“What you intended against me for evil, God intended for good” (Genesis 50:20).
GOD’S PROVIDENCE
Everywhere that we find ourselves God has a place for us. Before we were born the Lord had a little section of time and space marked out just for us. We fit into the mosaic of the universe exactly where He wants us. If we do wrong, He has a plan. Gravity will pull water down from the sky onto the earth and then down crevices, nooks, and crannies where it flows into streams, rivers, and eventually into the sea. If we watch the water carefully on its journey we may wonder what purpose there could be in such twisting, turning, splashing, and running. But, if the water remains water and doesn’t turn into ice, it will arrive where it was meant to go. Ice remains cold and unforgiving; it goes nowhere or if it does, it goes extremely slowly. If we are humble and broken for every wrong turn that we make, God has a contingency plan. Christ’s blood cleanses us from all sin, and God works all things together for good for those who love Him.
When I find myself in a certain circumstance or location that I have a duty to be in but probably wouldn’t have chosen for myself, I try to remember this is where I’m supposed to be in the grand scheme of things. I might as well make myself comfy, calm myself with the peace of Christ, and shine the light that God has given me to shine. Through his providence he has something to show me, someone to talk to, someone to listen to. God’s favour is upon me to bless me in some way that I haven’t yet experienced.
Wherever I am, is where I’m supposed to be. I fit into the environment neatly; God has made a path through time and space for you and me. If we love and enjoy God and do to others as we would have them do to us, the path takes care of itself. His Word is a lamp unto my feet; all we have to do is walk in it. If we are hard like ice, we struggle to move, gaining a few meters by gouging great crevices out of our own local landscape with cursing, hatred, and hardness of heart. We become at odds with the environment, not fitting snugly, but careening out of control like a spinning top with its own centre of gravity, unable to conform to the general pull of God’s love, and ricocheting off anything that happens to be in our way.
However, if we walk in the Spirit we walk with God, he guides our way. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Ps 23:6).