God's Mind Blowing Providence

# 174 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 14:1a, “Now it happened one day,” 1 Sam 14:1a) “Now it happened,” the King James reads, “and it came to pass.” Whenever you see that phrase in Scripture it sets the scene for an important event in the Providence of God. Think about the phrase and break it down. “It came,” the meaning being that something was going down in God's timeline. Why did the event come? It came to pass. It came to happen in accordance with God's will at the “just right” time. He was up in heaven orchestrating the whole thing. It is directly related to God's Providence. Nothing escapes His attention as His Story, (history) unfolds. In the Book of Revelation there is mention of a “sea of glass.” This glassy sea has nothing to do with calmness, but everything to do with clarity. As the biblical commentator Lenski notes, “in heaven, “one can see clear to it's bottom.” This connection between transparency and providence shouldn't surprise us when we read of the times that Jesus told the disciples where to find fish. All seas are perfectly transparent to God. This sea of glass is ever before God's throne and it is in this portion of Revelation that we are introduced to the four living creatures “full of eyes in front and back.” They are full of eyes because nothing escapes them as God dispenses His providential care through them. There are also 24 elders mentioned here who have ring side seats by the sea of glass. The number 24 symbolic of the old and new testament church. Think about it, in heaven, the saints of all time are given a view of God's providence that is mind blowing. And they “fall down before Him who sits on the throne,” cast their crowns before Him and worship Him. They say, “You are worthy, O Lord....For You created all things,” From their vantage point they see that the Lord makes all things happen. They see those “all things that work to good” that we read about in Rom 8:28! And when we get to heaven and see all that God orchestrates in His Providence, we too will join this worshipful throng.