J.A. Matteson
Pay close attention to your response to providences that strike you as unpleasant or not right, for in them the LORD is revealing more of Himself to you. "...For the ways of the LORD are right, and the righteous will walk in them…." (Hos. 14:9). If He were to inform you of the entirety of His plan for your sanctification it would be overwhelming. What He is after is a placid trust in His ways which are always right, these are the providences He employs as the means to His desired end, your sanctification. Some providences come as a short blast and quickly pass, others being more prolonged, sometimes for days, weeks and years, depending on what the good pleasure of the LORD's will is in them relative to what He is seeking to accomplish in us, and our response to them in how quickly we learn their lessons. In the hands of the potter a lump of clay does not protest when an instrument is used to smooth off rough edges. Neither are pilgrims to pull back in protest when providences cut at the root of sin, self-reliance. Every providence, pleasant and unpleasant, is from the LORD. Forget about the idea of haphazard events impacting your life, that is what the pagans believe. When the unpleasant providence intersects your path the LORD first desires that you understand it is His way to further your sanctification. And coming from that LORD it is right. Maturity occurs when the struggle is over, when knee jerk reactions of doubt, anger, and fear are replaced with trust, joy, and courage. Upon His death sentence Jesus stood quietly entrusting Himself to Him who judges rightly. In prison Paul and Silas entrusted themselves to the LORD, singing joyously. Daniel and his companions entrusted themselves to the LORD knowing that in death or life He would deliver them from the peril confronting them in the fiery furnace. So listen carefully to your hearts response when contrary providences greet you along your way. Wisdom understands that through them the LORD is working out something beautiful in you for your good and His glory.
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