JULY 5 "GOD'S PROVIDENCE SO IMPORTANT"

   If you don't understand "Providence" then you have to read today's reading. Paul is pretty much a dead man. 40 men have made a vow not to eat or drink until they have killed Paul. However, as it would "happen" to be, Paul's sister's son (Paul's nephew) happens to overhear the conversation of these men conspiring to kill him. He reports this to Paul and then Paul has his nephew go tell the one in charge of Paul's security/safety and the plan is thwarted. As we get ready to tackle on the 2nd half of the year, God's Providence is definitely something we want to contend for. He really is the God that goes before his people and prepares the way. He can circumvent events on our behalf, even in to our favor. He can cause the schemes of the enemy to be thwarted. From the time we wake in the morning until the time we lay our head down on the pillow that night, there are so many unknown factors. The idea is not to go through the day looking over your shoulder with paranoia all day, waiting for something bad to happen, but rather to solicit God, for his providence. It's not that every tragedy is going to be averted for the Christian, but as we read our bibles we do see that God is working behind the scenes protecting us from much. An early/premature death is averted in this story, simply by placing someone who cares for Paul and who God knew would respond and report the incident and then to have the right person in charge that would actually listen to this young boy. People conspire against us, the demonic realm conspires against us, but our hope is in God's providence to protect and circumvent events. We have one job, God has many. Our one job is simply to pray and seek his face and then He will do the rest. "You had one job, one job.....and you dropped the ball, failed". Let us not drop the ball, solicit, invite God into your day to day and ask Him to go before you, in this 2nd half of the year.