Nehemiah 9 – Hidden provision

Today's thought comes from a friend. enjoy:

For forty years you sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. (Nehemiah 9:21)

I remember writing up a safety officer in one of my units for an award one time and putting in the line, “we will never be able to measure the number of accidents that did not occur because of his efforts…”, or something to that effect. Essentially, when someone is vigilant or is doing the right things, it becomes impossible to estimate the number of bad things that didn’t occur. In a similar way when God is looking out for us, providing for us, and protecting us, we lose sight of how much evil and misfortune are kept from us. In this retelling of the history of the Israelites, they attempt to highlight some of the simple things that did not happen to them during their 40 years in the desert. Their clothes didn’t wear out! I’ve got t-shirts that don’t last a year, and here are people wearing stuff in the sun and desert for two generations. This is what I would call God’s hidden provision.

In my life I most associate my vehicle with God’s hidden provision. It’s a 1994 Land Cruiser with 229K miles on it. It’s my daily driver and continues to function well enough to get me wherever I need. Whether it’s a two-day drive to Tucson, or daily commutes to drop my daughter off at school. It has required very little maintenance and has kept us from a car payment for about 8 years. The same holds true for the health of our family and the repairs on our house. I thank God that He has protected us from the illnesses, injuries and accidents that would have really put us in a bind financially.

I challenge us today to remember the hidden provisions in our lives, as the Israelites did, and thank God for his grace.