God’s Providence in Every Aspect of Our Lives

His second birthday was almost here. And amid so many joys and mixed emotions, the question still had no answer: How could we buy the “Thomas trains”? That was the gift Samuelito wanted for his special day: colorful little trains carved from wood.

These little toys really are lovely. But their charm does not change the fact that each “little train” costs almost an arm and a leg. The English creators of this concept made sure they would not lose a hundredth of their investment. To make matters worse, the “Thomas the Tank Engine” cartoons bombard the television airwaves every day like sharks looking for easy prey. And so, day after day, at 11:30 in the morning, little Samuelito faithfully tuned in to his favorite characters. As soon as the episode ended, the boy took up the plea of the “persistent widow” in Luke 18: “I want the Thomas trains!”

After doing the math, my wise wife concluded that the little toys the boy wanted so badly were beyond our means. At the time, I was a student at Yale Divinity School and picked up the odd job working in the university library. My wife did her part, working as a part-time translator in the early intervention program in New Haven. On top of that, we were in the middle of a substantial legal dispute with the New Haven school district over its denial of resources and the lack of an appropriate school for my daughter with special needs. We were also litigating at the federal level against the health insurance system known as “Medicaid” because it refused to cover autism therapies for our daughter. To top it all off, our house in Boston was on the brink of foreclosure because of tenants who were not meeting their contractual obligations. “There will be another time for little toys,” I thought when the idea of getting Thomas and company came to mind.

But my wife, prompted by the Holy Spirit (that is how I understand it now), decided to go on his birthday to a store in the area where people donate clothes and other items they no longer want, which are then put up for sale at greatly reduced prices. So bold was she that she decided to take Samuelito with her, because she was sure they would find the Thomas trains for my son there. The problem was that we knew that store all too well. In all the years we had frequented it (three years, at least twice a month), we had never seen a single Thomas train there. All that changed on that chilly February day. In a little plastic bag hanging from a lone display case was an assortment of 27 little trains from the Thomas series, all for $7 (roughly what each little train costs on its own at a regular store). That was how my little boy celebrated his second birthday. (Samuelito is almost four now, and to this day we have never seen another Thomas train in that store.)

Now, much is said about God’s providence. Whenever we want to exalt his holy name, we recall the countless majestic deeds of our God. But if we look closely, God’s power and majesty can also be glimpsed in something as seemingly insignificant as a few “little trains.” In the midst of my family’s hardest times, financially and emotionally, when we could not provide for the childhood wants of a two-year-old boy, God came through for us. There is no doubt that many may see the matter of “Thomas” as an insignificant whim. The truth is, I believe that on that day there was no happier child on the face of the earth than Samuelito.

The principle to emphasize is this: If God moves heaven and earth for what seems insignificant, how much more will he do the same for what truly matters to us? Here is the true display of God’s absolute sovereignty over the cosmos. Nothing escapes our God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?”

My wife’s boldness in the face of God’s incomprehensible providence gave our whole family the courage to fight for me to graduate from Yale, to battle the irresponsible tenants in court so we would not lose the house, and to fight for appropriate schools and health insurance for people like my daughter. We have had to go through more than our share of valleys, but God’s providence and sovereignty continue to be our guiding star in life.

Conclusion: Do not give up, and have faith, for the Lord Jesus Christ goes before us with his sharpened “machete,” clearing a path for us through the undergrowth.