Today was one of those days when I was reminded that the Lord is in control of everything, including the weather, and so I might as well make the best of it. It all started very early this morning when I was awakened by the sound of freezing rain pelting against our window. The electricity was still on and so I hoped the rain would stop or turn to snow and I would be able to do all the things I had planned. An hour or so later when the alarm went off I was relieved to see that the power was still on and although there was lots of ice outside I hoped that it would melt as the temperature rose during the day. However, more than three hours later, shortly after nine, the lights went out and those lectures that I had planned to do on the computer (no laptop yet) were put on hold, for a while. Now usually when the lights go out in a civilized place like Ancaster they are back on in a few minutes, or in a few hours at least. But this time, as the hours went by, it became obvious that the Lord had other things for me to do. As it turned out I was able to catch up on some reading that I had to do, and it is a good thing I didn't decide to wait for the power to come on because it was off for the next ten hours.
This simple experience reminded me that we make our plans but the Lord is the one who directs our steps. In saying this, I am not suggesting that we merely sit around and wait for him to tell us what to do. He has given us a brain and he expects us to use it to make the best decision we can based on the circumstances that are presented to us. But as Christians, we should always submit our plans to his sovereignty. He has the right to overrule us if he sees fit. In fact, he may decide to take us in a completely different direction. Or he may allow us to do exactly what we planned to do. Either way, he is in control and we are responsible to make the most of our time here on earth.
The biblical balance is important. As Paul tells us we are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose" (Philippians 2:12-13). He brings together divine sovereignty and human freedom and responsibility. They are compatible with each other even though we cannot fully explain how they interact. It is not a matter of "either/or" but of "both/and". This balance is especially important in our pursue of holiness. Many have been completely discouraged with the "let go and let God" approach to holiness. They quickly discover that it is not that simple, because it is not biblical. The Scriptures exhort us to put to death, to run, to resist, to watch and pray, to be sober and alert! All of these are very active and call for deliberate action on our part. And they in no way deny the sovereignty of God, or our complete dependence on him, because we know that we can only do these things by his grace. So we strive to enter and we praise God for his grace and mercy at the same time.
When I stop and think about it... even ice storms and power outages can be used by my heavenly Father to lead me to think about things that really matter!
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