J.A. Matteson
How often we are prone to walk by sight in the hustle and bustle of the day when circumstances are either delightful or threatening. "...not one of them [sparrow] will fall to the ground apart from your Father" (Matt. 10:29). It makes no difference, the state of our lot, we often fret needlessly when our LORD promises that we are continually under His watch. It is not that we do not believe His promise, but we are prone to forget it. The antidote to forgetfulness is thoughtfulness. The apostle Paul exhorts saints to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17), meaning, to walk in the Spirit--perceiving your circumstance as ordained by God and responding in righteousness--and this requires practice. What freedom from anxiety awaits the pilgrim who encounters trials with inquisitiveness and who with childlike faith inquires, "Lord, what have we here?" It is not God's will that His children be fearful, but that they be faithful; that is, full of faith as they encounter daily circumstances, be they pleasant or painful. Wisdom discerns that in them God is up to something. And unless you inquire, "Lord, what have we here"?, not only will you likely be filled with fear when the sea tosses, but you will miss the point and blessing of what God is teaching you. The saints of old were not super heros, but average men and women who kept the presence of God continually in their conscience present, enabling them to respond to daily circumstances boldly and righteously. Did they always get it right by responding in righteousness? No. Nevertheless, they left for us an example, to learn from both their victories and failures what it looks like to walk faithfully and humbly before our God. Keep your spiritual eyes open today by discerning God's providential hand in the minutest details of your day. Doing so opens the treasuries of heaven to fill your heart with joy and wonder as you grow in your ability to see His hand in and through all things.
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