Tag Archives: plan

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Seeing the Unseen Work | Bible Gleanings | September 13-14, 2025

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I had witnessed a miracle: an apartment building had magically sprung up overnight. I was perplexed because I had driven through the area many times before, and never noticed any work being done—no work trucks, no construction crew, and no building materials. If someone living there had said a fourplex apartment was being built, I would have thought they were joking or lying. How, then, did an apartment structure appear out of nowhere? It didn’t—my view of the work was obscured by a grassy hill.

The big hill faces the road and the apartment building is nestled behind it—only the top floors and roof are visible. The hill hindered me from seeing months of hard labor: the laying of the foundation, the beams being raised, and the walls being put in place. Just because I couldn’t see work being done doesn’t mean work wasn’t happening—the problem was my perspective. Had I stood on the other side of the hill, I could have seen the work that was hidden from my sight.

Similarly, there is a “hill” obscuring our perception of the unfathomable work that our gracious God is always doing for our good and His glory—a veil between the physical realm we live in and the spiritual realm where God performs His sovereign will. But just because we sometimes do not see His providential work for our soul-betterment and His renown does not mean He is idle. The Lord is the hardest worker in existence—never clocking out or taking a break from doing whatever it takes to fulfill His good plan for His children (Rom. 8:28). He “neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Ps. 121:4), and as Jesus said, “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17). Because of this, every believer can say with the psalmist,

“The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me; thy mercy, O LORD, endureth forever; forsake not the works of thine own hands” (Psalm 138:8, KJV).

From our limited perspective, we may think that God is inactive—not working in our efforts to reach the unsaved, not working in our marriage and in our kids’ lives, not working in our church, not working in our personal sanctification, and not working amidst our heartbreaking troubles. But God assures us, as He assured the prophet Habakkuk: “For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told” (Hab. 1:5b). Thus, we are commanded to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7), trusting His plan and promises even when we cannot see the fulfillment of them with our physical eyes. The unseen God is at work in your life, and one day, when you stand in His presence on the other side of the hill, His perfect plan will be made plain. As Jesus promised, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand” (John 13:7).

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

A Terrific Tapestry | Bible Gleanings | August 24-25, 2024

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The rear view is a mess, but the front view is a masterpiece. That is what you’ll see if you glance at both sides of a tapestry. Tapestries are an ancient art form that requires an extraordinary amount of forethought and expertise. And to make one, a weaver will arrange threads vertically on a loom and then interweave threads of different colors horizontally. The end result is a breathtaking portrait which showcases the skill and creativity of the weaver.

However, the most striking feature of a tapestry is its backside, which looks like regurgitated rainbow spaghetti or a ball of yarn that an angry toddler twisted up. The back of tapestries are chaotic and unpleasant, lacking structure and meaning. But, simply turn it over and you’ll find that the weaver knew what he or she was doing. The front side view reveals that each thread, knot, and braid has a role to play and a pivotal purpose. It all depends on how you look at it.

That is how your life is in the grand scheme of God’s providential plan. He is weaving together every joy and sorrow, every day and every tomorrow, as part of His beautiful plan for your life. By stitching together every triumph you enjoy and every trouble you despise, He is creating a breathtaking tapestry which points to His handiwork. The Lord is the master weaver who knows exactly what He is doing. As Paul famously declared in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Unfortunately, all we can see is the backside of our life’s tapestry, which is rarely resplendent. Perhaps all we see are unanswered prayers and seemingly senseless suffering that looks like a jumbled disaster of threads and knots. But, no matter how much our lives may look like a mess, the Scripture is clear that everything has a place in the glorious masterpiece that the Lord is putting together (Eph. 1:11). And although we cannot see the whole picture, our simple but strenuous role is to trust that God is weaving something wonderful together. As Solomon wisely counseled, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5, KJV). 

There will come a day when we shall see our life’s tapestry from the frontside, but it will happen when God finishes it in heaven. One day, we will understand how every vexation and victory was necessary for God’s perfect plan to come together. As the Puritan Thomas Watson assured us, “Yet, in the end, all will be made clear and plain. Here we see but darkly as through a glass, but in heaven, the veil shall be pulled off, and we shall clearly see the love of God in all that befell us.” The terrific tapestry is coming together— just trust the process and the One doing the weaving.

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Right on Time | Bible Gleanings – April 29-30, 2023

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Jesus had arrived too late to save the little sick girl—or so it seemed. He was on His way to heal the daughter of Jairus when He was diverted by another woman in need of healing (Mark 5:24-35), and He didn’t make it in time. She died and her father’s heart was crushed: “While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”” (Mark 5:35). But Jesus refused to accept that outcome, and He breathed the breath of life into the youth, resurrecting her from death (Mark 5:41-43). Jesus was actually right on time.

Jesus was too late to heal his friend Lazarus of his illness—or so it seemed. Lazarus had been wrapped up in the tomb for four days by the time Jesus arrived (John 11:17). That’s why Martha said despairingly, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21). But Christ wouldn’t accept that fate, and He raised Lazarus by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, including death (John 11:38-44; cf. Phil. 3:21). Jesus was right on time once again.

Jesus was too late to rescue Peter and John from prison—or so it seemed. They were imprisoned for preaching the gospel, and they waited in chains, unsure if they would be executed the next day. Daylight continued to burn, but there was no miraculous deliverance. And then suddenly, God sent one of his heavenly messengers in the middle of the night to free them from prison: “They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out” (Acts 5:18-19a). Once more, Jesus was right on schedule.

The Lord is never late or behind schedule, even if it sometimes appears that way. He may seem to be taking His time in answering your prayers, granting relief, or working out evil for your good, but His timing is always perfect. God is always in time, on time, every time. He is the God who comes through in the midnight hour, when the sunshine of faith has set below the horizon of tribulation. He is the God who renews the strength of those who wait for Him (Isaiah 40:31; cf. Eccl. 3:11; Acts 1:7; 1 Peter 5:6).

This is why believers may sing the words of Just When I Need Him Most, written many years ago by William C. Poole (1875-1949):

“Just when I need Him, Jesus is near,
Just when I falter, just when I fear;
Ready to help me, ready to cheer,
Just when I need Him most.
Just when I need Him most,
Just when I need Him most,
Jesus is near to comfort and cheer,
Just when I need Him most.”

christmas, devotions

Day 17: If the Fates Allow?

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“So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.” —Matthew 1:17

One of the most beautiful Christmas songs is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. It reminisces about all the joyful Christmases shared with family and friends and wishes the same to be enjoyed by all who hear it. However, one line in the song reflects a faulty (but common) understanding of the ordering of the universe: “Through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow.” Fate is the ordering of events outside of human control, usually by some unknown supernatural power. And in the song, fate is credited as making possible or impossible the togetherness of family and friends. Some have recognized the error of this and rightly modified the lyrics to say, “If the Lord allows.”

Fate has nothing to do with the development or unfolding of anything. Only the Lord is sovereign and in control of all situations and events. If the Lord permits something to occur, it will—if He does not, it cannot occur. And this wonderful and comforting truth of God’s sovereignty pulses in every verse of Matthew’s seemingly unnecessary genealogy. To demonstrate God’s rule in the world and His commitment to fulfill His plan, Matthew traces God’s providential hand through history beginning with Abraham and ending at the birth of Jesus Christ (see vv. 2-17).

Many things occurred in those thousands of years that should have obliterated God’s plan to save sinners through Christ, but the will of God prevailed. During the period of time from Abraham to David, there were wars, famines, debauchery, idolatry, and destruction. Many things happened that even threatened the existence of the Davidic line—the one Jesus had to be born into. But God’s plan revealed to Abraham to bless all families of the earth through his offspring was indestructible, unstoppable, and immutable (Genesis 12:1-3). Despite all of this, God fulfilled His word by bringing forth, “the son of David, the son of Abraham” at the right time (Matthew 1:1b).

God’s plan never fails—it never fails for you, either. It might take some time to see it fulfilled and things may appear to be hindering it, but as Matthew’s genealogy demonstrates—nothing can stop the plan of God. As Job of old proclaimed, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). You need not depend on fate—you need only to trust the Lord.

profile pic5Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He is proud to be the pastor of the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot.

Sermons

You Are Enlightened (Eph. 1:9-10)

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The following sermon was delivered at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky, on the 23rd day of September 2018, during the morning service:

profile pic5Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with free Christian resources from his ministry. He is proud to be the pastor of the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky. He and his wife Dakota live there with their two dogs, Susie and Aries.