food to her babies. I’d hear the baby’s racket inside the birdhouse and I’d know that the mom was back with another bug. She always swooped around looking for a tasty insect and was never disappointed. She always had enough to feed her babies.
The mama would fly off, and soon return with a bug, but not fly directly to the birdhouse. She would pause in a nearby branch, presumably to ensure that no predators were nearby. Then she’d quickly light on the birdhouse. I wanted to snap a photo of this process. I soon learned I did not have to keep my eyes glued to the birdhouse because when the mom landed, the inside of the house would erupt with chirps, lol. I’d hear the racket. Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
The Lord takes care of them. They have food. Jesus was hungry often, (Mark 11:12, Mt 12:1), but God feeds the birds. Jesus had no place to lay His head but the birds have a nest.
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20).
How He takes care of us! Not only meeting our physical needs but interceding for us in heaven and in prayer! We are so blessed to have been given the grace to repent. And being in Him, we are secure in knowledge that He will provide what He knows we need.
God clothes the grass with wildflowers
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:26-34)
I’m the kind of person where a major catastrophe could happen in front of me or to me and I’d go immediately into calm problem solving mode. But if a little thing happens I go to pieces.
Several events like that happened to me recently, which taught me lessons.
I drive only old cars. I mean like 15+ years old to near-antique cars. You expect old cars to break down. And they do. One of them was a champ till the end. Two others broke down constantly. I was alone by the side of the road numerous times. At night, in the rain, whatever whenever. Not my favorite thing. In fact, I am now highly skittish about the breakdown potentiality. I have a knot in my stomach every time I get behind the wheel. This car I have now is 17 years old.
A couple of weeks ago at the end of the day a staff member at school told me my rear passenger tire was very low. He offered to pump it up (school has a few gadgets to get people on their way again). There is a tire place a half mile from school so I headed there after work. The tire guy said all my tires were low and that one was extremely low. He assured me that is what it probably was, and since he is a tire guy who has a tire place and deals with tires, I thought, ‘well, OK’. Plumped up, my tires and me were on the road again.
Three days later that same tire was extremely low again. Repeat operation tire pump up at school. The person who helped me found a small hole and showed it to me. Again, off I went to the tire place. The guy jacked up the car enough to spin the tire and search for a hole or nail. He didn’t find it. He called for senior tire guy to come and he searched. Then began the treatment of customer as Nervous Nellie Old Lady. “You sure it was this tire?” My silent reply- “You sure you’d ask a GUY that question?!’ Out loud I politely replied, “Yes, I’m sure”. They did search diligently for a hole for a while longer but came up empty.
It had been flat twice in 5 days. There WAS a hole. There was no way I was leaving without a resolution. I asked if they had a good used tire. “Yes we do, in your size.”
EPrata photo. Not the tire place.
Five minutes later the man came out of the garage wiping his hands. “Sorry that used tire has a hole in it.” Internally I replied, “Sure you found THAT hole.” Out loud I said, I’ll buy a new one. How much?”
$130 later I was driving down the road with a new tire. I was aggravated, sure. But though these minor hitches occur in life, God is present in my life too, and He is bigger and better than the interruptions that He providentially orchestrates.
Lesson #1: I had driven 50 miles and back to church at 65mph on the highway. The tire could have blown or flattened and put me by the side of the road. Instead, God caused the staff member to glance over and see the tire (in fact, when I thanked him for seeing it, he said “God did”. It happened at work. I was safe at work. I had friends who could help me if the car was not drivable. I got safely to work and back both times. There was a tire place a half mile away. The situation was resolved within 15 minutes and I was on my way with minor inconvenience. Even the cost of a new tire wasn’t bad.
Try to see God in and behind things that happen, from major to minor. Think about how to praise Him even when inconveniences. Especially when inconvenienced.
When the air conditioner isn’t on in my apartment the humidity rises. Did you know that ACs work not by cooling the air but by removing the water in the air? At least that is how I understand it. I have a dehumidifier and of course it needs emptying once in a while. I get up at 4:30 am on weekdays and I noticed it had turned itself off, needing an empty. I carefully removed the bucket and slowly walked over to the bathroom sink. I tipped the bucket over into the sink. I missed the sink. Gallons of water went all over the counter, inside the under cabinet and on the floor. Welp. That’s one way to wake up in the morning!
The good in that is most of the water went onto the bathroom area rug. I carefully lifted the sopping rug, drained the water and laid large towels down and got up the rest. I threw them all into the sink, intending to wring and throw into the dryer when I got home.
This event tells me that the Lord is reminding me I am entering a new season of life. I’m about to be 64. I am not the same person I was at 34. I drop things frequently now, needing to remind myself that I must grip objects tighter than I think I do. The depth perception isn’t the same anymore, that is how I missed the sink (in the dark, no glasses on makes it worse too). I obtained an old lady grabber because I’ve shrunk in stature, I cannot reach the 2nd shelf any more.
I think the Lord is reminding me that as I age, reliance on Him is a daily necessity. Even though it’s true that it is ALWAYS a necessity to rely on Him, a new season of life means it needs to be at the forefront of my mind even more firmly. There are things I just can’t do like I used to. A boon is that as I muse over this, I delight in the fact that I have eternal life. I don’t know how people who are nearing the last quarter or less of their life who don’t know Christ cope with the fact that one day, death will come.
So a third thing happened. It was Halloween. Halloween week at school is something non-educators just do not get. It is the national crazy holiday for kids. Because…CANDY. Not even Christmas presents top CANDY. You have no idea how much kids clamor for candy. It was also Red Ribbon week, so every day was dress up something. Halloween was costume day. There was also an assembly. Nuts I tell you. The whole week was nuts and Halloween day was nuttiest.
After school, though pretty tired, I decided to risk going up to Kroger for my weekly groceries. Thursday is a quiet day at the store, and I knew I’d be zonked on Friday. Weekends are monstrously busy. So Thursday it was. The weather was sunny, bright, and warm. I tootled up there contentedly and got my things and was feeling pretty happy with myself because I’d saved $21 and got out in less than 40 min, a personal best.
I opened my front car door and threw in my keys and purse, locked the door and closed it. OOPS! Groceries and me on the outside; keys, AAA car, spare key, and phone inside. Not good.
locked out!
I tried pushing the window down a crack like I used to be able to do with my other car. No go. A Spanish man saw what I was doing and said ‘Call policia.’ Good idea, I said, thanks.
I went inside and told the customer service lady what I’d done and asked if they could call a police non-emergency number on behalf of a senior citizen lady. By now I was internally panicking and ready to jump off a metaphorical cliff. So instead I prayed to Jesus for this to be resolved quickly and inexpensively and well, quickly. So quickly.
The service desk lady said usually the policeman makes his rounds at this time, but warned me that they do not usually unlock doors unless there is a baby or animal inside.
The non-emergency dispatcher said she would call back if an officer was going to come. IF?! Gulp. I had a dilemma. Should I go outside and look for the officer? Or stay by the phone? More panic, because I do not like dilemmas.
I looked to my left and who did I see walking down the aisle. My dear friend the school counselor! I ran over. She said “Hey! How are you doing?” I said “BAD.”
I related the sad story of how stupid I was. She came over with me to the service desk. She said, “Hey I saw a police car stopped out front, it looked like he was looking for someone.” I said, “That’s’ MEEE!”
We went outside together and the officer was kind and said he’d meet us at my car. He worked on the lock while my friend talked calmly to me. I felt so stupid, really stupid, because I don’t usually make mistakes like this. I was just so tired from the day and not thinking. She gave me a hug and then the policeman was successful with getting the door unlocked. Voila! She even loaded my groceries for me. She is truly in the right profession as counselor.
The Lord answered my prayer – it was resolved inexpensively and He sent me a friend just then. She had said she did not even need to come to the store early because her prescription was not going to be ready for another hour. Amazing! He allowed the officer to unlock the car even though an animal or baby was not inside. I was on my way within 20 minutes of shutting the locked door on myself. Amazing!
I thought long and hard about what the Lord is showing me. First, He is absolutely involved in our lives, to the minutest degree. This should spark relief, gratitude, and an eagerness for prayer.
Second, he answers prayer. Sometimes He even answers in the way that was asked. What were the chances that at the exact moment I needed someone to calm me down He would send the perfect person whose personality and training makes you instantly calm? That I would not have to wait hours? That I would not have to spend money?
Third, that I need to add another routine to my life. In addition to managing my energy that ebbs and flows in fits and starts now, in addition to remembering to grip things harder than I used to, in addition to making sure I am stepping firmly and carefully so as not to fall, I now need to routinely keep keys in pocket. Add non-emergency number to wallet. I cannot do things unmindfully any more because my brain works differently now.
Thirty years ago I was tramping the roads of Paris in a backpack, steering a yacht across the Gulf Stream, sleeping in a bunk room below the waterline on an ice breaking ferry, on an archaeological dig in Tuscany, walking up and down the Andes. I’m not that girl anymore. Now I am a nearly retired senior (how’d THAT happen!) who uses a grabber to get 2nd shelf things down and locks her keys in the car. I’m a tired educator looking forward to sitting in the chair at night and nodding off while watching TV. I’m a pudgy white haired lady who gets senior discounts at Great Clips.
gray hair, sure. But what about white hair?
And that’s OK. I just have to remember that is who I am now. But also remember that life is eternal, and it will all work out in the end. If you are in Christ, He gives that peace and assurance that no matter what stage of life you’re in, He is in control, and working things out for the best for His children. I may old, but I am His child. And that is more than OK.
Life has been getting harder lately no? The wider world, it seems to me, is in flames. Ugliness.
But the smaller sphere of my life is beautiful. Here is what happened just yesterday, from start to finish.
I’m one of the people who get to my part of the school building first. I can park in spot #1. I’m friends with someone who is always first in. We often pause to chat. And the chat usually turns to something about Jesus. Praises, exultations, wisdom (from her!). It’s really refreshing.
I went about my day and heard laughter from children (the best sound!) and collegiality among everyone wherever I went. My school is full of kind staff and wonderful children. I even received a compliment from a colleague.
I got ready to go home. Since I’m first in to my section of the school, my car is parked next the passageway between the two buildings. One of the staff came to me and said he noticed my rear tire was extremely low. The school has some basic car helps like jumper cables and tire-pump up thingie (hey, I’m a a girl, I don’t know what it’s called.) He said he’d pump it up for me. I said thanks for noticing. He said “God did.”
When it was pumped I drove the .05 miles to the Tire Place in town and Tire Guy pumped up the remaining tires for $3.
It was macaron day! The local coffee shop receives baked goods from a small-batch bakery and one of their selections is macarons. They don’t last long, they are highly popular. Since they are made with almond flour, I can eat that snack! I ordered a fancy coffee and 3 macarons for a Friday weekend opener treat. Picked those up and headed home.
When I got home my Kroger delivery was waiting for me at the door. She must have just left. The tire pumping delayed me just a few minutes. The order was correct. Bonus!
I opened my computer and there was a Jacquie Lawson e-card from a friend in Texas. Lawson ecards are animated with classical background music. It begins with a blank canvas and it as if we see the artist paint the picture in front of your eyes. The moose walks out from the fotest, the water under its hooves ripples. Leaves fall. At the end, the light turned on in the cabin, revealing a family. The sunset deepens. Like that. The sender’s message appears at the end after the animation completes. Here is a still shot of the finished scene:
Here is what she wrote:
While watching each stroke of the artist’s brush lay down his creation of autumn beauty, my thoughts were, so as our Father God laid the foundations of His creation, each word He spoke were as brush strokes upon His canvas to bring into existence this beautiful earth!
And though in decline, its majestic beauty continues to testify that our God is the I AM WHO I AM, the merciful and gracious Saviour-God who will speak into existence a new earth whose everlasting beauty will reflect the beauty of our thrice Holy God!
Her Godly sentiment refreshed me after a good, but tiring day. How thoughtful! I keep her e-cards and go back to them from time to time. I love them.
After checking my email and viewing the e-card, I went to Facebook and see that the mid-century table I’ve been trying to sell for 3 months on Facebook Marketplace has a buyer, and she is one of the staff at school! She will pay me on Monday! How convenient! I had worried about strangers coming to see the table. I really didn’t want a stranger to come inside my house. I was nervous about how the sale was going to work for me as far as safety and also financially, with all the warnings about Facebook money scams out there.
Every single thing I listed above was a providence of God. The kind staff with whom I work, many of whom know and love Jesus; the providential spotting of the low tire; the close location of the tire place; the inexpensive snack I love popping up just in time for a Friday treat; grocery delivery (something as I age, I am appreciating more and more); the beautiful e-card, the $ale of the table just when I need the money, and it’s a female staff member, so I’m safe when I open the door to a friend not a stranger.
The Lord looked after me on Friday in all those visible ways. He looked after me in all the invisible ways too, ways I don’t even know about. And that was just one day out of 365. His mercies are expansive. His love is boundless. Everything had worked out for me and was a delight to my soul.
And even if the day had gone ‘wrong’ or negative occurrences happened in ways that didn’t delight me, I am reminded that the Lord still providentially takes care of us in every way. He is still good and everything He does is for my good.
But I was grateful that yesterday was a day where He chose to show me His providences in ways that eased my day from start to finish.
Psalm 121, A Song of Ascents.
1I will raise my eyes to the mountains; From where will my help come? 2My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. 3He will not allow your foot to slip; He who watches over you will not slumber. 4Behold, He who watches over Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.
5The LORD is your protector; The LORD is your shade on your right hand. 6The sun will not beat down on you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. 8The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time and forever.
We hear a lot about the big moves of the Holy Spirit. We see Youtube clips of young millennials falling to the floor, or standing with arms upstretched in front of smoke filled stages, pulsing lights, glitter, laughing and sobbing. Afterward they smile tiredly, saying “The Holy Spirit really moved!” Or, “The Holy Spirit really showed up!”
As an aside, I dislike that phrase, ‘The Holy Spirit showed up.’ It’s crass. It’s akin to attending a funeral and saying to the bereaved, “So your wife croaked, eh?’ The Holy Spirit doesn’t ‘show up.’ He isn’t hailing a taxi running late, throwing a scarf around his neck while jumping out of the cab and huffing into the church. The Spirit doesn’t ‘show up’. The Holy Spirit governs the universe.
To the main point regarding big moves of the Spirit. Successive years of successive generations of younger church-goers have twisted Hebrews 11:1’s statement of what faith is:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Into –
Now faith is the substance of things we’ve come to tangibly possess, the evidence of things seen and experienced.
There are some, and these are generally the most uneducated, who expect to experience remarkable dreams or to behold singular visions. Others we have met with, who suppose that in order to being saved they must feel some very peculiar physical sensation. Now you must not look for this. You must not put physical contortions or sensations as a test before the Lord, and say you will not believe in Him otherwise.
You seek what is quite unnecessary. What do you want a sign for? You want, you say, a token of God’s love. What token of God’s love to you can ever be wanted, now that He has given His only-begotten Son, first to live on earth, and then to die in pains extreme, the just for the unjust, “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”! I blush for you, that you should ask any token of God’s love while Jesus Christ is before you…
I must tell you what is more, you are acting the part of an idolater. What does an idolater do? He says, “I cannot believe in an unseen God; I must have a golden calf or an image, that I can see with my eyes and touch with my hand.” You say just the same. You cannot believe God’s naked word, you demand something you can feel, something you can see. Sheer idolatry.
And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign... (Luke 11:29-30)
You might feel an overwhelming sense of joy, or peace, or well-being, or love for Jesus at times. These emotional times can occur when prayer is answered, providence is seen, worship is genuine, or Bible reading has deepened your view of the Savior. Strong emotion is good and appropriate. But to rely on such moments as proof of the Spirit’s presence casts a vain hope upon the shores of the Rock which stands above all. Your sure faith is in Him and His word that reveals Him.
Depending on signs is seeking a golden calf of experience over faith.
If you’re looking for a move of the Spirit, a miracle, sign, or wonder, there are many that we can name which exalt Jesus. Unsaved men are helpless and unable to come to God unless the Spirit draws them. (John 6:44). He saves by grace. Any new believer is a miracle, because they cannot save themselves. Sanctification is a miracle of God, because only by the Spirit can we resist sin and grow in His likeness. Providence is a miracle of God because He sustains the universe by the power of His word every minute, and He ordains every event that happens to all 8 billion people on earth at every second.
Stop looking for glitter dust falling from the ceiling, for personal prophecies, and visible signs when we already have the redemptive, sanctifying, providential work of the Lord occurring all over the world every second.
For all those true believers who love the Lord, the promise is a wonderful promise. … I think it’s time in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ to give honor to the Holy Spirit, to worship Him, to love Him, to ascribe to Him the glory that He is due and to stop the nonsense that brings dishonor on His holy name.
I was listening to Dr. RC Sproul explain the Doctrine of Concurrence in a 2004 sermon. He opened with an explanation of it, and after a short while of preaching, mentioned “The Fickle Finger of Fate”. The audience, ones of a certain age, lol, laughed.
I think he was referencing a famous skit during a 1960s variety comedy show called “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”. The whole title of the skit was the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate.
“That dubious honor—which became a weekly staple of the series—was awarded to public figures, corporations, and government agencies, for their many questionable achievements” said one website. Laugh-In was a sort of a cross between Saturday Night Live and Monty Python, and was very popular for its time.
Of course, the fickle finger of fate phrase preceded that television show. People who don’t believe in God refer to seemingly random happenings as fate or chance.
There is no chance.
Literally, there is no such thing as chance, or fate, or randomness, in the events happening on earth. God is in control of ALL of it, down to the very last dust mote. As Sproul has famously said, “There is not one maverick molecule in the universe.”
John Murray has said,
1: There is a Providence “Providence is an old fashioned word and has a strange ring to modern ears. Yet when we break it down into its parts the meaning becomes clear. It comes from the Latin video ‘to see’ and pro ‘before’, meaning ‘to see beforehand’. In our lives we plan beforehand but we do not see what is going to happen. God has planned everything for His creation and because He is the sovereign God everything will come to pass as He purposed. Providence is that marvelous working of God by which all the events and happenings in His universe accomplish the purpose He has in mind.” ~Source: Behind a Frowning Providence
Surely, rolling the dice or casting lots is chance…right?
No.
Proverbs 16:33 says The lot is cast into the lap, But its every judgment is from Yahweh.
The casting of the lot is an extraordinary or unusual request made to God that He would reveal His will in an important controversy which cannot be resolved by either wisdom, skill, or strength. It pertains to an issue that must be resolved, as there would otherwise be danger or great disadvantage to the country, church, or individual. By Wilhelmus à Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service
Before I was saved I spent a lot of mental time pondering why things are the way they are…why things happen…the nature of ‘chance’. Far from being totally clueless about these concepts, non-believers do think of them. They know there is a God but they suppress that truth in unrighteousness, and continue on their way thinking it is all chance or fate.
We have will and moral agency. We decide to do things, either aligned with God’s holy standards, or not. Witness Joseph’s brothers, who hated Joseph and put him in a pit, plotted to murder him, and then sold him to the slave traders.
Yet Joseph said at the end of those long decades, they meant it for evil but God meant it for good. God meant it to happen. How do those two things work together to accomplish God’s plan? And what of tornadoes and hurricanes, i.e. ‘natural’ disasters?
Sproul explained that the doctrine of Concurrence (or confluence) can be seen in an analogy of the Three Rivers merging together in Pittsburgh.
The Monongahela River and the Allegheny River flow along in their individual riverbanks for hundreds of miles then merge to form the Ohio River.
The Allegheny River (left) and the Monongahela River (right) join to form the Ohio here. The West End Bridge crosses the Ohio in the foreground. Source
Though each river does its own thing according to its own nature, they eventually and inexorably flow into the mighty Ohio. What man does, man does, but unknowingly he is being directed, even by use of his own nature, to the flow God wants to direct it. Man’s actions and God’s will create a confluence that is part of God’s perfect plan. This same thing happens with ‘natural disasters’ such as floods, hurricanes, lightning and so on. God is in control of it all.
Even the adversities and disasters come upon a person’s life.
When adversity comes into our lives we tend to react in one of two ways. We may say that it is from a source other than God and He has no power to stop it; or we may say it is an evidence of God’s anger against us. Either way we are guilty of casting aspersions on the character of our Father and consequently of perverting our attitude to Him.John Murray
There is no such thing as a problem-free Christianity. God ordains all that will occur, including all that will occur to me, before I was even born. Before the first person – Adam – was even created.
Sadly such teaching seems far removed from the outlook that prevails in large parts of the Church today. The impression is given that the purpose of the Christian life is enjoyment. Everything that stands in the way of that is to be eliminated. People are looking for a problem-free Christianity. Murray.
We can’t say “God did good to me” or “God did evil to me”. All that God does is good. All that God does is perfect. All that God does is to the good of those who love Him, even and especially, the ‘dark providences’. There is no fickle finger of fate. There is only the steady and assured hand of God, doing all that He sees fit.
The hurricane, the car crash, the Down’s syndrome, the ‘untimely’ death of a young one, a miscarriage, are all part of God’s plan. Also part of His plan is our prospering, our sanctification, the joys of a newborn, the uniting of two into one through marriage, His assurance of salvation and eternity with Him, and all the other blessings He gives.
Our sins and evil doings both pre-and-post salvation are also absorbed into His plan and used for the good of those who love Him. As an Allegheny River flowing along, we don’t know there is an Ohio River ahead into which we eventually flow, banked by His rod and staff, nurtured and cleansed, until we reach the purest fountain of all: Jesus in His heaven.
Charles Spurgeon was a great preacher. In his sermon What are the Clouds? He asks timeless questions. He asks the questions we ask today, when there are disasters, wars, tragedies. Why did my baby die? What did that war accomplish? Why was there a terrible hurricane?
Here Spurgeon speaks of mysterious Providence as he did so often. Providence is the outworking of the plan God has in His mind that He causes to happen and all things that He prevents from happening. It’s the working out of His will in the world. We might be but a microbe in the grand plan and cannot see all that He is doing nor know why. But we still ask, Why? Where is the good in this?
It’s a riff off the famous line in the classic 1975 movie, Jaws. I was born in Providence, Rhode Island and grew up in Little Rhody. I was 14 1/2 when the movie came out, timed for Memorial Day Weekend and the blockbuster season of summer fun movies. They filmed the movie on the nearby island of Martha’s Vineyard.
A friend from high school whose family had a trawler invited me to join them for a weekend jaunt to the ‘The Vineyard’. We’d all seen Jaws of course, and like everyone else the movie scared me to death. When we got to Edgartown, one of the main towns on the island, we anchored. Immediately my friend’s teenage brothers started cannon-ball jumping from the top of the bridge into the water. I looked down at those Atlantic seal-grey waters that obscured everything underneath, and thought about the shark, filmed in that very spot, and said ‘nope.’ The filming gear was still around, including the floating platform they used to film the mechanical shark, dubbed “Bruce.” Spooky!
The line “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” is embedded in American consciousness and has become iconic. For me, I cannot believe it has been 45 years since that Martha’s Vineyard summer! Where does the time go?! I remember being shy around my friend’s brothers, of seeing the sun set over the harbor, of cobblestone streets, of scrimshaw shops, of eating fresh fish for dinner. Because of the movie, I thought about death for the first time, really thought about it. Where do people go when they die?
By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:19)
What happens after we die? It was an impenetrable question to which my 14-year-old brain had no answer. What lay ahead for that gal, only the Lord knew. As I look back over the bridge of time, I know that it has been quite a ride.
As we age, I guess in some respects we become melancholy in reminiscing about the past. I’m not fond of memories because mine tend to be sad, or filled with wistful regrets.
I returned to Martha’s Vineyard many decades later. My husband and I had our own boat by then. We lived on it for 2 years, cruising up and down the eastern seaboard and over to the Bahamas. We spent some time in Edgartown and Vineyard Haven harbors, swinging on anchor and enjoying the summer breezes. I was a 30-year-old adult by then, twice the age I was when I’d first visited.
My time living on our boat taught me that the earth is beautiful. It could not have been banged into existence because of its easily seen currents, tides, beauty, progression of the sun, moon, and stars nightly. “This couldn’t have happened by chance,” I kept thinking. “There must be a God.”
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:20).
The Jesus thing, though, forgeddaboutit. Not for nothing, but that sin and blood and cross stuff was wack.
Twelve years later I was closing in on the cross but not there yet. I was still pondering the mysteries of the universe, this time, the nature of evil. I was running the local newspaper then, and there was an epic struggle for the soul of the town. Dems vs Republicans, liberals vs conservative, old ways vs influx of people with newfangled ideas. You know, it was a mini-version of the same thing we saw in the 2020 election campaign season and culminating on January 6th. Bad.
The struggle turned ugly, with the entire array of dirty tricks, hatred, bitterness, and words said. Tires were slashed, slander spread, whisper campaigns galore. Why are people so mean? I wondered. If we go to heaven when we die, what makes that place different from here, if we’re all there? It would be the same? What makes heaven, heaven?
Now it’s eighteen years later. I’ve been saved since then. My church is a wonderful place. We had a great service yesterday with truth proclaimed in a steady, strong stream for an hour and a half in music, prayer, and sermon. We had supper afterwards, and friends and I talked, laughed, enjoyed each other’s company. Our church is a generous church and it is a reading church. When we planted, all of our elders were educators either in Christian schools or public schools. We have a lot of grad students, college students, and educators. We read. Our church buys boxes of books and gives them to us. We have book clubs sprinkled over two counties of our congregants. I SO appreciate their wisdom in making sure they recommend good material and provide the means to get good books to us!
One of the boxes of books they bought was John Piper’s new magnum opus, Providence. I eagerly went to the book room and grabbed a copy, excited to start reading it this summer while I’m home from work. I’m not a huge fan of Piper but I hear great things about this particular work.
As I hefted the book from the shelf and wrestled the tome into my smallish bookbag, I realized how big of a book it was. “I’m going to need a bigger bookcase…” popped into my head. Right after, all those thoughts of that long-ago summer in Martha’s Vineyard with Jaws filming props scattered around came back to me.
"Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8). This doctrine stands in direct opposition to the idea that the universe is governed by chance or fate."
"Through divine providence God accomplishes His will. To ensure that His purposes are fulfilled, God governs the affairs of men and works through the natural order of things."
And sometimes He works through the UNnatural order of things, like stopping the sun, parting the sea, or changing water to wine.
Providence is a comfort, it is reassuring, it gives me license to hand over control in submission to a wise and compassionate God. I’ve sometimes wondered if the Lord’s planning of my birth before the foundation of the world in the state of Rhode Island in the city of Providence was connected to my growing love for the Doctrine. It tickles me anyway, that I was born in Providence and I love the doctrine of Providence.
I AM going to need a bigger bookcase, lol. I’m running out of room and when I add this bad boy it’s going to make the shelf sag for sure. Good thing I providentially have time during the summer to read. See what I did there?
I’m grateful for God’s providential care, His salvation of my wretched soul at age 42, His raising up of good men turned to elders who plant churches for His name, for books, for my life. Take some time today to ponder Him, His creation, His plan, His providence in caring for you.
The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all. (Psalm 103:19).
Man 1: How are ya? Man 2: I’m alive. Better’n the alternative! Both: HAR HAR HAR
If you are a Christian, you know that is not true. The alternative which is, death to eternal life, is a wonderful alternative. As Paul said, “we prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:7-9). Paul also said,
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sakes.” (Philippians 1:21-23).
We read of Jael in the Bible Reading Plan today. God’s providential intervention is evident in today’s reading.
Jael
Jael was the wife of Heber the Kenite. Sisera had been cruelly oppressing the Hebrews for 20 years. The people cried out. Deborah was civic leader at that time, prophesying and judging. She sent for Barak, the military leader and told him to go take care of the problem. Barak could freely decide what to do. He could go or he could not go, the choice was his. He said he would not go unless Deborah came with him. (Judges 4:8). His answer was in effect, no. Deborah replied that she would go with Barak, but it would be an embarrassment to him because God would deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman, and Barak would not get the military glory for the victory.
Barak freely made his choice, but now the outcome would occur from another quarter, just as Mordecai had said it would if Esther decided against her action.
Into the story enters Jael. After Barak routed Sisera’s army, Sisera fled. Sisera aimed toward the tent of Heber the Kenite. Sisera knew there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor (Sisera’s King) and the house of Heber the Kenite. Heber had separated from the Kenites and was settled far from the action. Sisera ran, believing he was safe to go toward the area where there was no fighting and where there was peace between the parties. Normally he would be right, especially since hospitality customs were so strong in protecting those who are invited into the tent. However in this providential case, Sisera was wrong. Jael invited Sisera into the tent, gave him drink, and covered him as he fell asleep.
Note that Sisera fell asleep. He had a hard day of fighting, but even though his life was in peril he felt comfortable enough where he let down his guard and fall asleep. Women in those days were responsible for pitching the tents and so Jael was strong enough and familiar enough with how to efficiently hammer a tent peg into the ground. As Sisera slept, she drove a tent peg into his temple and pinned his head to the ground. The verse succinctly states, “So he died.” (Judges 4:21b).
And behold, as Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went in to her tent, and there lay Sisera dead, with the tent peg in his temple. 23So on that day God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the people of Israel. (Judges 4:22-23).
Barak had kind of said “I will go” but not really. Placing conditions on your obedience to God isn’t really obedience to God. I like how the verse says God subdued Jabin.
Whether Esther went in or didn’t go in, God would deliver the Jews from Haman. Whether Barak went to battle or didn’t go to battle, God would deliver the Jews from King Jabin and Commander Sisera. Both Esther and Barak freely decided on a course of action. Yet both outcomes occurred at the providential hand of God.
We hear a lot about the big moves of the Holy Spirit. We see Youtube clips of young millennials falling to the floor, or standing with arms upstretched in front of smoke filled stages, pulsing lights, glitter, laughing and sobbing. Afterward they smile tiredly, saying “The Holy Spirit really moved!” Or, “The Holy Spirit really showed up!”
As an aside, I dislike that phrase, ‘The Holy Spirit showed up.’ It’s crass. It’s akin to attending a funeral and saying to the bereaved, “So your wife croaked, eh?’ The Holy Spirit doesn’t ‘show up.’ He isn’t hailing a taxi running late, throwing a scarf around his neck while jumping out of the cab and huffing into the church. The Spirit doesn’t ‘show up’. The Holy Spirit governs the universe.
To the main point regarding big moves of the Spirit. Successive years of successive generations of younger church-goers have twisted Hebrews 11:1’s statement of what faith is:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Into –
Now faith is the substance of things we’ve come to tangibly possess, the evidence of things seen and experienced.
And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign... (Luke 11:29-30)
There are some, and these are generally the most uneducated, who expect to experience remarkable dreams or to behold singular visions. Others we have met with, who suppose that in order to being saved they must feel some very peculiar physical sensation. Now you must not look for this. You must not put physical contortions or sensations as a test before the Lord, and say you will not believe in Him otherwise.
You seek what is quite unnecessary. What do you want a sign for? You want, you say, a token of God’s love. What token of God’s love to you can ever be wanted, now that He has given His only-begotten Son, first to live on earth, and then to die in pains extreme, the just for the unjust, “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”! I blush for you, that you should ask any token of God’s love while Jesus Christ is before you…
I must tell you what is more, you are acting the part of an idolater. What does an idolater do? He says, “I cannot believe in an unseen God; I must have a golden calf or an image, that I can see with my eyes and touch with my hand.” You say just the same. You cannot believe God’s naked word, you demand something you can feel, something you can see. Sheer idolatry.
You might feel an overwhelming sense of joy, or peace, or well-being, or love for Jesus at times. These emotional times can occur when prayer is answered, providence is seen, worship is genuine, or Bible reading has deepened your view of the Savior. Strong emotion is good and appropriate. But to rely on such moments as proof of the Spirit’s presence casts a vain hope upon the shores of the Rock which stands above all. Your sure faith is in Him and His word that reveals Him.
Depending on signs is seeking a golden calf of experience over faith.
If you’re looking for a move of the Spirit, a miracle, sign, or wonder, there are many that we can name which exalt Jesus. Unsaved men are helpless and unable to come to God unless the Spirit draws them. (John 6:44). He saves by grace. Any new believer is a miracle, because they cannot save themselves. Sanctification is a miracle of God, because only by the Spirit can we resist sin and grow in His likeness. Providence is a miracle of God because He sustains the universe by the power of His word every minute, and He ordains every event that happens to all 8 billion people on earth at every second.
Stop looking for glitter dust falling from the ceiling, for personal prophecies, and visible signs when we already have the redemptive, sanctifying, providential work of the Lord occurring all over the world every second.
For all those true believers who love the Lord, the promise is a wonderful promise. … I think it’s time in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ to give honor to the Holy Spirit, to worship Him, to love Him, to ascribe to Him the glory that He is due and to stop the nonsense that brings dishonor on His holy name.
the-end-time.org 