Seeing God in Everything

Rev. Dr. Mark Raeburn Johnston

Hannah Whitall Smith writes of a woman who earned a precarious living by hard daily labor, but who remained a contented, joyous and triumphant person of faith.

One day a gloomy lady commented to her; “Ah! Nancy! It’s all well enough to be happy now but I should think the thoughts of your future would sober you.”

Then she added, “Only suppose, for instance, that you should have a spell of sickness and be unable to work; or suppose your present employers should move away, and no one else should give you anything to do; or suppose…”

“STOP!” cried Nancy, interrupting the woman. “I never suppose! The Lord is my shepherd, and I know I shall not want! And honey,” she added, “it’s all them ‘supposes’ that’s making you so miserable. You’d better give them all up, and just trust the Lord!”

Real faith surrenders control over life to God’s care and sovereignty. As the Apostle Paul wrote;

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Faith believes that everything works together for the good of those who love the Lord and who seek to honor His will. But how does this belief square with those difficult circumstances and trials that originate from human failure, ignorance, carelessness or sin?

While God isn’t the author of these things, we can also sense that the Lord cares for us and will guide our steps even in the midst of such trials. This comfort abides with those who seek to obey the Lord.

Mrs. Smith asks, “Yet unless He is in the matter, how can we say to Him, ‘Thy Will Be Done?’” She observes, “One of the greatest obstacles to entire surrender is the difficulty of seeing God in everything.”

Seeing God in everything isn’t easy to do. But testimony is birthed when the vision of God’s footprints and fingerprints appear in our personal experiences and circumstances!

I remember seeing Him through a twenty-minute detour that delayed me from an important meeting. Finally arriving to my destination, a woman preparing to pull out of the parking lot saw me and called to me. It so happened that she was in crisis and needed assistance and prayer. We wouldn’t have met had I not been delayed!  How true the saying that ‘hindsight is 20/20 vision’ – especially when we connect the dots and discover that our circumstances lead us to the Lord.

Our God, whose eye is even on the sparrow, sees you and me and knows how to meet our every need! And we see God best when we surrender to His love and trust in His word.

In this season of global tribulation let’s continue to trust in the Lord by praying more, reading our bibles more, and witnessing about our faith more, especially to those who are ‘supposing the worst.’

Through our joy and confidence others will also seek Him and discover the true peace of God; “which passeth all understanding,” a peace that will “keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus!” (Philippians 4:7)