Thanks for Nothing
November 18, 2008
Often we are too flippant about God’s protection, as if we were in charge of everything.
“What happened today?”
“Nothing.”
But think of what didn’t happen. No one robbed you. No one shot you. You weren’t fired. You arthritis didn’t flare up—or if it did, you made it through the day. A truck didn’t hit you. You weren’t rear-ended. No one scammed you on the Internet (though some people tried). Your identity wasn’t stolen (as far as you know). Your wife still loves you. Your husband is still happy to see you. You don’t have cancer—or if you do, you’re not dead yet. You’ve got your health (what there is of it), your friends (most of them, anyway), your money (maybe not as much as a three months ago but you’re not broke), your job (if you don’t get let go tomorrow), and on and on it goes. Think of all the bad things that could have happened to you today that didn’t.
The fact that you think nothing happened today means that God has been doing his job!
I call this the doctrine of “perpetual preservation.” It means that while we are on earth, with all its dangers and troubles, God is constantly at work behind the scenes, working to protect us from trouble, to clear the way ahead, and to give us strength for each new day. It is saild that over a bed in a hospital in England there is bronze plaque with these words: “This bed has been endowed by the savings of a poor man who is grateful for an unexpected recovery.”
If we could only see life as God does, we would make a new plaque like that every day.
To read more about this, check out The Blessed Benefits.