God’s Perfect Providence

Today was one of those days where God did something so personal, it was like a love note straight to me.

Here’s the backstory: I recently started teaching a ladies Sunday school class. I was given a list of the class members and as I looked down the list, I could see it included ladies that had visited or used to come regularly but weren’t coming anymore.  Many names were unfamiliar, but one caught my eye. It was a friend.  We had children the same age and had done several church events together.

I wondered why she had stopped attending.  Were they going to another church? Was there a serious life event that prevented them from coming?

I called her home a couple of times but was only able to leave messages. Over the past few weeks, I’d been thinking about her and hoped to stop by her house but with homeschooling and kids’ schedules and working from home, it’s been impossible to find time to visit.

So, earlier this week, I decided Wednesday was my day. I would take the kids to evening choir practice and then head to her house. But as Wednesday wore on, I realized even that wouldn’t work. I would not have time to get to her house and back to church during the choir hour and I knew another week would roll by without being able to contact my friend.

But God was already working.

Unexpectedly, I needed to drive Zach to the school for basketball practice. Double ugh, I thought. I had planned to use the afternoon to exercise or write — time for either is hard to come by — and I could feel my frustration rising. Because basketball practice was halfway to church, I’d need to go ahead and get the kids ready for choir, pack dinner snacks, drop Zach off and then kill time until choir started.

I did have one errand to run. The day before I had been to Target (I’m so rarely at big box stores). As I checked out, I swiped my debit card for cash back but then answered my ringing cell from my long lost college boy and walked out without the cash.  I had called the store, they had the money set aside and I needed to stop by and get it.

As I walked into Target and turned down an aisle, who did I run into? The very friend who had been on my mind for weeks! The friend I had so wanted to visit that very evening.

We had a great conversation. We hugged and caught up. We were able to talk and share. And Matt and Annalise quietly and undistractedly amused themselves for our entire 30 minute conversation.  Add that to the mathematical improbabilities of the day!

I walked out of Target with a full heart and a smile that God had so orchestrated my afternoon. God is in every detail. Not just the big events of life, but our day to day walk with Him.

God is sovereign over our time and over the people we meet. He’s in charge of my inconveniences and delays. He’s sovereign over the opportunities that present themselves and those that don’t. Over the neighbors we have and the water heater that breaks.

In days that are full with a way-too-long must-do list, rest in God, who orders our steps better than we ever could. When we are inconvenienced or when a way doesn’t open to us or we are waiting for God to answer or struggling through a trial, we can breathe and rest in the perfect sovereignty of God. His eye is on the sparrow; how much more does He care for the details of our life.

The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9

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