February 16, 2006 – THE ROLE OF PROVIDENCE IN OUR LIVES

Providence is defined as: the foreseeing and foreknowing care and guidance of God in our lives.

I know from a lifetime of experience that God plans and directs our lives toward His perfect will and that which is “best” for us. Sometimes we are only aware of His direction after the fact.  Other times we are led to take certain steps that we would not ordinarily take but we can tell that God is leading us and so we marvel with every step. God’s ways are very exciting and they bring experiences and blessings into our lives that we could never receive on our own.  Psalms 23:5  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Psalms 121:3  He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber;

You might say, “what about the lost” or those who do not know Him yet?  Moses had God’s providential care from his birth. God spared him, trained him while in Pharaoh’s household, and led him as he fled for his life.  It was no coincidence that he ended up at the “Mountain of God.” Moses knew nothing of God’s plan but he had an encounter with God that showed him that he was created for God’s purposes.  Exodus 3:1  Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  2  There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.  3  So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.”  4  When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”  5  “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

God knows exactly how to get our attention. Worldwide, I believe God is revealing Himself to those individuals who have a heart for God, but do not know Him personally.  God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 1Samuel 16:7  But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

God does not check to see if you are “goodhearted,” (because the Bible teaches that there is “none good”), He checks your heart to see if you have any interest in the things of God and are willing to accept Him as our Lord. Matthew 25:34   “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. If you do, then God will not leave you with your carnal desires, but lead you to those things that are eternal and have a far greater value. It is in God’s providence that each of us becomes a part of His family through Jesus Christ, His son, and gets a glimpse of the things God has prepared for us. 1Corinthians 2:9  However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Beloved, God wants so much for you! But if you refuse His call and do not give your life totally to Him, you will never attain His purposes. When you desire that His will be done in your life, then you will have a “God arranged and planned” life with eternal meaning and spiritual success. You will be amazed at what He envisions for you; it is so much higher than what you can reach on your own.  All things are possible through Him and so our lives are no longer limited by ability or birth.  Philippians 2:13  for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. God freely gives us gifts of His Spirit to help us accomplish His will so that we can go beyond our natural abilities and live within the realm of His miraculous plans and purposes. I have lived far beyond my own endowments. (Read 1Corinthians, Chapter 12.) He has given me many gifts, new visions, and shared His purposes for my life. God has been my investment counselor, vocational teacher, and my protector through treacherous waters and untried paths of life. I was born in the flesh to a destiny that read “not a chance” and “least likely to succeed.”  I was reborn through Christ to reach heights and enternal perspectives I never dreamed possible. Thanks to God my life has been so full that my cup runneth over. Psalms 23:1  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

How vast are His riches and blessings! If we choose to become “one” with Him through accepting His son as our Lord and Savior, then we are joint-heirs with Christ.  Romans  9:23  What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory. “Blessed of God”  describes His eternal love and care for us. Come, drink from the Lord’s cup, and experience the blessings of providence in your life.

Luke 12:20   “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  1John 2:17  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

Matthew 25:34   “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  Psalms 31:19  How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.  Hebrews 11:16  Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.