HOW GOD WORKS

“For You, Lord, have made me glad through YOUR WORK; I will triumph in the WORKS of Your hands” – Psalm 92: 4

Beyond the assurance that God works, it’s important to understand HOW GOD WORKS: “For You, Lord, have made me glad through YOUR WORK; I will triumph in the WORKS of Your hands. O Lord, how great are YOUR WORKS!” (Psa.92: 4-5a). God makes us glad and triumphant through the various ways in which He works in our lives. Five of these ways are: Sovereignly; through His Word and His Church; through others; with us during challenges; and through our own selves.

God Works sovereignly: He is the Lord over creation. Everything happens according to His Plan and Purpose: “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all Mt pleasure” (Isa.46:10b). As sovereign, He exercises incontestable rule: through His authority as King, His control of and dominion over all things, and His Presence with His covenanted people. As the Triune Person however, God’s sovereignty is not impersonal or mechanical, but is the loving and gracious oversight of the King of creation and redemption.

God Works through His Word and the Church: He uses His Word and those who share it, to work in our lives. We learn a lot about God through His Word. The church provides steady access to God’s Word, helps us understand it, and gives godly guidance and counsel. We should take heed to sound counsel from spiritual leaders, mentors, and fellow Christians. They often represent the voice of God speaking to us. In order to see God consistently work in our lives, we must sustain regular church attendance, for worship, Bible Study, and prayer, while actively waiting on Him for His instructions and direction.

God Works through Others: We seldom give enough credit to God as He uses other people in our lives to accomplish His will. He sometimes uses family and friends to guide, strengthen, and encourage us; but we tend to appreciate and honour the human vessels rather than God. If we’ve had a family member or friend offer to help out financially when we were in dire need, take care of us when we needed it, or give us provisions when we lacked, God was using that person to reach us. Furthermore, God uses others as voices of inspiration and reason for us when we are too confused or depressed to make the right choices ourselves. If anyone has encouraged us to buckle up or to turn our life around, we can be sure God had a hand in that conversation, working through others in our life. Let’s listen to them and get professional help if we need it.

God is with us during Challenges: No one likes to face challenges, but God uses good and bad times to work in our lives, to help us grow or to benefit others: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2Cor.1: 3-4). God may use an obstacle to stop us from doing something harmful or motivate us to do what is right. No matter the circumstance, God is with us and will see us through.

God Works through Our Own Selves: He works in our lives through the things we say and do. Part of being a Believer in Christ is sharing God’s love with others. If we have known God’s love and guidance in our life, we need to share the same with others. This could be as we: offer godly advice to a loved one who is experiencing some difficulty or has made some bad decisions; do something to help someone in need; or become the channel of encouragement and love that the world so desperately needs. As we work to put God first and live a life worthy of His Grace, God is using us to work in others’ lives.