Today I took the day off from work to repair my car. You see my wife used it to take our
daughter and her friend to the pool yesterday and when she returned home noticed that motor oil was liberally running out from under the car. She suspected that she may have done something to the car when she encountered a pot hole in the pool parking lot and the car bottomed out. Yep, the pot hole had punched a hole in the oil pan. It took no time for the oil to completely drain onto our driveway. I spread some dry-all compound on the spill in the driveway and then proceeded to search for an oil pan on the Internet.
The Lord has graciously provided two cars for us so I was able to drive down to the local U-Pull-It junk yards today to see if I could get my hands on an oil pan. I quickly found out that an oil pan for my Audi is a commodity in Omaha. After much searching I finally determined that I would not find one to install today and I would have to resort to ordering one over the Internet and wait the few days for it to arrive. As I was trying to figure out some way of working our schedules around one vehicle for the next few days it began to dawn on me how dependent we had become on the two cars we have. We would actually be considered very wealthy having two cars in any third world country and even in our own country depending on where you live. I also began to question how dependent I was on God. One of my favorite passages in the Old Testament came to mind. Isaiah 53:6 is such a wonderful reminder of God as our Good Shepherd:
All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way: But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.
You see we are like sheep and we are dependent on God our shepherd to provide our hope. As our shepherd He gathered us to Himself with the redeeming blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Most of us as believers in His Son’s work on the cross will acknowledge our dependence on Him for salvation. But do we also depend on Him for this grace in all things? Grace is what it is. Or like the puncture of my oil pan and the realization of my dependence on having both of our cars running, do we also only realize our dependence on God’s grace when we encounter a puncture or trial in our life?
This is what I was thinking as I drove to Lincoln to pick up the oil pan that God had provided from a junkyard there. Yes, God does provide grace and I am so dependent on His grace even if I do not consider it as I go to and fro in life. My hope is that my attitude will turn from taking Him for granted, to trusting in Him completely. Trusting in Him for future grace.
Upon This Rawk 
javaguy
July 15, 2007 at 3:58 am
Barry,
Great thought provoker. I am struck sometimes at how we look for God’s involvement in our lives in the big things and forget how it is quite often the small things which make the difference. It is His involvement in the small things which makes Him greater than great and more gracious than just gracious. I say, let’s look to the small things to find the Greatness of God.
The other thing you mentioned that I found refreshing, was your mention of the hope that God gives us. God’s promise to us as children is what keeps me going sometimes. When nothing else can change my outlook or mood, I think of that hope and I am awed and struck by the insignificance of our earthly problems.
Thanks for the post.
barrydean
July 15, 2007 at 10:44 am
JG,
Thanks for the comment. I agree it is a discipline I think we should take on. We should consider God in all things. When we are living this way then we are trusting in Him for the grace He gives us. Just waking up each morning is an act of His grace.
Have a great Lord’s day.