God's Provision

When we look back at times of crisis in our lives we can usually see where the hand of God was at work. We find ourselves saying things like, "God really carried me through" or " God was really watching over me during that time". As I sat and thought about this, it dawned on me that this line of thinking was not good although on the surface it seems to be. It is really a sad thing that we fail to see the hand of our Lord upon us and His provision for us at the time of our crisis or deep need. Why do we so often overlook the mighty hand of God in our lives until AFTER the storm? I think perhaps because that is the easiest thing to do. Once everything is OK it's easy to look back and see God's handiwork. It's harder to put our trust in Him at the time that things are not going according to plan. Not according to OUR plan..

We have to learn to be more alert to what He is doing in that moment. To fully rely on Him and be ever so mindful of even the smallest of His works in our lives. We have to learn to "see" the entire process of His hand guiding our steps and protecting us from harm. Not just the end result. God is there even when we don't realize it and He is there before we even begin to see the storm brewing. Our trust in Him isn't just the final step - it is the whole process.

This is something I have to work on. I need to learn to put my complete trust and faith in Christ. It's easy to say it, sometimes it's not so easy to relinquish the "control" that I feel the need to have.

One of my favorite verses (that I keep taped to my bathroom mirror) is Psalm 18:32 "It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect."

Lord, please help me to not only remember this verse, but to actively apply it to my life. Help me to always see your grace and providence in my life and the lives of my family.

In His redeeming grace,

Beth