Behind the scenes...

Some years ago, when Peter Jackson was filming the “Lord of The Rings” trilogy all over New Zealand, I managed to get to see part of a scene being filmed. It’s one of the few times I have seen a movie being made, so the experience was novel enough to enjoy. I guess only thirty seconds of the movie was recorded, but it took hours to get everything just right.

When I finally saw the scene on screen I was amazed at what I saw, or perhaps more importantly, didn’t see. The “special effects” crew had literally moved mountains, to create a place that had only previously existed in the director’s imagination. The majestic Southern Alps of my beloved homeland appeared in entirely the wrong place! The juxtaposition of two very familiar, but widely disparate landscapes was a little unsettling, and left me wondering how much of my “word-view” has been shaped by disjointed snippets of places and events seen over the years in movies and on television.

As I look back over my life, I realize that much of it is the product of the “behind the scenes” work carried out by the director! Because God is sovereign, He works through the ordinary running of life to accomplish His purpose. He works within the rules and order He established to accomplish His will in my life… and yours.

The Patriarchs of old experienced this silent moving of God’s hand, Abraham, despite his own best efforts, finally “fathered” the nation of promise, and Moses eventually lead that nation to the very borders of its promised land… again despite his own attempts to set the “agenda”. Peter, the often impetuous disciple, finally became Peter the Apostle… but only after his own attempts had resulted in him rejecting his Lord.    

There is a word we don’t hear very often today… “Providence”…while this word appears only once or twice in most Bible translations, the concept or thought behind it permeates almost every book within Scripture.

Providence essentially means forethought or foresight and the root word comes from a Latin word, “providere” (provide), the corresponding Greek word is prónoia. Both words imply seeing a future end, a goal, and formulating a definite purpose and plan for attaining that end. In essence the doctrine of divine providence means that God has a plan in mind for each of our lives, and He works “behind the scenes” to achieve that plan.

I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11

Love the Lord and follow His plan for your lives. Cling to Him and serve Him enthusiastically. Joshua 22:5

While both of these verses apply “nationally” to ancient Israel, they also apply to us as believers, through the covenant of Grace, and salvation wrought by Christ on the cross. There are other verses in the Bible clearly indicating that God has a purpose for our individual lives.

God quietly moves in our daily existence, working through circumstances (usually orchestrating them) He also has a plan in mind for those who will never become believers. “Jehovah has made all for His purpose; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.” Proverbs 16:4…Even the King of Babylon was called God’s servant.

Romans 8:28 confirms that God is at work in our lives…. “We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” Amplified Bible

Providence connects our unseen God with His visible creation, and that visible creation with the work of redemption, and redemption with personal salvation, and personal salvation with the end of all things. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last.” Revelation22:13 MKJV