A Sliver of the Sums

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine."
~Isaiah 55:8

But the Lord's plans stand firm forever; His intentions can never be shaken.
~Psalm 33:11

O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list.  You have no equal.  If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds I would never come to the end of them.  ~Psalm 40:5

The Lord of hosts has said, "As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand."  ~Isaiah 14:24

**********

A white stallion rode into the paddocks of an old man and all the villagers congratulated him on such good fortune.

And the old man only offered this: “Is it a curse or a blessing? All we can see is a sliver. Who can see what will come next?”

When the white horse ran off, the townsfolk were convinced the white stallion had been a curse. The old man lived surrendered and satisfied in the will of God alone:  “I cannot see as He sees.”

And when the horse returned with a dozen more horses, the townsfolk declared it a blessing, yet the old man said only, “It is as He wills and I give thanks for His will.”

Then the man’s only son broke his leg when thrown from the white stallion. The town folk all bemoaned the bad fortune of that white stallion. And the old man had only offered, “We’ll see. We’ll see. It is as He wills and I give thanks for His will.”

When a draft for a war took all the young men off to battle but the son with the broken leg, the villagers all proclaimed the good fortune of that white horse. And the old man said but this, “We see only a sliver of the sum. We cannot see how the bad might be good. God is sovereign and He is good and He sees and work all things together for good.”

(A version of a story told by Max Lucado)