Behind A Frowning Providence, God Hides A Smiling Face

Introduction :

God as we KNOW HIM is the Almighty and Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that dwell in them.  He governs His world and He is in firm control as well.  We also need to understand that since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, the devil has been involved in the events of the world.  He struggles daily to truncate the plans of God for man and the Bible says that “We should be sober and vigilant because our adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.  We are to resist him, and be steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering are experienced by our brotherhood in the world”

 

– 1 Peter 5:8-9.  God in His infinite wisdom is a Master Planner and Executor of human destiny.  In order to accomplish His eternal plan in His world and for every individual acknowledges His supreme authority sent His only begotten Son to be incarnated, and to die on the cross and resurrect on the third day.  This He did to empower all those who will give their lives to Christ to gain victory over the devil and all his emissaries and antics.

 

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 epitomises the wisdom of God in accomplishing His purpose in the lives of His children. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  How do we explain that the baby born in a manger by poor and despise earthly parents, who had no beauty that we should desire Him, who was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrow and who was acquainted with grief and who died like a robber on the cross is the Saviour of the World ?  (Isaiah 53:2-3).  Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 that “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”

 

In Psalm 22:2 and Matthew 27:46 when God hid His face from Jesus Christ while the latter was on the cross and cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, it does not imply that God hated His Son and decided to forsake, rather it was the earthly ministry of Christ and God’s salvific plan for Mankind to be accomplished.

Jesus Himself said that “Now My Soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour” – John 12:27.  Please note that Jesus was privy to the working principles of His Father.  He surrendered Himself totally to His Father’s will and also became insensitive to the promptings of His own will and human tendencies.  We should also remember that God loves us so dearly that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our redemption and salvation.  The Bible says in Romans 8: 31-32 that “What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

 

The devil’s activities in the world particularly in the lives of the upright and righteous are reported in Job 1:6ff and Job 2:1ff.  He always interferes in human affairs to truncate God’s plan but Job was steadfast and unwavering in his trust and loyalty to God.  God eventually vindicated him.

Our theme could be seen as a blessing in disguise: Behind a frowning providence, God hides a smiling face.  Difficulties can serve as a stepping stone to the fulfilment of God’s purpose for our lives.

The word “Disguise” is defined as “to modify the appearance or manner of something in order to conceal its identity.  It is something that is intended for hiding identity, character or quality of something.  It is to change the appearance of something so as to conceal its true identity or to mislead as with a deceptive garb.  It is to conceal the truth or actual character by a counter form or appearance.  A good example of this is found in Genesis 38:6-30 where Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law disguised as prostitute to deceive Judah to sleep with her.  In verses 14-15, we are told that “she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife.  When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she covered her face”

Blessing also sometimes present themselves as difficulties in their initial manifestations.  Blessing in disguise therefore is something that seems to be a difficult but later brings out good result.  Blessing in disguise is any event that is so difficult to make out at an early stage, because of lack of transparency and that eventually results in fortune whereby bringing testimonies. Providence could be defined as “the preservation, care and government which God exercises over all things He has created in order that they may accomplish the ends for which they were created.  It is also defines as “The forecasting and guardianship of God over his creatures….. a manifestation of His divine care of direction – (by American college Dictionary)  we can summarise from these two definitions that providence is “the divine intervention in the affairs of man within the confines of natural law to bring about God’s objectives”.

God in His providence had created the world for a purpose and He governs it in such a manner that nothing can thwart that purpose – Job 42; 2.  There are disruptions however but He is ever in control and whatever He allows is meant to further aid the fulfilment of His purpose, be it in the lives of individuals or nation.  God as revealed in His words is the Ultimate Power and Supreme Being.  He created all things both visible and invisible.  Designs their destinies and purposes and He governs His world to the extent that in the end they will carry out His will.  The love of God for mankind from eternity past will help us to understand that in the providential nature of God He has our interest at heart.  Be that as it may, this love of God is guided toward the fulfilment of His global purposes.  In His love for man which is unique, unparalleled and unquantifiable, He created us in His own image and made us the administrators of His entire world.  He empowers and commissions us to subdue and rule over His world.  He puts all other creatures under our control – Gen. 1:26-28 & Psalm 4:4-8.

The life of a Christian resembles the works of a watch, what we see is that certain wheels which turn in a counter-clockwise direction are attached to other wheels that are working in a clockwise direction.  Our first though may be that the watchmaker is either foolish or confused, but he is neither.  Rather, he has so arranged the works of this watch and put in a mainspring to govern all its wheel, that when wound, though one wheel turns clockwise and another counter-clockwise, all work together to move the hands around face of the watch at precisely the right speed.  Many wheels appear to counteract each other, but they all work together for the identical purpose of revealing accurate time.  Such is the symbolic life of God’s people. some wheels in our lives run clockwise, which provide hope that the

events of our lives directly by God’s purpose are good for them, but other acts of God’s providence seem to run counter-clockwise, i.e. seems to run against them.  Only when our eyes of faith are fixed on the great watch maker, who has planned everything in His all wise decree, do we see and understand that He has placed the main spring of free grace within our “watch life” so all providential and spiritual wheels work together for our welfare.  God will work all things together to produce a divine and blessed result according to his sovereign good pleasure and eternal

counsel.

 

St Paul states a profound comforting truth for the genuine Christian in Roman 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good too them that love God, to them who are the called according to His propos”.  In providence, God manipulates His own laws for the accomplishment of His ultimate purpose.  God respects our freewill, and will never overpower our freedom of choice in the use of providential activity.  The Holy Godhead was responsible not only for the origin of the universe, these divine persons continue to regulate and sustain nature.  Christ is “upholding all things by the word of the power – Heb. 1:3.  In Him all things consist – Col. 1:7.  The perfect tense form is used here in the sense of continuous.  God providentially maintains the season – Genesis 8:22, and blesses the earth with His bounty – Acts 14:17.  All the creatures in the world are in the hand of God –      Matt. 10:29, and He cares for them – Matt. 26, Psalm 104; 21 & 147:9. God uses the creatures and nature for the accomplishments of His will – Gen. 22:13, Number 11; 13, 1Kings 13, 24 ff, 17:6 and 2 Kings 2:23-24.

God has the power and ability to work within the circumstances of human activity to bring about His desire.  His Providence is usually employed to facilitate the journey of those whose hearts are longing to find and serve Him. Instances of this abound in the Bible.  We have the case of Daniel and his three Hebrew friends in the book of Daniel, these four young Hebrew men were men of integrity courage, prayer, principle and honour because of their resolve not to compromise the will of God for personal gain no matter how attractive.  They were carried into captivity by the Babylonians under the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar.

They did not resign to fate or start to bemoan their situation.  They were full of hope that at the end of the tunnel, there must be light.  They did not forget who they were and they were conservative about their religion.  They refused to substitute an idol for Yahweh the God if Israel.  Daniel refused to be corrupted by his colleagues who were governors in Babylon.  We are told that he distinguished himself and they could not find any charge or fault in him because he was faithful not was there any error or fault find in him – Daniel 6:4.  Often times, we are afraid of being ostracized, marginalized or implicated. Let us remember what the psalmist says in Psalm 37; 25 that “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his descendants begging bread: we can learn the following lessons from Daniel and his three Hebrew friends:

 

1. They were men who were faithful in their careers.  There was no guile found in them.
2. They pursued excellence and integrity in their workplace.  They stood out even from the best.
3. They were obedient in their workplace except where the laws of the land were in conflict with the laws of their God.

 

Being a person of integrity without compromising your faith does not mean that you will not prosper.  Let us exercise our faith in this great and awesome God Who is ever faithful and dependable.  Nothing will stop God from fulfilling His purpose in our lives.  Things may appear perfectly natural form the human point of view but God will answer the prayers of the faithful in His own providential way.  We read the story of Joseph in Genesis chapter thirty seven to fifty.  There may be even be many distressing circumstances we find ourselves in, and some of them may even be unjust as were there in Joseph’s life.  However, by remaining faithful and accepting that God is ultimately in charge, we can be confident that God will reward our faithfulness in the fullness of time – Habakkuk 2; 3 says that the vision is for an appointed time, it will surely be made manifest.  Keep your dreams and visions alive and focus on them as your go on life’s journey.

Every child of God must have a dream and vision and these must align with God’s word and bigger plan.  Remember that joseph remained loyal, faithful and obedient to God throughout.  Like Daniel, he embraced total allegiance to God.  He was holy and righteous and did not compromise the Word of God in spite of his ordeals.  He was not also vindictive, he was able to see God’s involvement in all that he went through.  Who would have blamed Joseph if he had turned his brothers away in time of their need?  Nevertheless, God desires that we exercise mercy above all other sacrifices we may offer him in our lives – Hosea 6:6 and Rom. 12; 17-21.  God’s sovereignty will always work to overcome evil and bring about His plan. Man’s most wicked intention can never thwart the perfect plan of God.  The life of God’s children is like bell – the harder it is hit, the better it sounds.  Christians learn more under the rod that strikes them than under the staff that comfort them.  No, the Good Shepherd is not drowning His sheep when He washes them nor killing them when He shears them.  Rather His washings are needed cleaning; His corrections are essential lessons.  We are told in James 1:2-4 count it all joy when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patient.  But let patience have its perfect work, that we may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing”.  Sometimes God steers us away from horrendous unseen obstacle while we mistakenly think that He is thwarting us or not answering our prayers – Proverbs 16:9 says “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps” and “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way death – Prov. 16:25 what we need to realize about God is that He created us and designed what we shall be.  Nothing about us is hidden from Him – Psalm 139: 13-16.  So, He sees the ends from the beginning and in His providence He guided us so that we do not head it into destruction.

God’s providence will work out His purpose in our lives regardless of our ordeal & difficulties.  There is one thing that stands for ever.  There is one purpose that no circumstance can triumph over; through Jesus Christ, our circumstances are used to push us closer to our purpose.  When Abraham had to go almost a century without a child, he discovered that his true destiny was beyond being a father.  When job lost everything he had, he was reminded that his destiny was beyond being successful.  When Ruth’s husband died, she followed a destiny that was more than just being a wife.   We know that because of their perseverance towards God’s purpose, Abraham became not only a father but also a father of many nations.  Job received double what he lost, and Ruth remarried and became part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.

We must die to ourselves and give our dreams and vision a global interpretation to align with God’s purpose.  We must be determined to let our blessings count in order to glorify.  We must love God with all our hearts, our mind, our strength, and our soul and also love our neighbours as ourselves – Mark 12:30-31.  We must not live for ourselves and our children alone.  We must aim at impacting other people and also at being a blessing to our nation and generation.  If we recognize that our true meaning of life is to serve God earnestly and to the fullest extent, we will reap benefits and blessings beyond what our hearts and minds can imagine.

God’s providence will work out His purpose in our lives regardless of our ordeal & difficulties.  There is one thing that stands for ever.  There is one purpose that no circumstance can triumph over; through Jesus Christ, our circumstances are used to push us closer to our purpose.  When Abraham had to go almost a century without a child, he discovered that his true destiny was beyond being a father.  When job lost everything he had, he was reminded that his destiny was beyond being successful.  When Ruth’s husband died, she followed a destiny that was more than just being a wife.

We know that because of their perseverance towards God’s purpose, Abraham became not only a father but also a father of many nations.  Job received double what he lost, and Ruth remarried and became part of the lineage of Jesus Christ.

We must die to ourselves and give our dreams and vision a global interpretation to align with God’s purpose.  We must be determined to let our blessings count in order to glorify.  We must love God with all our hearts, our mind, our strength, and our soul and also love our neighbours as ourselves – Mark 12:30-31.  We must not live for ourselves and our children alone.  We must aim at impacting other people and also at being a blessing to our nation and generation.  If we recognize that our true meaning of life is to serve God earnestly and to the fullest extent, we will reap benefits and blessings beyond what our hearts and minds can imagine.

1. He sends angels to minister and care for us in times of trouble – Matt. 1; 20, Heb. 1; 14.
2. Despite what we see with our eyes, God wants to speak a message of direction and hope into our lives – Matt: 1:20-21 and
3. It is important to note here that God meets Joseph’s need not by alleviating the situation but rather by offering a new perspective on it and calling Joseph to trust Him and not give in to fear Matt. 1:20-23.

When we love God and remain determined to obey Him, we find that He has a way of taking our difficulties and reworking them for the good.  It is possible that such pains may just turn out to be a blessing in disguise- Matt. 1: 24-25.  Conclusively, let us see God from the perspective of the scriptures and accept it in our hearts and spirits that He loves us beyond description and our own imagination.  We are nothing but pencil in His hand.  He told Jeremiah that before formed in the womb He knew.  Before he was born He sanctified him and ordained him a prophet to the nations- Jer. 1:4-5.  Remember, He respects our freewill and will never coerce us into obeying Him.  We should learn from the life of lot (Abraham’s Nephew) who out of greed and arrogance chose the plain and fertile land of Sodom and Gomorrah.  He took of nothing out of the cities- Genesis 19:15-17.

God’s Purpose

It is a known fact that everything happens for our own good.  Al depends upon the perception of the individual.  An optimist always views the glass as half full rather than half empty.

An optimist views the positive repercussions of every event but some events that occur in our lives are dubious and ambiguous.  Such ambiguous events have positive repercussions only but we fail to recognize them at first.

Any such event that happens for our good but we cannot recognize initially is said to be a blessing in disguise.  Let us put our ears in the chest of God, He will guide us into our glorious future.

Thanks for listening and God bless you all.