God’s Providence

“Five days later Ananias, the high priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to present their case against Paul to the Governor. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor: ‘You have provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us.” (Acts 24:1-2 NLT)

The providential care and supply that God provides us is often ignored or forgotten unless or until we find ourselves in a season of great need. Ironically, those times may lead us to our greatest appreciation of prayer. Need and prayer often go hand in hand, at least they do for me.

The good news is that the Lord has enabled me to realize that every second of every day is a desperate time of need for me. There is never a time when I don’t need the Lord, so, I’m never tempted to take His bountiful provision for granted. The attorney who led the charge in seeking Paul’s conviction in the above verses, noted that the Governor Felix had “…provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted reforms for us.”

Our leaders, whether in the Church or the government, have the capacity as people to institute measures that will benefit the welfare of those they serve, but God, who is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving, and ever-present is in a unique position to not only know what we need in this moment, but in every moment of our existence. Why is that important?

Because if we’ll listen to Him, He will guide us in making decisions that will benefit us in ways we don’t have the capacity to yet understand. Why do you think Jesus taught us to pray: “Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:11-13 NLT)

Too often we ignore the vital nature of prayer on a daily basis, treating Jesus more like our rescuer and errand boy than our Lord. We’re to do His bidding, not He ours. Prayer is critical in the development of our relationship with Him, just as conversation and communication are critical in a marriage, or in any meaningful relationship.

Paul Rezkalla gives us insight when he wrote: “If your understanding of God’s providence leads you to pray less, then you need to rethink your understanding of God’s providence.“Just because God knows everything in advance doesn’t mean He has determined every outcome. If everything we thought, said, or did was predetermined by God then we’re not human beings, we’re robots. Without free will we’re like trees or plants.

Prayer is vital because it’s the lifeline of our walk with our Savior. Without conversation with Him about our every need, it’s not that He won’t know about it, but His heart may not be moved to do anything about it. I may know a neighbor has a need, but if I have no relationship with them, I may not have any inclination to offer help. But if they ask and/or make their need known, then I can be more specific in my response of support.

It’s not like God doesn’t already know or won’t help, but His priority is His children, especially those He knows are utterly dependent upon Him. When we act like we have everything under our control, without any apparent interest in or need of His help, He’s not going to force us to accept His help.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊