A BOOK IN A BARREL
In 1833, Abraham Lincoln and his business partner were going broke in their country store. Lincoln told him, “I wouldn’t mind so much if we could sell everything we’ve got and pay all our bills and have just enough left over to buy one good book, Blackstone’s Commentary on English Law. But I guess that is an impossible hope.”
Later, a wagon pulled up. “We’re plumb broke,” the driver said. “Would you buy a barrel for fifty cents?” Lincoln started to wave them off, but his compassion was stirred when he saw the despair in the eyes of the settler’s wife. Handing him his last fifty cents, Abe purchased the barrel. Later, rolling it to a corner of the store, Lincoln heard something moving around. Reaching inside, he pulled out a book… Blackstone’s Commentary on English Law.
Mere coincidence? I don’t think so. Studying Blackstone led Lincoln into a law career, leading him to become a well-known trial attorney, leading him to debate against slavery, leading him to run for public office, leading him to be elected President of the United States, leading him to guide our nation through its greatest crisis, the Civil War, ultimately saving our republic. All of which began with a book in a barrel. A specific book, in a specific barrel, found by a specific man, at a specific time. God’s hand was behind it, leading this great President to save our nation.
Scripture tells us that God is at work in our circumstances as well. “It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). Yet the Lord is not some divine puppeteer, manipulating our every move. He chooses to partner with us as He works (I Cor.1:9; II Cor.6:1). Just as God moves in our lives, the Lord presented Lincoln an opportunity, and he seized it.
Right now, many are wondering where God is, in all of the uncertainty swirling around us. Take heart. He hasn’t forsaken us. He’s working right in the midst of the confusion. We don’t need to know what He’s doing, or how He’s doing it. In fact, we couldn’t understand it, even if He told us. But He’s working behind the scenes in our circumstances, and He sees exactly what we need. Just as He did that day when Abraham Lincoln changed the world by finding a book in a barrel.
Principle: God is at work, moving behind the scenes in our lives.
Promise: God works in you to fulfill his purpose
Ponder:
What specific “book-in-a-barrel” experiences have I faced?
What opportunities is God presenting me now which I need to pray into and act upon?
Prayer: Lord, give me wisdom to see where you’re working and how I need to respond.
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study the book of Esther.
Perceptions: Record any ideas God puts on your heart from today’s devotional through art, poetry, a memory, etc.