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In this episode, Nancy Wilson reflects on a quote from Thomas Brooks, encouraging us to focus less on external circumstances and more on the spiritual growth those circumstances can bring. Whether facing hardship, worry, or comfort, we must remember the importance of noticing how God may be using each situation to shape our hearts and deepen our faith
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Join Nancy Wilson each week as she discusses basic christian living habits and practices.
Welcome to the Feminine Podcast. This is Nancy Wilson. Thanks for joining me today. I have a quote for you today from the Puritan Thomas Brooks. It comes from a book called Sermons of the Great Ejection, an introduction to Puritan Preaching, published by Banner Truth. So here it is. I more, that's E-Y-E-I, okay? I more, mind more, and lay to heart more the spiritual and eternal workings of God in your souls than the external providences of God in the world. Above all, look to the work that God is carrying on in your souls. Be loving. There's a great weakness amongst Christians. They do so poor on the dark side of the Providence as they have no heart to consider the bright side. There's something very useful in this quote for us. At first I'm going to try to illustrate his point and make a few practical applications. What Brooks is saying here is that we tend to have our eye on externals on the hard providences in particular. The disappointments and challenges and provocations rather than having our eye where he thinks we should, which is on what God is doing in our own souls. What work is God doing in our hearts and minds and souls? How is he using whatever hard providence you have to accomplish his work of sanctification in you? Repeating part of that quote. Beloved, there's a great weakness amongst Christians. They do so poor on the dark side of the Providence as they have no heart to consider the bright side. Of course, it's much more natural for us to be taken up with how hard the winter weather has been, what impossible bills are due, what illnesses afflict us and our loved ones, or how others are not helping but hindering us. Brooks is suggesting that rather than letting our mind be taken up with the sadness or difficulty of our trials, we should be considering how God is using these providences to carry on his work. He's not saying we should ignore what's going on externally in the world, but since we naturally do that way too much already, he wants us to focus on what's happening on the inside. There's always a bright side and that is what he wants us to look for. If this is how we should view dark providences, how much more should we view petty annoyances? Let's say your friend or relative has done or is doing something that annoys or disappoints you. It may be a relative insignificance or maybe something that could result in church discipline. It's easy to think about their wrong and your own disappointment rather than thinking about what God is doing in this. The bright side could be that now God has brought this sin out in the open and will have to be dealt with. This is much better than for it to remain hidden for years. God is doing something. It is a dark providence and yet it is God's mercy. In other words, rather than thinking about the annoyance, whether petty or grave, or the person who is annoying you, think about what God is teaching you by allowing this annoyance to continue. What heartwork is he about? Are you paying attention? Are you using this annoyance or hard providence as an opportunity to grow in patience and forbearance? Are you asking God to use this to teach you about forgiveness? Are you looking to God to help you build a defense against resentment? What work is God carrying on in your soul? Or perhaps you're worried even fretting over something. Your mind may be taken up with your worry. Turn your eyes instead away from the worry to the work God is doing. Are you learning to trust him more through this? Or are you giving way to this worry and anxiety? And do you put up a fight against it? Or do you feed a nourishment? What soul work is God doing in you? Pay attention. Have you lost a loved one? This is one of the hardest providences. Are you looking at your grief, at your loss, at your circumstances? Or are you eyeing what God is doing in your soul? And thank God for the opportunity you have before you right now to learn to cast your fears and cares on him. He is bringing these things for your spiritual profit. If you do not pay attention, you'll miss this opportunity to grow in your faith. Remember, he says, I more, mind more, and lay to heart more the spiritual and eternal workings of God in your souls than the external providences of God in the world above all look to the work that God is carrying on in your souls. So I more look to mind more work with it and not against it. Lay it to heart. Treasure up the wisdom God has for you in this providence, whatever it is. Look to what God is doing in your soul. This is not a recommendation to look inward into introspection. It's a call to look at how God is using this for your good. It's a call to pay attention. Good and wonderful providences can also be a distraction away from what God is doing in our souls. We can become so pleased with the good things that he bestows on us with our family, friends, homes, jobs, peace and prosperity that we can do the same thing and enjoy the good providences without reference to our souls. And this is perhaps an even far more perilous state to be in. Remember in all God's providences in our lives, whether easy or hard ones, dark ones or light ones, major or minor, we are in his classroom and we should be paying attention to what he or instructor is at work doing in our sanctification. This doesn't just change our attitude to one of humility and gratitude, but it keeps us far more spiritually alert. A classroom requires more than just showing up. If we're serious about learning, we get out our notebook and we listen and we take notes and we review. Application is asking ourselves, what does this hard providence require of me as a follower of Christ? And what good work is God doing in my soul, enabling me to follow Him, seeing the bright side by faith? Thanks for joining me today. Bless scenes on all your learning this week. Before I go, I want to let you know about my page on Canon Plus. That's where you can find all my audiobooks, audio series, conference talks and more. Go to mycanonplus.com or click the link in the show notes and have a look around.