All in God's Providence

I had a conversation with one of the elders of our church recently (I’ll call him “Rocky”) about a difficulty we were having with recording the recent ladies’ SS sessions. I tritely concluded, “Well, all in the providence of God”.
(That sounds good…and it’s true, too, right?!!)
To which he looked at me and replied,
“Perhaps, but sometimes, I think we maybe just didn’t try hard enough.”

I’ve been thinking about that statement lately.
(Beware: careful of what you say to me; it might haunt me for weeks.)
His words have given me pause to consider:
Sometimes, indeed, are we maybe not trying hard enough?.

Now, I realize I must give some right-up-front caveats:
Self effort can be an incidious counterfeiter.
Salvation (or lack of) is never because one hasn’t ‘tried hard enough’
Christian life ‘trying hard’ can also result in all kinds of Satanic offerings: self righteousness, legalism, self reliance…all these are hated by God and decried in Scripture.
I’m not referring in any way (nor of course was “Rocky”) to these.

But in the day to day occurrences of life:
a goal not reached, a book not finished, a house not cleaned (okay ‘Babs’, I’ll lay off the cleaning references!), a friend not called, a child not hugged---
maybe these aren’t so much “all in God’s providence” situations as much as “all in my lap as I take responsibility” deals.

Do I excuse things using the ‘all in God’s providence’ card when possibly God’s providence might have included me trying harder, working harder or planning better?!

One can say…

‘I want to spend time in the Word’ but don’t get up when the alarm goes off…or don’t even set the alarm with that plan in mind. At the end of the day I find it was filled & I have not found refreshment and fellowship with the Lover of my Soul---“All in God’s providence?”

‘I want my eating to glorify him’ by being healthy and enabling me to physically be up to my responsibilities and ministries---but the appeal of all kinds of unhealthy things lure me, and I can’t resist….”All in God’s providence?”

‘I desire a marriage that honors God’, a relationship with my husband that mirrors Christ’s love for the church. But…well, my husband doesn’t always act like Christ, he says he doesn’t care about all that ‘romance’ stuff anyway, and since he’s okay with things as they are, do I really need to strive to love him sacrificially, serve him unselfishly and go above and beyond in my role as wife? At the end of the day we’re all still alive—and together...“All in God’s providence?”


‘I want my child to learn discipline’, to love God, to play the trumpet, to memorize God’s Word, to do his best in schooling. But, making him practice, going over his flashcards & Bible verses with him, holding out against his resistance, keeping him home in discipline when he really wants to go to that event—that is hard; it’s so easy to rationalize away. And so results another mediocre report card, thrust aside trumpet & YWAP night without verses learned…”All in God’s providence?”

‘I want to memorize your Word’, Lord. I’ll write it out; read over it once. But …well, the bathroom’s dirty (I’ll clean it), my book is calling (I’ll just take a short break), my friend is texting, my Facebook needs photos, my husband’s home from work….wow, no time today….”All in God’s providence?”

You put in your scenarios, as I can put in mine.
Sometimes, maybe God’s providence gets a ‘bad rap’
Yes, ultimately everything is God’s providence;
But sometimes, before it gets His stamp of “ordained by Me”,
I wonder if it perhaps it is a bit of “Wow, I should’ve tried harder”
I know I’d be more pleased with the outcome; and I wonder if often He might be more pleased in the providential outcome, too, if, as “Rocky” suggested, I’d have tried just a little bit harder.


Lord, help me to recognize when my laziness gets in the way of your purposes for my life. Help me to confess and forsake this and then to work diligently to your honor and my sanctification.

Col .3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men.”