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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Providence

It took me a while to fully understand and accept the notion of God's providence and I can fully proclaim that as a follower of Christ, I do not believe in coincidences. Earlier this year I was studying the book of Esther which is full of the intricate providence and my heart was just blown away by the careful work and planning He did, does, and will continue to do with His people. The formal definition of providence is the protective care of God/His foresight/forethought. An easy way to think about it is by using the word coincidence but not believing that it was a random act, but an act of God. There is so much providence in the bible, I don't even know where to begin but I'd like to share some of the providence in my life. 

I remember running into my husband one day on my lunch break and by running into I mean neither of us told each other where we were going/when and we ended up at the same place. Seeing him there I remember thinking "wow God! So cool, thank you for that 5 minutes of seeing my husband in the middle of the day". That is one of the many normal/mundane examples I have of God's providence in my life. 

A few weeks ago Jon was working on our taxes in his office and I went to join him to chat and he had a deer in the headlights look on his face (not a great look when I know he is dealing with money). I asked him how much we owed and he wouldn't tell me because it was so high but mentioned that he hadn't plugged in our tax deductible tithe and charitable donations yet. By the providence of God, the money we give took what we owe from almost 5 figures to $900. I've talked about in the past my struggle to fully trust God with our finances and how that is an area where my husband excels as. I am selfish and distrusting because the moment I submit my fears, God reveals Himself. And He revealed Himself through our taxes which gave me so much peace going into the most expensive years of our lives... parenthood. We give, He gives, and selfishly, it makes me want to give more. 

It is so easy to see the faithfulness of God when view everything as His work. Beautiful weather? His daily gift. Fun times with friends....an absolute work of His steadfast love. Husbands, babies, deep friendships. I promise if you start seeing everything as His, you will see daily providence, it's almost unbelievable. 

You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that's on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. 
-Nehemiah 9:6

We let our friends borrow our heart rate doppler last week and the next day I thought dang I should have listened to baby Hart's heart one more time before I gave it away and within 5 seconds...thump, thump, thump, he was kicking away. Coincidence? No. Providence of God? Absolutely! 

Blog posts where I have seen the providence of God
When we decided to start "trying" 
Buying our home
Adopted

I don't live with regret but I wish I could go back with the mindset and belief I have now to see where I totally missed God in my life, knowing He has never forsaken me. Have I seen His providence in understanding the bad things that have happened in my life? 100% yes. Even if you think it has nothing to do with God, it has everything to do with Him. Through our human successes and failures, it has everything to do with Him. (Luke 1:52, He has brought down the might from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate). 

18 comments:

Courtney Kassner said...

Really enjoyed reading this! Thanks for the reminder!!

Carly said...

This is such a great post....and a wonderful reminder!

Carly
www.lipglossandcrayons.com

Lauren H Edmondson said...

beautiful message Ruthie! I think the hardest thing my husband and I try to make ourselves do is tithe first and trust that the money will last! We both used to get paid once a month and when we looked at that money dwindling further and further down at mid-month I had to keep telling myself, "god will provide", and he does!

Candice Williams said...

Thank you so much for this. You have been blessed by god with such wisdom and an amazing ability to share it with others. Thank you!

I also believe in providence. My husband used to be a professional skateboarder and moved from Seattle to California to pursue it more. Totally spur of the moment his friend in Seattle said hey I'm moving to Los Angeles want to come? My husband was already enrolled in school but decided to move. Less than a month later he happened to be at the same Christmas party as I was. We got engaged a year later and have been married four years. I don't think that was random! All God!

Hall Around Texas said...

Beautiful message!! Thank you for sharing, Ruthie. You're one amazing woman!

Anonymous said...

Great post. Tithing is a huge struggle for so many people...including my husband. I struggled with it for years, and then God really worked on my heart. He showed me so many examples where he provided because I was faithful in my giving. Ryan wasn't raised in a church that really talked about tithing, so it really came up in pre-marital counseling. It's something we are working on together, but I am such an advocate for God's provisions when we trust Him (:

Kaitlyn

Tanya Kummerow said...

I love this post! Recently I wrote about how I don't believe in coincidences but I didn't have a name to put with it. It is absolutely providencial that my husband and I found each other. It is providential that our tax refund exactly paid for a (new to us) car so we didn't have to take on a car payment, while also covering all of Eleanor's medical bills from a few months ago. When things seem like a coincidence I know that it is God just ordering my steps and blessings. Complete Providence! Thank you!

Krista said...

Ruthie - I am really loving your posts where you share what you are learning/experiencing with your faith...they really help me so a sincere THANK YOU! I have been totally seeing the providence of God in my life more and more. Just yesterday I had an experience where I was really worked up over something and I knew God work work it out for me (which He totally did), I just needed to trust Him. This is something I am working on more and more, turning to Him and trusting Him in EVERY situation.

Kerrie Williams said...

Amen Ruthie! It's so amazing to look back and see all that God has done. And to write it out, just so you don't forget.

Kathrin@shopschoolsleep said...

I really loved what you wrote here, but I have a hard time imagining God's hand in everything I do. Probably becasue I am a control freak and like to plan/ control every detail I possibly can.

jessi bridges said...

I was just reading a verse the other day in 1 Corinthians that said something about how God destined... And I thought it was interesting to think about how people talk about "destiny" as if its some magical thing that takes place. When in reality, God destines things to take place. It's not some cosmic coincidence, it's Someone, destining (is that even a word?) it, controlling it, providing it! I love that!

Anonymous said...

LOVE the post! I agree 100% in God's Providence! He shows it faithfully every day!
As a matter of fact I had one in my tax situation as well this year and all I can say is God is Great and his timing NEVER fails! Thanks for sharing! XO

Lindsay @ Pursuit of Pink said...

I completely agree, I know how faithful God is, but sometimes I let my human nature overtake my thoughts. And just when I start to give up hope, God is there delivering as always. Psalm 33:4.

Michelle (michabella) said...

Love this!! I always say coincidence but I guess I always mean it as providence, because I know things aren't a random act, they are from God. Thank you for this :)

Brooke Hamilton said...

Ever since studying Ester, I haven't seen coincidences as being random. I immediately think of God and his providence, good or bad.

Heather @ Finding Beauty in the Ordinary said...

i love this. especially the tax story. i totally see God in so many areas of your lives-- so amazing! God is so good!

Bridget said...

A few things:

Thank you for posting this! I am going to send this to my sister. She needs to be reminded of this!

You guys are awesome. I'm not sure if you are a Dave Ramsey follower or heard of him, but he is big on giving back to your church since we are all blessed with what God has given us. This post reminded me of his teachings and I know he would love reading this.

The part about your lil' guy reminding you that he was in there after you thought about listening to his heartbeat after you gave the doppler to a friend...that happened to me to. I was soo busy at work that I didn't know if I felt him move all day...I paniced and became worried. Within 5 minutes...kick kick punch punch. All I could do was smile :)

Unknown said...

Hey Ruthie, I commented awhile back about looking for a home church after reading some of your posts and finally found one that I LOVED. But last month I accepted a job in Houston (I'm from So Cal) and now don't have a church out here. Do you have any friends in Houston that could suggest a church here that they love? I used to attend Crossroads in Corona, CA and have followed Mark Driscoll from Mars Hills and Robert Morris from Gateway. Just thought I'd ask. I love reading your posts. Thanks for the inspiration!

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