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The following story is adapted from the late Jesuit, Anthony de Mello.
A man left his brand new bike unattended at the marketplace, while he went shopping. Being used to walking, he walked home, forgetting he had left his new bike. Remembering it that night, he got up early the next morning to get it from the marketplace. He was quite sure, however, that it was stolen. To his surprise the bike was exactly where he had left it. Delighted, he hurried to the nearest temple to thank God for having kept his bike safe. After his prayer, he walked out of the temple, only to find his bike had been stolen.
Jesus provided us an example by his not taking advantage of Divine Providence. When being tempted by the Adversary in the wilderness (Matthew 4.1-11), the Devil attempted to get Jesus to test the Providence of God:
5Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,`He orders his angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.'7Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, `Do not test the Lord your God.'" (Matthew 4, NLT)
When I preach or write, I rarely find myself struggling for words. However, I always prepare, and have for many years. I pray daily. I read daily. I am thoughtful daily. I seek to see God in the events of everyday life, daily. A saying reminds me, “Preach as though it all depended on you, pray as it all depended on God.”
Once a man came upon a farmer working on his farm. The traveler, admiring the beautiful garden, said, “Sir, that is one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. God does some beautiful work, doesn’t He?” The farmer replied, “Yes, God does. But, you should have seen the mess that land was in before I began working it."
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