God Sets the Stage

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. —Proverbs 19:21

As we look back over history, we can often see God’s hand directing events. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, thrown in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. This put him in the position to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, become second-in-command over Egypt, and ultimately save the Egyptian people and his own family (Gen. 50:20).

The persecution of the early church in Jerusalem had believers running for their lives (Acts 8:1), resulting in the spread of the gospel across the Roman Empire. In more recent times, the weather report for June 6, 1944 had German officials believing there couldn’t possibly be an attack—which left their troops unprepared and opened the way for the Allied Forces’ invasion on D-Day.¹

At the times of these events, those involved probably didn’t see God at work. The same is true for us. Even when we can’t see His hand, we can trust that God is working for our good and His glory.

_{1 Sheena Tyler, “God’s Providence and the D-Day Landings,” Evangelical Times, September 2014, https://www.evangelical-times.org/20735/ gods-providence-and-the-d-day-landings/, accessed January 22, 2019.}