A Broken Tooth and the Providence of God!

As I was chewing on Sunday, I noticed biting down on something unexpectedly hard. A quick inspection revealed that the hard substance was a small piece of one of my teeth! Discouraged that I was going to have to make an unplanned visit to my dentist, I was grateful that I was not in pain.

Now that visit is in the rear view mirror of my life (VERY THANKFUL for that!). The appointment took longer than expected for I had not just one broken tooth ... but two! As the dentist drilled and grinded and scraped and all the other stuff dentists and their assistants do inside one's mouth, I thought, "Wow! forget water boarding. This would be the ultimate method of torture!" I can't tell you how glad I was to walk out of his office! Let's just say when he and his staff wished me a happy Thanksgiving ... I was thanking God that there was not a return trip to his office needed to finish the task!

Now ... what I just said, I said somewhat "tongue in cheek." It is true that I don't relish going to see the dentist. But I am very thankful for what he is able to do for me! The pain and discomfort that he does inflict upon me is for my good!

God, the almighty King of the universe, is sovereign over all. This means he is in control. Nothing occurs without his permission (we call this the providence of God). This can be a hard teaching of Scripture. Especially when tough things come our way. But when they do, we need to remind ourselves that God can take even terribly difficult circumstances and use them for our good (and ultimately His glory! -- Romans 8:28-29), So ... bottom line ... God had his reasons for allowing me to break a tooth (or two!). As for me ... I will trust that He knows what he's doing!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj