Small Story of a Lot

The Providence of God is most amazing to me.

He showers blessings and calamities where He will, our seeming 'free' decisions serve His purposes, His plans.

How is it that Lot chose the valley of Jordan, leaving Canaan to Abram? (Genesis 13:8-13) Which, by the way, is precisely the area of land that God said He would give to Abram.

It is a small story, but it illustrates this attribute of God, His Providence, very well.

Resigning Or Embracing?

There is resigning oneself and then, there is embracing. For a while now, I have been resigned to my lot. I think it comes from a pure desire to acknowledge, to praise the Sovereignty of God but, while His sovereignty is indeed praiseworthy I, by my attitude of resignation, have esteemed it as a lesser thing, a thing that is merely endured.

From the Valley of Vision:

Jehovah God,
Thou Creator, Upholder, Proprietor of all things,
I cannot escape from thy presence or control, nor do I desire to do so.
My privilege is to be under the agency of omnipotence, righteousness, wisdom, patience, mercy, grace.

The Puritan praying above sees it as a privilege to be under God's control and wisdom. He has not 'resigned' himself to it. To see it as privilege is to 'embrace' it.

"There has been a wonderful alteration in my mind, in respect to the doctrine of God's sovereignty . . . The doctrine has very often appeared exceeding pleasant, bright, and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God."  (Jonathan Edwards)

May it be so.

Mercies In Disguise

Yesterday Charles Spurgeon pointed out the psalmist who wrote Psalm 130 may never had found the pearl of redemption had he not been cast into the depths. This kind of language causes one to think about "being cast", that is, that the psalmist was not the actor, but the one acted upon. He was not in the depths because he wanted to be, but because the Lord put him there.

There is a popular Christian song out these days that echoes this theme. It's called 'Blessings' and it is sung by Laura Story.

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if the trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise.

The lyrics that I downloaded didn't have a question mark at the end, but it's a profound question. What if God loves His children too much to grant them ease, but rather sends the rain, the storm, the hard nights (and days!) in order to leave a bad taste in our mouths about the world? What if the Christian is often led purposefully into trial and difficulty by the Heavenly Father? What if He intends to send you through a hard providence? Is it enough that He means this for His glory and for our good?