God is the god of the infinite, and he is also the God of the infinitesimal. The God who brought the universe into existence and who sustains it by the word of his infinite wisdom and power is the God who is concerned about and sovereign over the infinitesimal details of human existence.
Three times within the past twenty-four hours I have seen this marvelous truth unfold before my eyes again, as it has thousands of times before. In such experiences, as I note the exquisite timing and minute detail of the way God takes over to make things happen, I feel an impulse to bow my head and worship.
Although the Bible plainly teaches this great truth, many Christians ignore it, to their sorrow. As a result, instead of peace there is tension in their lives, and failure rather than success. The sovereign God of the universe is interested in every detail of our lives, but he is often thwarted in his loving purposes by our lack of interest.
Abraham was not only the “father of the faithful” but also the father of those who put their faith squarely on the line of God’s leading. Concerned lest his son should marry one of the pagans by whom they were surrounded, he sent his servant back to his home country to find a wife for Isaac.
Abraham knew what he was doing, for the servant to whom he entrusted his mission was a godly man, a man of prayer. On arriving in Mesopotamia at the city of Nahor the servant stopped and prayed—not in pious generalizations but with a specific request: “O LORD, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today, I pray thee, and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Let the maiden to whom I shall say, ‘Pray let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’—let her be the one whom thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac. By this I shall know that thou hast shown steadfast love to my master.”
Even while he was praying, a young woman came out to draw water, and at the servant’s salutation she did exactly that for which he had prayed.
In this incident, Abraham’s servant saw the miracle of God’s answer to his prayer for unmistakable guidance in his mission. We read, “The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, and said, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the LORD has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen’ ” (Gen. 24:26, 27).
Some have the mistaken notion that God intervenes on our behalf only in the “big” and “important” things of life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many of the “small” problems we face may have tremendous potential for good or bad, and many of the seemingly “unimportant” details of our daily lives prove in the end to have been vital.
God wants us to confide in him about things that, though they might be trivial to others, are important to us. He wants to be able to give help and guidance far beyond anything we have expected from him.
Unquestionably, the key to such an experience is personal surrender—a willingness to know and to do God’s will in a given matter. Then, on God’s part, there is his purpose and his pleasure to direct his children, for their good and for his glory.
Do we “bother” God when we talk to him about the trivialities of daily life? Far from it! It is the will of our Lord to undertake for us in all these things. Only our blind ignorance and stubborn wills stand between us and blessings untold.
The Apostle Paul was not indulging in idle fancy when he wrote: “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6, 7).
This admonition specifies “anything” and “everything.” God knows that each of us is confronted by problems, difficulties, and uncertainties. He knows that our outlook is often beclouded so that we do not know which way to turn. He also knows that every day seemingly minor things arise in our lives that call for his loving guidance.
It is very probable that our Lord had our need for guidance in mind when he said, “Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3).
If we search our hearts we realize that it is pride that keeps us from stepping out of our self-life into a blessed companionship with our Lord in which we talk with him about anything, knowing that he is interested. In a number of instances in the Bible, we are told that Christ’s power was denied or limited “because of their unbelief.” The situation is no different today.
One of the greatest stumblingblocks to the Christian’s acceptance of the guidance and wisdom of God is his failure to realize that this relationship with God is the most personal thing in all the world. When we arise in the morning it is natural for us to greet our loved ones. But do we also speak to our Lord words of love, trust, and dependence? Do we surrender our wills to him and ask that his presence and power flood our souls? If not, we are missing some of the greatest blessings possible to the believer.
When the Apostle Paul admonished the Philippian Christians to stop worrying and to ask God to take over in their lives, he told them to do so with “thanksgiving.” And why not? Surely we finite beings should have hearts filled with thanksgiving at the fact that we can turn all our cares over to the infinite and loving God!
I once heard a Christian spoken of with derision because he said he always asked God to help him find a parking place. He might drive around the block a dozen times before he found a place, he said, but “then it will be God’s time and God’s place.” He was right. When we are in God’s time and place, we are in the center of his will. Romans 8:28 applies to the “big” things and to the “little.”
We are responsible for being alert and obedient, of course, but once we have committed everything to God, the problem is his, not ours. God never fails the one who puts his trust in him. For this reason Paul can end his exhortation with these words, “The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).
When we have surrendered to God, trusted in him implicitly, and relaxed in him, then we feel peace, for we have turned over our anxieties and perplexities to the everlasting God of the infinite, who is also the God of the infinitesimal.
