Providence

August 19

Job 18-19

Psalm 94:1-7

Proverbs 20:24-25

2 Corinthians 7

Providence

“A man’s steps are determined by the Lord, so how can anyone understand his own way?” Proverbs 20:24

God is omniscient, which means that He knows all things past, present, and future and He is sovereign which means that He has complete power and authority over everything. Romans 8:28 tells us that God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. This verse in Proverbs explains that God determines our steps. He guides our way. God is at work in our lives whether we acknowledge Him or not. He has an ultimate will and purpose and it will be accomplished. In our finite minds it is difficult to reconcile the fact that we have free will and that God is ultimately in control and will bring about His purposes. The tension can be resolved in two different ways. For some people, they walk with God closely, He reveals His plans to them through prayer and His Word and they obey. They give glory to God and their steps align with his plan. For others, it is not such an easy path. They are not walking closely with God, and they react to His leading with rebellion and selfishness. For them the process of guidance often happens through discipline. In the end, God’s will is accomplished either way, but for some it takes a lot longer and the process is filled with heartache and pain. Seeking Him and obeying His leading is a much easier road forward.

The second part of this verse asks how anyone can understand his own way. As we have been reading the last few days in Job, it is sometimes difficult to understand what is happening in our lives at any one moment. We can look at our circumstance and the difficulties we are facing and completely misunderstand what is happening because we cannot see the whole picture. We are only seeing a small piece of the puzzle. It is necessary to examine our lives over a period of time and with the perspective of trying to see how God has been working to gain insight. We need His wisdom to show us what He is doing at the right time and help us grasp how we fit into His plans. It is not something we can understand in our limited ability, but through the power of the Holy Spirit He can guide us to understand enough that we are able to obey Him. The more we submit to His guidance, the easier it becomes to trust that His will is best and that his plans bring about good for us, and glory to Him.