The Providence of God and A New Car

First, let me say that, thankfully, I was not in my car when it was hit. But, as you can probably see the car is deader than dead. About a month ago my mechanic, Buzz, told me that, after a series of car problems this year that it was time for me to upgrade to a newer, more efficient car. After much unnecessary anxiety and deliberation, I decided to look for a new car, and I found one. The only catch was that I had to sell my current car (the one pictured). Buzz, being the nice man that he is, was going to sell it for me. While he was in the process of preparing it for sale, he parked it in front of his house, and it got hit—by a drunk driver. Upon hearing the news, my mind immediately raced with all of the preparations for my move in a month, and all I could think about was how much I didn’t need this added stress. But then my dad reminded me that I did sell my car, to State Farm Insurance of Minnesota, who kindly presented me with a check in the amount that I was initially selling it for. So, God did answer my prayer for a car buyer, just in a way that I had never anticipated.

Although it may seem like a very small event, it is reminding me that God is working every detail of my life (even obscure one’s like this one) for my good. As I have been getting ready to move and start school again, I have been humbled by the sweet providence of God, even in the smallest things.

The book of Esther teaches us about the providence of God as well. As I read the progression of events in this book, I see the providence of God in every page. It reminds me that God is over every detail, even details that seem insignificant, or seem to thwart the whole process.

The text doesn’t tell us how Esther felt when she was carried away to the harem of Ahasuerus (Xerxes), but it couldn’t have been a feeling of excitement. And all throughout her time in the harem, we see her obeying Mordecai, and receiving the favor of those around her. When the edict was made to annihilate the Jews, they did not know the outcome, though they had vague memories of the covenant promises of God. And when Esther went in to Ahasuerus to petition for her people, she had no assurances that she would make it out alive.

We see the book of Esther, and the whole Bible for that matter, from an entirely different vantage point than those involved in the biblical narrative. Many times God calls us to obedience before He reveals to us the means of His provision for that specific calling. Esther could not see the outcome, and on occasion it might have seemed quite bleak. But as I read her story, I see the mighty hand of our sovereign God guiding and orchestrating her every step—for the glory of His great name and for the joy and sanctification of His people.

And while getting a new car may seem like a very insignificant point in the story of my life. Often times the insignificancies are reminders that God is working just as much in the minor details of a believer’s life as He did in saving an entire people from a vengeful man. He is caring for the sparrows just as much as He is the kings. As I look at my new car, it is a sign to me that God is a very personal God. He numbers the hairs on my head, He formed me in my mother’s womb, and He provides for my every need. Every small mercy is further knitting into my heart a deep trust in the provision of God, so when true trials come, I can look back and see that He is a God who always provides for His children.