It's all in the way you look at things

I recall the story of a man whose love of God was so great and powerful. He was certain that no matter what would happen in life, God would be there to help him.

One day, the man was walking beside a cliff edge. He lost his footing and fell over the side. Luckily for him, there was a piece of rock that he managed to hold on to half way down the cliff. He prayed that God would now come to his aid in his hour of need. So he waited, and waited ....

An hour had passed by when the coast guard helicopter hovered above.
"Don't worry, we'll get you out of there soon", the winchman shouted to the man below.
"It's okay", he replied, "God will save me. You can go rescue someone else."

Another hour passed by, and the man still clinging to the rock heard a noise from above. "Hello there", a young man shouted down, "We'll save you in a few moments - we're here from the mountain rescue team."
"But it's okay", the man responded, "God will save me".
And off they went.

Yet another hour had passed by, and the man grew weary from hanging on to the rock. He was beginning to lose hope, when a navy ship drew close to the cliff face.
"You will be safe soon", shouted the captain from below, "our crew will get you down from there."
"Go away", the man replied, "I have faith in God, and he will come to save me".
The navy ship set sail and moved away.

Half an hour later, the man's strength gave in, and he could hold on no longer. His grip loosened, and he fell to the rocks below.

As he came to heaven, God greeted him warmly, but the man rebuked God, saying:
"All my life, I prayed to you, I gave to charity, I treated my wife and family well, and my employees with fairness. I asked only one thing of you - to come and save me. But you abandoned me in my one moment of need."

God replied: "I sent you a helicopter, a mountain rescue team and a navy ship. What more did you want?"

Often in life, we let the moments of God's providence slip by without recognising them. Let us ask God for the wisdom in seeing his providence whenever it comes to us, and appreciating the means by which it comes.

Ameen