In the 1850s, cholera was a global scourge capable of devastating entire cities. When a particularly terrible outbreak hit the Soho neighborhood of London, Dr. John Snow realized that the outbreak centered around a certain water pump. Snow then noticed that rather than this being an isolated case, the fiercest outbreaks always seemed to focus around these water sources. By connecting the outbreaks to infected pumps, Dr. Snow was able to establish that cholera was spread by contaminated water—a landmark step towards eradicating its terrible effects.
Connecting the dots resulted in something good by helping to thwart a disease. We can also connect the dots to see the work of our good God.
As the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, they could have perceived it as an extraordinary but isolated miracle—a one-time example of God’s intervention (Joshua 3:17). But as they passed through the water, they surely were reminded of their earlier crossing through the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22). God’s providence could no longer be seen as an isolated occurrence but part of a long history of faithfulness. And after they passed through, they erected a monument of twelve stones as a reminder of that faithfulness (Joshua 4:19-23).
Often I perceive God’s work in my life as nothing more than isolated and disconnected occurrences—random situations where things work out in a way I could have never imagined. But as with the Israelites, this isn’t the case at all. God’s faithfulness in my present is connected to all the moments of His faithfulness in my past. And connecting these experiences, one to another, helps remind me that God isn’t just faithful in the here and now. He can be trusted to be faithful in the future and forever!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Samuel 20:1-42
More:
Read 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 to be reminded of how much we can do—not because of our abilities but because of God’s faithfulness.
Next:
What good work is God doing in your life? How does this remind you of something He’s done in your past?
Gary Shultz on March 30, 2017 at 4:29 am
Hi Peter: As we know many good things are done by the general blessing of God. Doctors use new technologies to save and improve life. Of course, the list could go on with what good things are being done. In the same breath they can and are being used to spread great evil. So yes, the question is – “What good work is God doing in your life?” The connecting dots for Joseph were linked to the promised land. Faith in what God had promised. Joseph witnessed God’s work in his life, “faithfulness”. I hope we see God’s work in our lives, yes the past too. However in ours and Joseph’s we were see/saw hard times, times of great struggle. And to me this is where our “dots” are connected, to our promised home. When we look forward we see God moving through and in our lives. And I hope with you Peter, God is doing a good work in our lives. That hope is only connected as we read and pray, trust and obey. Thanks Peter
godlove on March 30, 2017 at 10:49 am
Today’s devotional resonates particularly with me and very strongly indeed. My entire life from childhood up to now is a long story of God’s work and faithfulness, taking me from very humble beginnings to a point where I didn’t even dare to dream I would get to. I sometimes sit and connect the dots, thinking back to various situations in my life which turned out just right and affected the whole course of my life. I can distinctly pin-point particular instances, when a divine intervention – a miracle of God took my life on a completely different path. Considering my family background and the difficulties we went through together, neither of us could ever imagine that one day we would collectively and individually get to this point. My big take from my (admittedly not very long) life experience is that when you stay faithful to God, He stays faithful to you as well, as the Scripture says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8). We are most thankful when we think about how Great our God has been to us and we know for a fact that we can always trust in Him, no matter the circumstances we face, as He has always been with us, through the highs and lows we faced. We have always trusted in Him and He has never failed us, and so we remain confident that God is always doing some good work, whether we see it yet or not. Thank you for this devotional today, Peter, it struck a chord with me.
Tom Felten on March 30, 2017 at 11:55 am
Peter, it’s truly amazing to look back and see how God has worked in my heart and life over the years. Situations and challenges that seemed so negative at the time are now part of a string of important events that have grown my faith in Him and love for Him. Praising God for His faithfulness and grace today!
sandy229 on March 30, 2017 at 12:02 pm
That truly is amazing, I can relate to that also. I can see many things that led to where I am today. God is forever faithful.
sandy229 on March 30, 2017 at 12:00 pm
Because God loves me, He never gave up on me. He allowed me to make the mistakes I made so that I would willingly follow Him and His ways. He let me be the person I selfishly wanted to be to show me that my ways are not His ways and showed me how very much He loves me by allowing me to come to the realization that all I really need is Him and everything else will fall into place. I now have a husband that loves me and I want to seek a more intimate relationship with God my Father who came to earth by sending His only son to dies for me so I would know how very much He loves me.