Our Provider

I was just looking at this Star Jasmine creeper at my daughter’s place and this Cootamundra wattle tree in East Dubbo. These photos don’t do them justice; they are spectacular. I asked my young Great Grandson to count the flowers on the creeper this morning but of course he wouldn’t even start to do so because it would be an impossible task, (like counting the stars in the sky). Our God who designed all these things really thinks big. However, He also is a genius for detail. Every tiny flower is crafted to perfection as you see here with every minute detail complete. Each tiny flower has its own tiny seed waiting to be pollinated and it has its own scent and nectar to attract insects. Likewise, each tiny ball of wattle is not only pretty but also has pollen for the bees to collect as they fertilise the seed there too.

The same planning went into designing you and me, we may be part of a crowd of people, just like these individual flowers are part of the tree or vine, but Jesus points out that each one of us is very special to the extent that God knows how many hairs there are on our heads and “He loves us with an everlasting love”, as a good father loves his child unconditionally. He won’t “Gate crash” our lives though, but wants to guide us to the extent that He has promised to “Direct our paths” if we are prepared to “Trust in The Lord with all our heart”, and “in all our ways acknowledge Him”. Actually it is similar to the way the Satellite Navigation System in a modern car guides us as we travel. We tell it where we want our destination to be, and then we rely completely on its ability to navigate us down the best route to that destination.

When we become Christians we tell God that we are looking forward to our ultimate destination in Heaven. We should then ask Him daily to be the equivalent of our Satellite Navigation System to guide us down the best path for us to travel, (as He has requested that we do in the bible quote mentioned in the paragraph above). Non-Christians don’t do this; they just go blindly ahead and do whatever they think might be best, which of course often results in some very unhappy outcomes and sometimes they even blame God which is quite unfair. After all, if we decide to not follow the instructions of our Navigation Satellite System when travelling by car and end up lost, it is hardly fair to blame the System.  Likewise, if we decide to ignore God’s directions in the Bible it is hardly fair to blame God if we end up in a mess. However, God knows our weaknesses so He “didn’t send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved”. So the big picture might look alright: But in Gods sight it is the individual flowers that count: And when it comes to people the same applies. As clearly shown in John’s Gospel where Jesus said “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.”  That “whosoever” covers ordinary sinners like you and me who make up the big picture, so we shouldn’t forget how much we are loved, and make the most of that outstandingly Gracious offer whilst we can, (forget your pride and independence). Hell is full of people who used to be proud and independent. Instead be proud of our Heavenly Father and become fully dependent on His grace and guidance.                    Best wishes.  Tom.