Seeing God at Work in Little Ways: A Personal Testimony

     Many times, as followers of Christ, we can be fooled into thinking that God only works in big ways. We see the life of Jesus in the gospel accounts and are amazed by the miraculous works He performed. We also read verses like, “…ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (Jn. 15: 7) and expect God to do miraculous things in our lives. This kind of perspective can greatly distort our view of God.

     Looking for God to do big things can prevent us from seeing God do little things in our lives. I am always reminded of Mt. 10: 29, 31, which states, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” These verses tell us that God is involved in the details of our lives and is orchestrating the little things in our lives. This makes sense when we recognize the love that God has for us and His power in our lives. The problem is that we often don’t see God’s love and power in our lives in the little things because we don’t pay attention to what He is doing.

     Recently, on a trip that Melodee and I made, we saw God at work in small ways. These are so small they could be attributed to good fortune, but in doing so, we are reducing the providential hand of God to orchestrate even small things. We went to North Carolina to see one of our sons be promoted to Gunnery Sergeant in the Marines. His ceremony was an outdoor event and during the afternoon there was rain off and on in the area. The event was scheduled to be at 4pm, but it was moved, at the last minute to 2pm because their duties were completed early. During the event, which lasted about 20 minutes, only a few drops of rain fell. Within 15 minutes after the event was over, a huge downpour occurred.

     A little later in the day, we went to a restaurant to celebrate his accomplishment. Within a few minutes of entering the restaurant, a huge downpour of rain came and lasted for quite a while. When we were ready to leave the restaurant, the rain was over.

     Finally, we decided, while we were visiting, to buy our son a couple nightstands for some bedrooms he was furnishing at his house. We decided to look for them after his ceremony was over. We found nightstands he thought would work and we had a vehicle with enough space to haul them to his house. We had rented a car for this trip and had reserved a mid-size sedan. At the rental place, they gave us a mid-sized SUV instead. This was the exact size we needed to haul the two nightstands.

     As you read this, you may think these are such minor details in our lives. They are minor, but Melodee and I both recognized God’s loving hand at work in these minor details. This is the nature of God’ providence because He is a powerful, loving God. I don’t think that God personally started and stopped the rain, just for our benefit, but I believe He orchestrated the timing of all of these events. When we open our eyes, we can see God at work in many small ways. This doesn’t mean we can see everything God is doing, but He wants to show us that we are more valuable than many sparrows.