A few years ago, I started to write another book, and got as far as Chapter 6. However, in light of how hard it is to get a publisher, and how many books are out in the marketplace, I decided to begin to feature it here on The Christian Woman. Titled, “Living in the Light of God’s Lamp,” this book is about “the lamp of God,” which is mentioned a handful of times throughout scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments.
Each chapter is very long, so it will have to be broken up with each installment. Today, I’m picking up from where I left off in Chapter 1. I hope you enjoy it, and would love to get your comments.
The word “provision” for most people means food on the table, money in the bank, gas in the gas tank. And it does mean that, but so much more besides. If we ask God for His amazing provision, and surrender our lives to His control, His provision will permeate every aspect of our lives. We will find that sickness passes over us even if it is all around us, or that we are being healed. We will find that our aging cars continue to work properly when we do not have the money to fix them. We will suddenly notice that the needle on our gas gauge hasn’t moved in a few days. We will realize that our food isn’t spoiling nearly as quickly as it did before. We will receive answers to prayers that are so clearly from the hand of God that we will be amazed.
Some time ago, an optional vaccination for a virus was being touted so consistently by the media that most people were running to get it. I prayed about it, and asked God if that was something I and my children should get. I forgot about it for a while, and about a week later, I was meeting with my prayer group. Although I did not bring up the subject, one of the women in my prayer group began to talk about the vaccination, and said she had researched it and found that many health organizations were against the vaccination due to its contents, and she suggested that we not get it. God had clearly answered my prayer.
God’s provision is everywhere, and if we are open to it, we will see miraculous things in our lives. My friend Julie told me recently how she and her husband have often hosted dinners in their home for their church’s high school group. Julie makes things like spaghetti, but she is never sure how many kids will show up, so she tries to make a big enough batch to feed the hungry hordes. Many times, however, extra kids show up, while the usual kids come back for seconds and sometimes thirds. Julie will glance into the pots on the stove and see that only about one or two more helpings are there, while six or seven kids stand in line. God’s provision always prevails, however, and there is always enough. Wouldn’t you just love to watch that pot to see God multiplying the food?
God’s provision in our lives is so all-encompassing that a lot of His provision is never even realized. We don’t know about the things that could have happened had God not shielded us. We’re not aware when God delays us from getting into our car that He is keeping us from an accident. We may be fussing and fuming about what’s making us late, not even realizing that God’s incredible grace and protection is at work.
About a year ago, I was at our cabin in Sandpoint. I had been there nearly a week painting and doing other things to spruce it up. The day before I was planning to drive the six-hour journey home, I went into town on an errand. A banging sound began to resonate from somewhere around my rear wheel. I pulled over and looked underneath the car, thinking that I had run over something, but I could see nothing. The banging went on as I drove further, and actually increased. Not knowing what else to do, I slowly drove back to the cabin, clanging all the way.
I was annoyed and worried, knowing that I was scheduled to drive home the next day, and concerned as to whether there was something really wrong with my car. I called a mechanic, and the earliest they could take my car was the next morning. Bright and early, a tow truck came and took me and my car to the mechanic. I left the car with them, and walked over to a nearby mall.
They called about an hour later and said that the emergency brake that is located inside the wheel, had come apart and was banging around as I drove. They had already taken all the pieces out, and I would be fine driving the six hours home. I would simply need to get the emergency brake fixed sometime after I got home.
It didn’t take me long to realize that through God’s providence, that brake fell apart before I left for my trip, instead of during my trip. The six-hour drive from Sandpoint, Idaho to Issaquah, Washington is dotted with a handful of towns with miles of open space between. Had the brake fallen apart on the trip, I would have found myself on the side of the road with only my cell phone, having to wait for a tow truck driver who would most likely have to drive a long way to a mechanic, and smiling all the way with dollar signs in his eyes.
God handled the situation in the best possible way. That’s what life is like when we live under the lamp of God’s provision. I smile when I think about all the times that God has taught me about His provision while I was trying to get from Point A to Point B on a highway. Another story comes to mind that truly would make any mother’s hair stand on end.
(I’ll relate this story in my next installment.)
