Providence

Scripture

Your road led through the sea, Your pathway through the mighty waters—
    a pathway no one knew was there!

~Psalm 77:19, NLT

Quote

Providence, like Hebrew, is best read backwards.

~John Flavel

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Providence is God’s continual, wise, loving, and sovereign rule over all that He has created, accomplishing His perfect purposes through both ordinary events and extraordinary miracles for His glory and the good of His people. In spite of what the unbelieving world says, God is guiding and directing the universe and He governs human affairs, as our forefathers so wisely understood. Providence also describes the quality of being prudent and having the foresight to manage resources well for the future. Vance Havner’s definition is much shorter: God either wills it to happen or allows it to happen, but nothing just happens.

When God called Moses to deliver Israel from bondage, He had a plan. No one knew exactly what the plan involved. However, God had a detailed map to lead the Israelites from bondage to freedom. This plan, not known to man, was to go through the Red Sea and into the wilderness. I did not say over the sea or by the sea, but through. There is a rift, a raised bed, across the Red Sea. It looks much like a railroad bed. The pathway could not be seen because it was under the water. How much Moses knew, I am not certain, but providentially, he lead them to the exact location of the underwater roadway. How did Moses know where to go? Good question. How could David describe the crucifixion one thousand years before it happened? How could Isaiah makes his incredible predictions about the coming of Christ? How did Jeremiah know that the Jews would be in Babylon for exactly 70 years? The answer, God’s providential leadership. God was guiding them all along. I have been convinced for years that none of them understood what they were doing, at least not exactly. With their human hands and finite minds they wrote down things that are too deep to fathom. It is because God was providentially guided their hand. They wrote what He wanted written. The words they wrote became infinitely greater than the hand that wrote them.

God has a plan and the details are not known to any man. There may be a lot of clues in scripture but trust me, no one; Jonathan Cohn or anyone else knows exactly what God will do next. He knows and He is following a plan but it is beyond us to comprehend what and when He will do next. These TV and now internet preachers that try to impress folks with their latest insight are comics to me. They don’t know anymore than you or I when it comes to the LORD’s activity {what He will do next}.

I do not believe is “Special Revelation.” I believe that what God reveals to me, He will reveal to you if you seek His face. Sensationalism is the second temptation: Jump off of the pinnacle of the Temple and then use your air brakes. It will draw a crowd. Jesus said, “No!” We too need to say ‘No’! If I were you, I would not pay that much attention to those who pretend to know what God will do next. Once something is in the past and we have a history, then we can see God’s providential hand clearly at work. On the South bank of the Red Sea, the Israelites did not have a clue as to what God was doing but on the other side they could see clearly: He was saving them from Pharaoh and his army. They complained on the South bank and celebrated His providential guidance on the other side. On the South side they couldn’t see what God was up to but once they crossed and looked back they could see clearly.

I attended and graduated New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. If you had asks me why I choose NOBTS, I would probably have said, “Because this is where my pastor {Calvin Coolidge Inman} studied for the ministry.” Some of the other students would say, “God lead me to NOBTS,” but I didn’t know if God lead me or if I choose myself. Years later I got the assurance, it was God. He was leading all the time. The footprints I was following were not visible to me but it was God leading me: of that I am now confident.

Jim’s surgery {gall bladder} is this morning and by the time you read this, David and I will be on the way. I think Jim is 97 and David thinks he is 96: either way he is 90 something. Since I am his son {inside joke}, I think I ought to be there and David is a good driver. Terri’s daughter, Terri Allison Shirley’s, surgery went well. Plus husband Don was there supporting his sweet wife. I have been on him about being as sorry of a husband as Jack Bailey, but I’m going to have slack up. He did good! Jenny has surgery at DGH tomorrow.

We got another rain at 83 James Road yesterday. Unbelievable! I think that is seven days in a row. It is so wet here that I cannot replant my peas which is OK.

GRACE POINTERS: Remember July is Deacon nomination month. You have two more weeks. Write down your nomination and put it in the offering plate or give it to David Cowart. Election is August 16. Buddy Beaver rotates off and one will be elected on the 16th to fill Buddy’s spot. Buddy cannot be on the ballot this year but he will be elgible next year. The year went by in a hurry. Two other events coming up: September 13th we will have a special offering for Wycliff Bible Publishers. Our Morgan Baptist Association is trying to translate the gospel of John. It cost $35 to translate one verse. My prayer is that each member will translate at least one. It is a one offering event. October 26 {Monday} Grace Point will host the MORGAN BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONAL ANNUAL MEETING. It may be the first time GP has hosted {I’m not sure}. The meeting begins at 9:30 or 10:00 I think and concludes at 11:30 and we furnish the noon meal. It will be like a 49er feast. This will be in lieu of the Pastor Appreciation lunch that you have been doing. We have been feeding 20 and that number should go to 50-60 but we can do it, and I am looking forward to it.

I don’t think many pastors read the blog but here is the PASTOR APPRECIATION schedule for OCTOBER

• Monday, October 5…Keith and Judy Blackwood
• Monday, October 12…New Center Baptist Church
• Monday, October 19…East Highland Baptist Church
• Monday, October 26…Grace Point Baptist Church
• Christmas Breakfast, December 7…{Cracker Barrel} Danville Baptist Church

Have a great day! Thanks for reading the blog.