Who is God? Provident and Prodigious Planner, Blueprint Architect of Life

What in the world? Surely not…I sighed and wondered if the kitchen window (that I hadn’t cleaned…ever) had clouded my view. I walked out on our back deck for a closer look at our neighbor’s newly installed white, boxy accessory. Yup…Seriously? Bees. I loved our neighbors and was a fortunate beneficiary of their bountiful homegrown garden. A jar of pure honey sat on my kitchen countertop. Still, the buzzing in the backyard profoundly affected one important fixture in our front yard: A FOR SALE sign.

Modern technology is great! After a house showing, I could log onto our “portal,” and as soon as the showing agent whipped out their phone to type in potential buyer’s thoughts, I could savor each word of commentary:

Buyers absolutely loved the house! But when we went outside and saw bees swarming a nearby tree, they were afraid and decided to pass on this one.

House is beautiful! Thank you for the cookies left on the kitchen counter! Buyers loved the floorplan but were concerned to see a beehive box in your neighbor’s yard. They have young children and are worried about them getting stung.

Sorry, buyer said she’s allergic to bee stings. But house looks fantastic!

My husband and I trudged along with house showings as the days, weeks, and months rolled along. Without fail, potential buyers booked showings at the exact moment our 2-year-old needed to go down for her afternoon nap. Repeatedly I prayed, God, are you with us? We need to sell this house soon!

About seven months into our house-selling stalemate, our bee-keeping neighbors announced they were moving. We would honestly miss them, but I did not shed any tears when they carefully loaded up queen bee and her 10,000+ associates and relocated them to a family farm. Finally, maybe now… Hope quickly faded as our dear neighbors decided to rent their home, and a new family moved in with their toothy Pit Bull and husky Rottweiler. I love dogs, but this duo’s favorite activity consisted of ferocious barking at anyone and anything they laid their eyes on – especially­ potential buyers. The feedback remained the same with a pivot from “no because of bees” to “no because of dogs” – but “The house is absolutely gorgeous inside 😊.” I did not have a smiley face. I was exhausted – I stopped counting after 30 showings. Finally, a year and a half later, after signing a contract with an agent to “quickly” sell our home, we handed the keys to its new owners.

100+ Steps Ahead

God is a “designer of days.” But unaware of just how much foresight He operates in, I simply chalked up our real estate debacle to “we were stupid for buying this house.” We had to move forward. I repented (we also lost a LOT of money) and again asked God to go ahead of us and lead us to the right house in our new location. It wasn’t until years later that I realized God is not only a planner, but a prodigious one. As I huffed and puffed at seemingly endless roadblocks, He was actually at the center of it. I’ll explain later.

Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Tis easy to see, hard to foresee.” Agreed. However, God, the Master Architect of the “blueprints of yesterday and today,” has no issues with anything difficult. This divine nature of God still leaves me awestruck. While pondering past experiences of God’s intervention in my life, I’ve thanked Him for being ten steps ahead of me. God corrected me: No, not 10…100+. This is not a new trait of His – He’s been in the pre-planning business since creation. For example:

God told the serpent: “Because you’ve done this [deceived Eve], you’re cursed…I’m declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He’ll wound your head, you’ll wound his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 (MSG) This is the first Biblical prophecy about Jesus, thousands of years before His birth.

[Jesus said] Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.” The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!” John 8:56-58 (NLT)

The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!... 1 Samuel 17:37 (NLT) David, before he sat as king of Israel, was a shepherd boy armed with a simple slingshot to protect his flock. And while an unsuspecting-of-greatness David sharpened his aim at sheep predators, God was plotting a showdown with a very large and ungodly man named Goliath. It’s no wonder King David later wrote, “You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Psalm 139:5 (NLT)

Before John the Baptist was conceived in his mother’s womb, the Angel Gabriel had this message for his soon-to-be father: “…God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John…he will be great in the eyes of the Lord…He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord…” Luke 1:13-17 (NLT)

Daniel’s Pre-Lion Dilemma

The above verses are only a small sample from every mention in the Bible where God planned ahead of someone. Still, one story I had read hundreds of times since childhood surprised me yet again with a subtle but comforting example of just how provident our Heavenly Father really is. The Biblical account of Danial miraculously saved from savage lions probably ranks in worldly familiarity a close second to “Noah’s Ark.” For fun, I did an internet search on all merchandise, “Daniel and the Lion’s Den” theme. Here are some of the things you can purchase: mouse pad, sticker book, bookmark, finger puppets, board book, coloring book, coffee mug, throw pillow, t-shirt, hoodie, men’s dress socks, flannel board figures, silver coin, crochet dolls, necktie, jigsaw puzzle, and long sleeve pajamas. It seems everyone loves this epic historical event, but one morning, as I read Daniel chapter six slowly, taking in each word, I believe God showed me He arranged for Daniel’s protection before the threat of sharp teeth and claws.

The Pitfalls of a Pit Fall

The first word that jumped out at me in Daniel 6:16 was “cast” or “thrown,” describing the way Daniel’s captors sent him into the “den” or “pit.” Verse 17 notes a “stone” placed at the top of the den/pit. I assume the stone’s purpose served to discourage prisoner escape, but what about jumping lions? By the way, how high can lions jump? According to various resources, the answer is about 12 feet. In reality, what did this “den” look like? I found an interesting article on crossroadsbible.net that explained since Babylon was located “on a flat plain between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers,” and caves were not found in the area, and a high water table meant no deep digging, the “den” was likely a tall brick building.* Remember, Daniel’s guards threw or cast him into the den – why would anyone gently lower on a rope someone about to be cat kibble? Plus, to keep hungry lions from escaping, wouldn’t the “pit” depth require at least 12 feet?

Maybe I didn’t hear correctly, but I believe Holy Spirit said, I was with Daniel even before the lions. I was with him in the fall. Daniel 6:23 is clear about Daniel’s post-pit appearance: “Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.” (NKJV) Perhaps I’ve got this all wrong and am overthinking here…but what I do know is if I were thrown into a 12-foot brick pit – without lions– I’d have some sort of injury. I must conclude then that God indeed goes before His own, forming our path forward before we realize we need Him to do so.

Stymied Schedules vs. The Eternal One

As I type this article, 10+ years have passed since driving into our front yard that full-of-naïve-confidence FOR SALE sign. Yet, seeing where we are today, I must admit God wasn’t surprised about the “massive delays” a decade ago I so griped about; He initiated it. Circumventing my brilliant agenda of sell-house-after-two-showings, He organized our move according to His perfect plan. The precise timing of our move lined us up to meet people and receive job offers critical to our lives later.

God showed up early. I didn’t see Him; I’m forever grateful. Daniel probably wasn’t anxious about “pit fall” as he faced wild lions. A young, slingshot-toting David surely didn’t think “giant man target practice” as he took out bears chasing his sheep. And I don’t imagine the devil, while in the garden lying to Eve, understood just how determined God would be, what lengths He would go to, and what detailed plans He would implement to bring about the birth of Immanuel – God with us - Jesus. If you’ve ever wondered if it’s worth it to follow Christ wholeheartedly, I assure you that timely, divine intervention is truly astounding to experience!

Eternal One: My intentions are not always yours, and I do not go about things as you do. My thoughts and My ways are above and beyond you, just as heaven is far from your reach here on earth. Isaiah 55:8-9 (The Voice)

* https://crossroadsbible.net/2019/09/05/a-den-of-lions-in-babylon/