Providence in the Ordinary

Even in the waiting, God is arranging divine appointments

Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven on Earth
Photo Credit: Unsplash

We often try to escape our current circumstances, thinking a change in scenery or calling will somehow be more spiritual or significant. But today’s devotional from A.B. Simpson gently reminds us that God’s providence is not limited to grand missions or ideal conditions. His plans unfold precisely within our current place, pace, and profession.

Aquila didn’t seek out Paul. He didn’t strategize his way into ministry or set out to meet an apostle. In fact, he was displaced—driven from Rome, his life unsettled. But through that upheaval, he was positioned for a divine appointment that would change his eternity. And it happened not in a synagogue or on a mountaintop, but in his workplace—his trade. God met him in the midst of his everyday labor, and from there, Aquila's story became woven into the gospel’s advance.

This is a quiet invitation: remain in the place where you were called, not with resignation, but with readiness. The job you’re doing, the errands you’re running, the “ordinary” path you’re walking may be sacred ground. Don’t flee it. Abide with God right there—and watch how He uses it for His glory and your growth.

✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I have not misplaced you. I do not call you only in the sanctuary, but in the hallway, the office, the driveway, the kitchen. You were not called to a role—you were called in one. And I remain with you there.

I appointed the times and places where you would live so that you might seek Me and find Me, though I am not far from you. Like Aquila, your detours are not disasters—they are My design. You are not wasting time. You are not off-track. You are not hidden from My purposes because you are unseen by others.

I use the incidental to accomplish the eternal. So do not run from the small or the routine. Do not resist the season I have placed you in. I do not require you to change your position to fulfill your purpose—I only ask that you abide in Me as I live through you.

Remain. Stay surrendered in the place where I found you. I am the One who writes your story, and every line—even the ordinary ones—leads to My glory.

Scriptures referenced: 1 Corinthians 7:17–24; Acts 18:1–3; Acts 17:26–27; Philippians 2:13

🧺 Real-Life Analogy

It’s like standing at a train station, watching everyone rush to catch a departing train while you’ve been asked to sit and wait. It feels like nothing’s happening. But then, someone sits beside you and strikes up a conversation—and that moment changes both your lives. You thought you were waiting; God was arranging a meeting.

🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence

Father, I thank You that I don’t need to chase a new calling or manipulate my circumstances to be useful in Your hands. You are already working right here—in the rhythms of my life, in the relationships I didn’t plan, in the daily steps I often overlook. I rest in the truth that Your calling is not about position but about presence. Christ in me is enough for today. So I abide in the place You’ve appointed, knowing that You are at work in the waiting, the mundane, and the unexpected.