Day 89

Of Divine Providence

Chapter 5, Paragraph 3.

“... above,…“

Scripture Lookup

Romans 4:19,20,21.

Reflection

In God’s ordinary providence He uses means to accomplish His decree.  However, He is not limited by the condition of the means He uses. Let’s explore how God is free to work above means.

In Genesis 18 a son is promised to Abraham and Sarah. Both are old, but the text notes that Sarah was past childbearing. Unlike today, where fertility treatments enable menopausal women to give birth to a child, there was no such option back then. Once you had your “change”, it was the point of no return. Is it any wonder that Sarah laughs at such a claim?

See how the Lord responds to Sarah’s laughter. Does He say, “That’s totally understandable, Sarah”? No! He reminds her of who He is, stating,

Is anything too difficult for the LORD?

and reiterates His promise that Sarah shall have a son.

Knowing that Abraham and Sarah were “advanced in years”, and that Sarah was unable to bear children, we may wonder how the Lord would manage to bring this about. The normal means of conception were not functioning. Yet God worked above the means available, and did what He promised.

“So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.” (Genesis 21:2)

We may not see how God will use us, as defective as we are, to bring Him glory. But that is one of the most wonderful things about Him, that He is not limited or dependent upon any creature or thing. All things He has decreed come to pass immutably and infallibly. May we, like Abraham, not waver in unbelief, but grow strong in faith, giving glory to God,

“…and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform.” -Romans 4:21

Questions to Consider

• Is it hard to believe that God can work above means?