Being a Supporting Actor in God’s Provision Plan
I realized, today, that I am a supporting actor in God’s perfect provision plan (Jeremiah 29:11) – nothing more. God does not need my effort or any money it produces. A job was never designed to provide for us. God is our sole provider (Philippians 4:19). God uses a job to help us discover His true design for us, live through it joyfully, and share in His grand design for our gifted, purpose-driven life that pleases Him when we follow His direction (Proverbs 3: 4-6). When we follow our own direction, we end up on jobs and career ladders we hate asking God for provisions to climb higher into places we should never have been in the first place and gain more money/power as solace, when only God and the right work/life balance can provide with contentment.
Fortunately, His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 4:19), if we turn toward Him, with full faith, and follow His direction back to His perfect provision. In turning back to God, we must put our full faith in Him – forever. No matter who God uses to keep us on His path, do not put your trust or confidence in them or their abilities to support God’s plan, as a fellow supporting actors, because they WILL let you down when YOUR trust/confidence puts them in God’s place as your provider (Psalms 118:8).
Finally, God allows adversity to come our way – when things are going well or not. Adversity can be pretty tough and feel like it is game ending for us. However, a Latin phrase I saw on a rear car window sums up how God uses adversity quite nicely: “Per Ardua Ad Astra”, which means “Through Adversity to the Stars”. God uses adversity, in every part of our lives, to remind us and shape us for His gifted, purpose-driven life, whether we are cognizant of His plan or not.
I thought losing a job was the worst thing that could have happened to me. Apparently, leaving God’s path and assuming His role as provider is actually far worse than losing a job He never wanted for me in the first place. Although He permitted me to have my prideful way, temporarily, He lovingly released me from that job, so I could fall face first into His grace and see Him as THE provider – not me. Now, I am waiting patiently on God to move according to His perfect plan, meet all my needs, and bring about my gifted, purpose-driven work/life balance He planned from birth.
When I think about it, only God can align all of life, to put us where He wants us to be – In all seasons of life, thanking Him for His grace, sufficiency, faithfulness, trustworthiness, love, and perfectly planned provision for us that we could never achieve in the lead role of provider and find the contentment, peace, and work/life balance that comes from an all powerful God, who wants nothing but the best for us that comes from drawing close to and pleasing Him through living in His perfect plan for us.
I hope this helps you, as much as it is helping me, because learning God is the sole provider and believing it takes a load off my mind. I’ll take the “Best Supporting Actor’s – In My Life’s Story” award because God is now the lead Actor, and wins the “Best Actor award – In My Life’s Story” – hands down and stated with my hands up!
