Providence

 

I have talked before about God’s providence. I was witness to it again last week on our vacation. We had rented a car at one location and driven it for a few days. On our last day, we were going to drive it through some remote areas to another city a few hours away where we would drop the car off and catch a flight out of town. On our last stop before leaving town, our car just died. Nothing.  As it happened, we were less than ½ mile from the airport where we rented the car so I was able to walk there and get a replacement vehicle. We continued on our journey with only a little delay. If our car had broken down at any of our stops along the way, there would have been almost no chance that we could have gotten another car in time to make our flight connections. For those of you who have been through this before, you know that this was not just mere coincidence but the grace of our loving God. God is good!

 

As this story illustrates, God is a God of providence. He loves to provide for us and give us good things. He is in control, from the workings of the universe all the way down to whether your car will start. We see examples throughout the Bible of God’s care for us on a very personal level. Jesus performed miracles to feed the crowds on two separate occasions because they were hungry and He had compassion on them.  He brought the widow of Nain’s only son back to life.

 

When events in the world or in our personal lives seem to be spiraling out of control, it can be easy to imagine that God has stepped away, that He is no longer watching over us and caring for us.  We know somewhere at the center of our being that He is with us, that we live in an imperfect world and that bad things still happen as a result. We still may long for some encouragement at times.

 

You may find it helpful to keep a journal detailing the ways God has provided for you when you were in need. It can be a reminder to you of how God loves you and will always provide and care for you.

 

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Dt 31:8).