There is an old saying that goes, “The devil is in the details.” It’s an idiom that means that when something seems simple, often the specifics reveal more problems than one might expect. Recently, though, I experienced a first-hand lesson that taught me that the opposite is literally true. The Lord is in the details. He is intimately involved in the lives of His children and knows way better than we do what we need.
God Knows; We Don’t
It all started when the Lord wanted me to do something I didn’t want to do. I had just come off five days of quarantine with COVID and was back at work with a mask on. I had been eating chicken soup and trying to recuperate, so when the Lord wanted me to fast just when I was finally ready for “regular food,” I admit to shedding a few tears. Ultimately, though, my pastor’s words rang in my ears.
“The Lord makes the decisions you and I would make if we knew all the details.” Share on XI said it out loud to myself a few times in my prayer closet that night as my stomach rumbled. Apparently, though, the Lord thought I needed a bit more convincing.
Not So Lucky Day
The next day the seniors at my high school were set to take the ASVAB. Since I teach seniors, I assumed that I would have to proctor the test. The doctor had told me to keep my mask on for a few more days to be sure I didn’t infect anyone else, so I emailed the administer in charge of testing. I told him that I couldn’t monitor the test in a mask because I might pass out while walking up and down the aisles. I asked if I could be a restroom monitor instead. In my mind, that was the lesser of two evils and would at least allow me to do my job from a chair.
Imagine my surprise the next day when the testing rosters finally came out and it was revealed that the testing coordinator didn’t even use my department for testing. The list was short with only 20 or so names on it besides mine. All the other teachers were from random departments that usually don’t get picked for testing. I was the one and only English teacher on the list. It occurred to me that if I would have kept my mouth shut, I could have spent four hours by myself in my classroom (without a mask!) getting work done for the end of the semester.
Then right as I got in line for my testing bucket that morning, the teacher next to me said, “I guess we’re the lucky ones.” Of course, luck had nothing to do with it. I had gotten exactly what I “wanted” because I had taken matters into my own hands. The irony wasn’t lost on me, and I had about four hours to contemplate the situation as I noted the exact times (minute by minute) that students went into and came out of the restroom.
We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know
In my limited thinking, there were only two choices for the day: proctor the test or monitor the restroom. I knew I didn’t want the one, so I reached out and grabbed the other. How many times do we make those kinds of value judgements with just as little information? We think we understand the situation clearly but really have no idea of all the factors at play. I know I have been guilty of being disappointed and even angry when things seem like they didn’t work out the way I wanted them to. But how many times has the Lord protected me from dangers I didn’t know about or scenarios that could have caused problems I couldn’t even imagine? The Bible tells us to give thanks in all things. We must automatically assume that God is doing what is best for us in every situation.
Praise the Lord
As the minutes ticked by that morning, I began to get the distinct feeling that I was getting off very easy. A few hours of discomfort were a small price to pay for the clear reminder that the Lord is in the details. I felt a gush of gratitude and began to praise the Lord. “Luck” has nothing to do with my life. He is a good Father who orders my steps and makes choices for me for my good and His glory. That day He allowed me to see the results of shoving myself back over into the driver’s seat of my life for a minute, and it wasn’t pretty.
I realized that taking matters into my own hands just takes them out of God's hands. That’s for sure nothing I want to repeat any time soon. Share on XThe Lord Is in the Details
It has been said that life is like a tapestry. Right now, we only see the back with the tangled mess of threads and knots. One day, though, we will see it from the other side. Then all the beautiful pictures that God has been creating will become apparent. It will all finally make sense. I think the Lord gave me a little glimpse of that this past week. I saw clearly my own limitations and the great kindness of my omniscient and omnipotent God. From now on, by His grace, I will yield to Him more gracefully and remember to thank Him more often. He knows what we need and even what we want way better than we do. We can trust Him.
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