Have you ever seen one of those Rube Goldberg machines? A Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption where someone sets up an incredibly complicated chain reaction in order to accomplish a simple task. (Check out this guy’s amazing basketball one for an example). I’m always amazed at how every little detail has to work out exactly right, or the whole thing falls apart. I’ve even made one before, and the smallest variation in any part can throw the whole thing off. For it to work as it was designed, even the most minute detail must happen exactly at the right place and the right time. God’s providence in our lives is infinitely more complex and amazing.
God’s word reveals this complexity in a variety of ways. Think of how God provided for the people of Israel in the time of Joseph. God used Joseph’s father’s sinful favoritism to lead his brothers to sell him into slavery. Joseph just so happened to be thrown into prison on a faulty charge where he met two people in Pharaoh’s house. This led to Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dream, storing up food, and ultimately saving life in Israel. Or even more importantly, God orchestrated the entirety of biblical history, and human history, to point to and lead to the coming of the Lord Jesus. He caused every little detail to work out perfectly to show us our need for a Savior and the person of the Savior. Think about it. He plotted this even down to the stars in the sky over a period of years over Bethlehem. Talk about calling your shot from a long way off!
Jeremiah Burroughs says, “There are an infinite number of wheels, as I say, in the works of providence.” Like the gears on a clock, every little detail in all of human history, your life and my life included, is a part of something bigger than we could ever imagine. And God is causing all things to work out exactly as they should for our greatest good and His greatest glory. If only we could see as God sees. Can we see that this moment is working exactly as it should in order to accomplish something for God in the next month or year or decade or century? Can we believe that our God is so perfectly wise and capable, that He can direct an infinite number of wheels to accomplish one great goal? In sadness and joy and heartbreak and fulfillment. In all these things, God is lovingly orchestrating His purposes.
So, brothers and sisters, be encouraged to trust in the Sovereign One. Be filled with faith and trust that God is accomplishing His purposes even in your situation. Let His sovereign direction lead you to a holy contentment in what God is giving. Let His wisdom and His providence cause us to worship Him. Be amazed at our Sovereign God.
Jacob Crouch 2023
Aliens and Pilgrims 