The Hidden Hand of God

As a child one of my most vivid memories of my mother was her sitting for hours on the couch embroidering pillowcases (this was before all the time-saving devices had been invited so she had time to do this). One day I walked into the living room while my mom was in the kitchen. I had never paid much attention to mom and her pillowcases, but I became intrigued when I saw the one she was working on lying on the couch. Picking it up, I saw nothing but a mass of tangled colored threads going in every direction. It appeared that she had just taken her needle and without any plan or purpose, punched through the pillowcase again and again. Nothing but a tangled mass of threads going nowhere and making no sense.

Then I realized I was looking at it from the inside bottom of the case. I flipped it over and there on the other was a beautiful picture of a blue bird sitting on the limb of a leafy tree, singing. I still have that pillowcase.

Every time my life seems like a tangled mass of threads, going nowhere and making no sense, I remember my mother’s pillowcase. It only looks senseless because I’m looking at it from the wrong side.

Does your life, its event and circumstances ever seem like the bottom of that pillowcase? You just can’t make sense of the things that are happening. If so, you’re looking at the wrong side.

If we could see our life from God’s side, we would see that He is weaving a beautiful picture that makes sense and holds a purpose.

When our lives seem like a tangled mass of threads, we need to look for the hidden hand of God. He always has a plan and purpose for what is happening. That’s why the doctrine of God’s providence is so precious to me.

Remember when God spared Isaac on the altar. Genesis 22: 14 says, "So Abraham called the place the Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On this mountain of the Lord it will be provided." Jehovah-jireth, The Lord will provide.

The word providence is taken from the Latin, and by its etymology means foresight, not merely in the sense of seeing before but in the sense of taking care of future, or rather and ordering of things and events after a pre-determined and intelligent plan. When Joseph disclosed his identity to the brothers who had betrayed him, he said, "But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance, SO THEN, IT WAS NOT YOU WHO SENT ME HERE, BUT GOD’" (Genesis 45:7,8). So certain is Joseph of this truth, he repeats it in chapter 50: 20, 21, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is not being done, the saving of many lives, so then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children."

So then, don’t be afraid, whatever God is doing, whether it makes sense to us or not, He is doing what needs to be done to accomplish his will in our lives. Always look for the hidden hand of God.

Though troubles assail,
And dangers affright,
Though friends should all fail,
And all foes unite;
Yet one thing secures us,
Whatever betide,
The Scripture assures us
The Lord will provide.
--John Newton

In the Midst

I heard a preacher urge his congregation to get beyond the four walls of the church and get out there where the lost are. Several times he mentioned "the four walls of the church"—huddled in, cloistered in, surrounded by. I had the sudden thought that the only people I knew who lived within the "four walls of the church" was the pastor. His congregation had been out in the world all week long. They didn’t need to be told to get out the walls of the church—they already were. The church was where they came to get re-charged and encouraged and taught how to live in the world.

Paul said the same thing to the Philippians. In 2:15 he wrote, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, IN THE MIDST of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." That’s where we live—in the midst of a morally warped and spiritual perverted world, surrounded by a society that is hostile to Christ and His followers, antagonist towards the Bible and the Church. This can be a very unpleasant position and explains why some defect or compromise.

But "in the midst" is our proper place, for it is the only place that an effective witness for Christ can be borne. We have no mandate to withdraw from the world, a world that hates Christ and Christians. We are caught in the middle. Of course, some don’t like this situation and so they try to live a lifestyle that is acceptable to the world. The buzz phrase today is "politically correct." But you can be politically correct and obey God at the same time.

In His high-priestly prayer of John 17, Jesus prayed not that the Father would take them out of the world, but that they might remain in the world. Taking believers out of the world would be like taking medicine out of a hospital or education out of the schools.

We are IN the world; just make certain the world doesn’t get IN you.

THE WOOD’S ARE FULL OF ‘EM!

Today I had lunch with the pastor of the church I’m in this week.

Throughout our meal we talked "shop"—about the church and the Lord. When we finished our meal, the young waitress asked if we needed anything else. Since we were still visiting, we ordered extra drinks and resumed our conversation. After a few minutes I noticed the waitress walking slowly by our table, hovering nearby with her eyes on us. Although the place was nearly empty, I assumed she was anxious for us to relinquish our table.

And then she was standing just a few feet away, looking at us. I said, "Do you need the table?" To my surprise she sat down in the booth next to me. "No," she said shyly. I wanted to interrupt you. I heard you talking about church and I thought maybe you were preachers or something." Haltingly, she said, "I’m trying to get back in church and I don’t know how . . . I thought maybe you could help me."

I confessed that we were indeed preachers and introduced the pastor and myself. She sighed with relief. She was twenty-three with a two year old son. When she was around eight years old she had joined a Baptist church, then went with her mother to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and recently attended a Nazarene church. But none of the churches were especially friendly and she hated going to a church where she didn’t know anyone.

I told her that the first thing she needed to make sure of was her salvation, and I shared the Gospel with her. She nodded and said that it was a long time ago, but she was pretty sure she had been saved.

She needed to get in a church. The church I was preaching in was out in the boonies, and I felt like I couldn’t recommend her to go to that church. Then the pastor asked her where she lived and it turned out she lived about a mile from the church! The pastor told her about his church; I said it was one of the friendliest churches I had ever been in. Her eyes began to light up. The pastor said they had a class for people her age and if she would come, he would meet her and take her to the class and introduce her to everyone. She smiled at this.

I asked her if she could come tonight. "My boy is sick today, but I’ll be there Sunday."

I asked if I could pray for her and she said yes. So we prayed for her and her little boy. The pastor gave her his card and a salvation tract and said to call him if she had any question. Again, a big smile as she got up and said, "I’ll be there Sunday morning."

I believe the Holy Spirit set the whole thing up. She just happened to be our waitress, just happened to overhear our conversation about the Lord, and just happened to live a mile from the church. That’s not coincidence that’s providence.

The fact is there are thousands of spiritually hungry people out there. We may not know who they are but the Holy Spirit does. And if we are led by Him, he will bring us into contact with them. You see, God works at both ends: He prepares the seeker and then prepares the speaker. God doesn’t have any problem preparing the seeker to receive. His problem is finding speakers who are prepared to speak. Peter says, ".... Always be prepared to give answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (I Peter 3:15)

I am reminded of a Civil War story I heard years ago. Don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s a great story. During a fierce battle the Yankees overran the Confederates. The Confederates retreated. That night around their campfires, they tried to identify the soldiers who hadn’t survived. One soldier unaccounted for was a new recruit named Henry. They assumed he had been killed.

About midnight someone approached the camp. The alarm went out and the intruder was asked to identify himself. It was Henry—and he had three Yankee prisoners with him. When the officer in charge saw the prisoners, he said, "Henry, where did you get these Yankees?"

To which Henry replied, "The woods are full of ‘em, sir."

Helpless Orphans

 "I don’t have the Holy Spirit. I haven’t been anointed."These words were spoken by an elderly woman who had been a Christian longer than I’ve been alive. We were talking after a service about how much God had been saying to her and that she wouldn’t remember all of it. I told her that was okay, none of remembered all God said to us but that was why He had given us the Holy Spirit—to call to remembrance the things He had spoken to us. Then came her startling reply. Stunned, I just looked at her for a moment, thinking, somewhere along the way a false teaching had robbed her of one of one of the greatest blessings of the Christian life. I tried to explain to her that when we received Jesus, we received the Holy Spirit. We spoke for a few minutes longer, but I don’t think I convinced her.What a shame to live so long without the blessed assurance of the Spirit’s presence. Jesus knew we would not be able to make it on our own, that our best efforts at living the Christian life would be futile—
unless....

In John 14:16f, Jesus told His disciples, "And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever...I will not leave you comfortless—helpless orphans.

"As you may know there are two Greek words translated "another." One means "another of a different kind," and the other, "another of the same kind." The latter is the word Jesus uses here—"Another of the kind; another just like Me.

"The Holy Spirit has been called, "The "Go-Between God." Jesus was and is the go-between between man and God. As is the Holy Spirit. He has been given to us to do all for us that Jesus would do if Jesus were physically present. People often comment how wonderful it would have been to be alive during Jesus earthly sojourn. But we have not been cheated by Jesus’ earthly absence. As a matter of fact, we are far more blessed living in the age of the Spirit. When Jesus was on earth, He was limited by time and space. He couldn’t be with me in Texas and be with you in New York. But through the Spirit we all have all of Him. He went away that He might be with us. Christ indwells us through His Spirit. No special anointing is required for this, just simple faith in Jesus Christ, for Paul said, "If we have not the Spirit of Christ, we are none of His.

"By giving us the Holy Spirit, Jesus is trying to get an important message through to us. Learn it well and live by it faithfully: My Inability to Do Anything for Myself in the Spiritual Realm.

LifeStyle Ministries
P.O. Box 153087
Irving, TX 75015

©Ron Dunn, LifeStyle Ministries, 2001