Welcome to Hope for the Caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger. Glad to be with you. Hope for the caregiver.com hopeforthecaregiver.com and I know that a great deal of this listening audience probably won't appreciate too much of what I'm about to tell you. Those who will appreciate it tend to be in a different geographic location than most of the people that listen to this program, which is down south for the most part. But last weekend we had snow and quite a bit of it. And I know that southerners, they like it, they like to look at it from a distance. I've noticed Pat, producer Pat of this program, she doesn't care for it very much at all. And of course AFR is located in Mississippi. And when winter weather comes in Mississippi, it's usually bad. And, and you know, I grew up in South Carolina and then all the years in Nashville and you know, when, when there's snow, what do people do? Well, they run to the grocery store and they buy bread, milk, eggs and toilet paper. I don't understand way snow generates a, desire for French toast. And I don't know how the bathroom connects to that in such a, you know, visceral way, but that's a, that's a conversation for another time. But that's what they do. They go bread, milk, and and toilet paper and eggs. And so, that's what happens. But out here it's a little different and, and we have a lot of dry weather. I mean, as one rancher told me, you know, we're always 10 days away from a drought. We didn't have much of a winter last year. As far as Montana goes, it was, it was pretty light. And so we were, we were at a deficit this year with some, some moisture and we had a pretty ugly fire season. So when we get snow, it has a different effect here. And that's what happened at church on Sunday. I'm at the piano and I'm getting ready to play and Usher leads the church in prayer and he thanked God for the snow in the prayer. And it was a blustery day. You know, I mean it's, it was driving conditions where I put it in four wheel drive to get to church. And you know, but that's Montana. I mean you, if you don't know, know how to deal with that, then maybe you probably need to stay down south. But as I listened to him praying, you know, he was, he was giving thanks for this and he was. And I thought, wow, it just stuck with me, you know, when you think about how many verses talk about snow in Scripture, Job 37, 6. For to the snow he says, fall on the earth, likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. And those are, Elihu's words, or Elihu, I don't know how to say his name, as he described God's power over creation. And, you know, we look at the weather a lot. We saw the hurricane. The hurricane hit where Gracie grew up there in Florida, right smack dab at Destin, Florida. Her father lives down there. She's got a lot of family down there, and they're all safe. But it was pretty, It was pretty gnarly there for a while. And. But. But Gracie loves the snow, and she. She really purposed in her life young, to. To not live in a place where there was no measurable winter. At Christmas time, for example, you know, they were all having in shorts and. And going out to the beach and. And had the air conditioner on at the house. She said it just. It was awful, you know, and I wanted to live someplace where we have snow and we have winter. Well, mission accomplished, because we've got it. And I. I woke her up, the other morning, and I said, look, I want you to see. And I built her a nice fire in the fireplace, and. And she was looking at the snow, and I was talking to family members, my sister back in South Carolina, and It was like 85 degrees or so. She said, you got to be kidding me. So it's, It's a little different out here. It's not for the faint of heart. And there are a lot of people that have moved out here because they saw stuff with Montana on television and everything, and we haven't had a sufficient Montana winner to drive some of these people back to where they came from. I won't mention which state they came from, but it rhymes with California. but no, I'm. Well, no, I'm not kidding. But they, We. Gracie and I would come out here even when we lived in Nashville, we would come out here for winter. Not the whole winter, but we would come out here in the dead of winter, and we stay for a good bit of time. that was just once the kids were grown and so forth, that I can work from anywhere. And we would do that, and we enjoyed it. It's very peaceful, very quiet. But there's more to it with that, you know, And Gracie has a particular affinity for the snow. she, you know, she knows something about scars. She's got a lot of them. And what she likes about the snow is that the rough places are still out there beneath the snow, but for a little while, they aren't the first thing that she sees. It covers everything with just this pristine whiteness. And I think a lot of us as caregivers understand that. We know difficult places in our lives very well. We can recite the medical history. We can, sometimes more accurately than our loved ones. Sometimes, and sometimes more accurately than the person holding the chart. We know all the prescriptions. We know all these things that cause pain. We know which sounds from the other room means that we got to get up. We become very good at watching for trouble, but sometimes we need help noticing something else. And that usher's prayer really stuck with me when he said, you know, lord, thank you for the snow. Thank you for the snow. Psalm 51:7. David says, Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. There are a lot of. A lot of references to scripture about snow. David's confessing his sins. He needs cleansing, and he knows he can't provide it for himself. And that's a prayer that I need. And caregiving gives me plenty of opportunities to discover what's in my own heart. Ample sanctification opportunities, I call them. And we see that God's mercy and his redemption and his healing and his grace, are pictured as snow often, you know, Isaiah 1:18, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. What a. What a tremendous picture. And, you know, the snow outside our window gives Gracie and me just, Just this beautiful view for a while. God's forgiveness reaches so much deeper, though, than that. It doesn't go away. It doesn't melt away. We can be cleansed and reconciled to God, and that includes us as tired caregivers. Isaiah 55, 10, 11. God describes rain and snow, watering the earth and making things grow, providing food. And then he compares that work to the effectiveness of his Word. He says, his word shall accomplish that which I purpose. We see snow falling. We don't immediately see everything that moisture will help produce. When we open scripture, we may still feel tired when we close it. The circumstances may look much the same. But God's word has not become ineffective just because we're exhausted. And I look at the mountains up there, and they're covered with snow. Now, we're not going to see the benefit of all that snow right away. It's going to take a while. It's going to pack. We have what we call a snowpack up there and it's going to pack down and more snowfall is going to come in more and more and more so that by the time next summer gets here with warm weather, it's going to trickle down and irrigate this valley. And right now it's given a chance for the place to heal when there's so much drought, there's so many fires and things like that. The place needs to heal. And it is, it is going to heal. And that's, that's what I was, that what all came to mind as I was watching this usher pray. And I was thinking, wow, that was just such a beautiful prayer. Now a lot of this is gone by today because it's almost 60. That's picnic weather out here. Wear shorts. But it'll come back. We always get a good October storm usually, and then it warms up just a little bit and then in November it comes and it'll stay on the ground usually until, April, sometimes into May. And you know, everything though the peaks are beautiful. I'll put some pictures out on my substack. You can go out and take a look at it and see some of the pictures I put out there. Caregiver.substack.com and I'll put that out there, for you to take a look at. And also, oh, by the way, I'm assembling the caregiver calendar for next year, for people who want to donate to Standing with Hope. We set a beautiful calendar that we make from pictures out here, that I take. And I took one coming out on our driveway just to look at everything. And I say driveway, it's a gravel road. I mean, you know, we live 10 miles from a paved road, so everything is very country and rural. But I love the snow and Gracie particularly loves the snow to remind us of the redemptive work of Christ that covers a multitude of sin, that grace of his. And that is hope for this caregiver. I know you may not like winter, but I certainly liked the beautiful snow we had this week. This is Peter Rosenberg and this is Hope for the Caregiver. We'll be right back. Hello, I'm Peter Rosenberger. Did you know that this show is listener supported? Without people like you, this show would not exist. That's why we need you. A generous monthly gift of any amount will help sustain American Family Radio, specifically this show as we reach thousands of people each week with biblical truth. Please consider becoming a monthly financial partner today by visiting afr.netgive that's afr.net give are you concerned the media and candidates may not provide valid information so you can vote wisely and preserve your religious, political and economic freedoms? Ivyerguide.com is not connected to any candidate, but researches thousands of candidates across the nation, gathering scorecards, donation records, endorsements, and candidate questionnaires. Go to ivoterguide.com to get factual information. That's ivoterguide.com this is the Lost in Translation Ministry Minute. Here now is your host, Dr. Baruch Korman. Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your very essence. Here we find the Greek word with all of your mind, and then notice what he says in verse 38. He says, this is the first meaning, this commandment should be the priority of your life. If you're not interested in demonstrating, showing your love of God with your heart, with your soul, with your very being, then you are not a disciple of God. Learn more about the teaching ministry of Dr. Baruch Korman at love israel.org you'll find videos on almost any biblical topic on his YouTube page and on the My Bible Study app. That's Love Israel.org. Welcome back to Hope for the Caregiver here on American Family Radio. This is Peter Roseberger. Glad to be with you. Hope for the caregiver.com hopeforthecaregiver.com I want to circle back to our conversation we started several weeks ago about theology and. I know, I know, I know, I know you're thinking that. Peter, this is Jeffrey Kickers. We don't talk about theology. Everything is theology. Everything that we do reflects what we believe about life, about God, about this world, everything. It's always about theology. And you can say it's not. And you say, well, you know, Peter, I'm just, I've just wanted to get through the day. Well, there's a theological question in that, too. Who makes the day? Where did the day come from? What's tomorrow? You know, I mean, we could, we could go down this path and remember I told you theology used to be called the queen of sciences and its handmaiden, philosophy. We don't ask philosophical questions much anymore in our culture. Have you noticed that? How did we get here? What is it all about? Why is this happening? Where does this fit in? All those kinds of things, delve into the world of philosophy. We don't ask those. And one of the questions that, that I ask myself a lot is Christian, what do you believe? And the Follow up question is always, why do you believe it? And those questions deserve attention, especially when you're caring for somebody who can't get through the day without help. What do you believe about God? When medication isn't working, when you're waiting for test results, when you've prayed, done everything you know to do, and the situation is still difficult. We carry our beliefs into those moments. And sometimes those moments reveal beliefs we didn't realize we had. I could tell you I believe God is sovereign, then I can spend the entire night acting as though everything depends upon me and my ability to stay awake. I've had some experience with that. You see how conflicting that is. You see how that can cause any kind of distress in your mind. I explore this for myself and I want to introduce a doctrine with a name you probably won't hear at the pharmacy. And it's a doctrine in the church that I personally have found great stability in. That is the doctrine of divine concurrence. Now that sounds like something that's going to require a registration fee in a weekend at a conference center. Okay, it's not. Stay with me. There's something here that caregivers would benefit from understanding. And the question behind it is simple. How does God's work relate to ours? If God governs everything, do my decisions matter? If I'm responsible for caring for Gracie, where does God's care fit into that? And, when somebody does something wrong, how can God still be sovereign without becoming responsible for their sin? Do you see these questions? Now? These are serious questions and Christians have been thinking about them carefully for centuries. Divine concurrence describes God working in and through his creation while his creatures genuinely act. God sustains our existence, our abilities, the world in which we act. He governs what happens. Yet we really make decisions and do things. Our actions do indeed have consequences and we remain responsible for them. Now, let me go to the Westminster Confession of Faith. It explains that this relationship and it's teaching about Providence, okay? That's when you'll see this in the Westminster Confession of Faith. God's rule establishes the activity of his creatures and he ordinarily works through means. And by ordinarily it means that is his custom, usual way, his customary method, if you will, of working, which is through the people, processes and resources that he creates. The confession there also consists that God is not the author of sin and that his sovereignty does not destroy the reality of human willing or our free will, as we call it, or what we desire to do. That's a lot to take in. So let me bring it back here. You pray for your loved ones, needs to be met, and then you fix breakfast, you ask God for provision, and then you go to work, you pray for help. Then you call somebody from church and ask whether they can sit with your husband or wife while you go to an appointment. God's provision often comes through ordinary actions. Someone cooks, someone works, and, someone's answering the phone. Those actions matter. I've prayed for Gracie before her operations. I've also driven her to the hospital. I've never considered those activities to be a contradiction theologically. But sometimes we talk in our culture as though trusting God means we should stop doing anything. But conversely, sometimes we work as though God has stopped doing anything. And this doctrine helps us examine both of those assumptions. Now, where did this come from, the doctrine of divine concurrence? Well, the underlying questions are there in Scripture. Christians develop the language as they try to explain faithfully what Scripture teaches. In the early church, Augustine wrestled with the related question about God's grace and human choices. Again, that's why we study church history, because these things have been asked and answered. They've been wrestled with for centuries by really, really, really smart people. And writing in the early 5th century, Augustine or Augustine, however you want to say it, Frankenstein, he explained that people genuinely choose an act while depending on God's grace to obey him. And God's work does not make our obedience unnecessary. That's a double negative a little bit, but, you understand what I mean by that. Several centuries later in the, in the 1200s, Thomas Aquinas addressed the broader question directly. Does God work in everything that acts? And his answer was yes. God gives creatures their existence and their abilities, sustains them and works through their activities. But think about Elijah with the ravens. He got fed with the ravens. God worked with the ability of the ravens, pick up food and bring it to Elijah. God could have easily just made food appear, but the creatures really acted too. And their activity does not become unnecessary because God is working. During the reformation in the 1500s, Jon Calvin explained the practical implications of Providence. Trusting God does not excuse us from making decisions or taking precautions or using, the help available to us. those things are among the way God cares for us. Later, the Westminster Confession expressed that understanding in its chapter again on Providence. these Christians did not agree on every theological detail. And you're not going to find that anywhere with people. But you can see a long history of real attention to this question. How do we affirm the God's activity without making human activity meaningless. That was the. The wrestling with it. But we carers live with that every day. We may never use the word concurrence. I mean, how often have you used that word concurrence? But we do wonder whether our efforts matter. We wonder if we've done enough. We wonder how to trust God while making yet another difficult decision. So let's go to scripture. Philippians 2:12, 13. Paul instructs believers to pursue obedience seriously. Then he explains the foundation for that obedience. And, in verse 13 in the ESV. For it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Paul is speaking about the Christian life. These believers are called to obey, and God is actively at work within them. Their obedience is real. Their dependence upon God is complete. His activity and ours. They're not competing for the same space. We aren't dividing the job into percentages. God does 50, I do 50. God does 99, I do 1. I mean, that's not how it works. He is always at work in everything we do. I know how to drive to the pharmacy, and I still depend upon God for my next breath. But I didn't create the hands doing the playing. My abilities are real. So is my dependence. And I cling to this doctrine. It steadies me. It doesn't make what I do easier. It just helps my. Helps my attention get focused higher. I still have to fill the prescriptions, ask the questions, and get up in the night. But I can become so absorbed in what I'm doing that I lose sight of what God is doing. Divine concurrence. It helps me remember that he's actively at work, even when I cannot see it or understand how. And after 40 years of this, I need that reminder. I know how much attention her care requires. I also know how quickly that responsibility can consume my attention. And this doctrine helps me lift my eyes. I'm still responsible for the work in front of me, and I can trust the God who sustains us both. Now there's a difficult part we need to address. What about wrongdoing? What about sin? Does divine concurrence mean that God approves of whatever someone does? No. God's sovereign purpose does not erase human guilt. Look at Joseph. His brother sold him into slavery. That was wicked. Joseph suffered because of what they did, and they were responsible for this. Years later, though, if you go to Genesis chapter 50, you'll see Joseph distinguishes their intention from God's intention. They intended evil. God intended good through those same events. The same History involved human wickedness and God's good purpose. Joseph recognized both. And that matters to people who've been hurt. Faith does not require you to pretend that cruelty was kindness or that negligence was acceptable. You can name wrongdoing, you can seek accountability, and you can take steps to protect someone. Trusting God does not require you to abandon those responsibilities. But Joseph's story also warns us against concluding that human wickedness has defeated God's purposes. Be careful what we do with that. Joseph could look back. I mean, he could see something of what God had accomplished. We often cannot. And we may not on this. On this planet, we may not. We should never walk into someone's suffering and announce that we know exactly why God has allowed it. How many times has that happened to you? I know it's happened to me and Gracie a lot. And I have spent enough time in hospitals to know how little I understand. Sometimes the faithful answer is, I don't know. I don't know why this happened. I don't know what tomorrow will bring. But I can look to Christ to know the character of the God I am trusting. And I could ask him to help me do what is right today. See, this is how the doctrine of divine concurrence stabilizes me in the midst of all these things. And I wanted to share that with you. We're going to talk more when we come back. This is Peter Rosenberg, and this is Hope for the Caregiver. We'll be right back. American Family Radio is Now available on iOS and Apple TV apps. That means even our content is in the world, but not of the world. Here's where both of you or each of you, got it right and wrong according to scripture. That's always our plumb line. And you can download these apps free from your favorite app store. The objective is to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. AFR available on iOS and Apple TV. And you can find even more app [email protected] apps. The Middle East. That's one part of the world we need to pay attention to, especially, the country of Israel. Each week, I help you make sense of what's happening in that region through a biblical lens. I'll bring you important information about security, threats, archaeological discoveries, biblical prophecy, ministries happening on the ground, and much more. I'm Jon Reilly. Join me for the Middle East Report special edition Every Saturday at 6:30pm Central on American Family Radio as I connect you to the people, places and geography of what we read in God's word. Hey, friends, Steve Tiber here, president, founder of Eight Days of Hope. You know, for 21 years, Eight Days of Hope has responded to over 130 disasters from coast to coast, always on a moment's notice. This past week, Hurricane ISIS hit the Pen panhandle, Florida, and 900,000 people lost power and thousands of families had their homes damaged by the storm. Our mass feeding team has been serving thousands of hot meals every day and will continue until all the power is restored. Our rapid response team is there now as well. Would you take a moment and pray for those affected by the storm? Please consider volunteering to serve these precious families as they start the recovery process. To learn more about how you can volunteer, please go to 8daysofhope.com it's free and we provide food and lodging. If you can't volunteer, would you consider a donation? You can [email protected] or by texting the word give to 86373 again. For more information, please visit 8daysofhope.com. Welcome back to Hope for the Caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger, Hope for the caregiver.com Hope fourthecaregiver.com We've been talking about divine concurrence. It's a doctrine in the church. I know it sounds real heady and it sounds real, you know, Haughty toddy. That's the official name of it. I just want you to know that. And I want to tell you why this has been important to me over these last several years as I've been studying and pondering these things, how God works in and through his creation while our actions and responsibilities remain real. for the break, I talked about Joseph and how God accomplished a good purpose, his purpose, through events that Joseph brothers initiated for evil and carried out for evil. And Joseph could eventually look back and see something of that purpose. We don't always have that view here. And, and Joseph didn't either. I mean, he didn't have until much later. But he toiled away in prison for 13 years, and I don't know that he could still see the full plan of any of it. I mean, he didn't imagine why, this was happening and why this was going to affect a nation and all the things that are involved. But. And we can't either in our stuff. I can't explain everything Gracie and I have experienced. I don't see the full picture. I don't know the impact of people's lives who hear this program. You may have heard something I've said because God has the lengthy history of speaking through the Jawbone of a, well, never mind. You get the picture. I mean, you know, whatever I'm doing will be flawed no matter what, how well intended I think I'm doing will still be flawed. But what God does is not. And he will do them at the through the same events that I'm doing them. Does that make sense? and it, you know, again, Joseph's brothers did this, but, but God purposed this for good, they purposed it for evil. Same events. And that brings us back to the caregivers responsibilities. You know, filling a prescription does matter. So does asking, a physician a question. So does making sure that the bathroom is safe. Those are ordinary things with real consequences. And the person you love needs breakfast whether you feel particularly spiritual that morning or not. and sometimes obedience and faithfulness looks like scrambled eggs. I get that we can approach these tasks at all. There's so many that we do. Knowing that our work takes place within God's providential care. And that includes receiving help. He works through other people too. He's working through doctors, he's working through pharmacies, he's working through all the ordinary means of grace in this world. And he's working through all of these things. Even people who would do things with ill intent, he is still working his purposes. And I need to remember that, that he works through all of these things. Because I can start to believe that I must personally be the answer to every need. And if God works through means, you know, how many times have I felt like I've appointed myself the means? Well, you know, every time. And that leaves me exhausted. It also overlooks the people that God has placed around us. And sometimes my responsibility is to make the call. And sometimes it is to explain what needs to be doing. And sometimes it's to let other people do it, even if they don't do it exactly the way I would. Accepting that can require humility and so can admitting that I need it. But there's another place this doctrine helps when the outcome is beyond our control. And we know how that works as caregivers. And responsibility can quickly turn into self accusation. You know, if I'd asked just one more question, if I'd noticed sooner, if I chosen a different doctor. Oh, if I just turn right. And some decisions honestly need good after action review. But sometimes we put this unreasonable paralysis on ourselves. We're afraid of making a bad mistake. And this was so driven home to me by a wonderful pastor friend of mine named Larry. Many, many, many years ago, Gracie was wrestling with getting a Procedure done. And we didn't know if it was the right thing or not. Right thing. We struggled with this, and we sat there with Larry and we talked for a long time, and he said, look, there's. This is not a moral issue. This is not a sin issue. You are, gathering data to the best of your abilities, asking professionals to the best of your abilities, and then making the decision, if you choose to go forward with this, you're not in, flagrant rebellion against God kind of thing. Nor if you choose to do this, you're not, showing a lack of faith in God. You go with the science and the information and the data that you have, and you make the decision and trust God with all of it. What the doctrine of divine concurrence equips me to do is it puts my responsibility within the larger reality of God's rule. I'm responsible for what he has given me to do. I cannot anticipate every complication. I cannot guarantee that this is going to work. Even 40 years of caregiving hasn't given me those abilities. But I can seek wise counsel. I can act carefully. I can correct a mistake. And here's the. Here's the crux of the whole thing. I can entrust what exceeds my knowledge and my power to God. That is something I have to practice repeatedly, daily, hourly. But, now stay with me on this, because here's the deal. God's care for Gracie does not stop when mine reaches its limits. He can provide through someone else. He continues sustaining his creation, his purposes, his work. While I sleep, I can get some rest, knowing that my wife has a savior. I'm not that savior. So I go back and ask, what has God actually given me to do today? Well, what is my job today? What is that? My hand to do to make the appointment or to make breakfast or do the laundry. to write another article in my life. That's what I do. Or do the radio show or whatever. You know, what has he given me to do today? Ask for help. Tell the truth. Apologize for a harsh word. You know, when I can find somebody that can safely hand over responsibility to Gracie for a while to rest, maybe get on a horse. What is that My hand to do today? The. The doctrine of divine concurrence. It's. It's a substantial doctrine. It's got an unfamiliar name, but we. We know it when we hear it because we see it modeled out. And it speaks directly to the work we, we do every day as caregivers. God's actively at Work and our actions do matter, and we depend on him in every one of those. And that's why this doctrine steadies me. That's why helps me lift my eyes. The circumstances are still here and they still require my attention. But they don't have to occupy my entire field of vision. I can lift my eyes. And the clearest display of all of this is at the cross. Now you think about the people involved in this. Judas betrayed Jesus. Do you think Judas is going to be able to stand before the judgment of God and say, hey, hey, you know, it was foretold that I would do this. I was, you know, this was, this was part of the plan. And Jesus said it had been better if that man had never been born. The chief priest sought his death. False witnesses gave testimony against him. Pilate authorized the execution. And the Roman soldiers, they cut, they carried it out. So there's a lot of people involved in this. Real decisions made by real people. They were really responsible for what they really did. And through those events, God accomplished our redemption. Now, Peter talked about this in Acts chapter 2. He said Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. Then in that same verse, Peter looks at those guys and said, this Jesus who you crucified, they were responsible for doing this through lawless men, God's definite plan. Then they got human guilt. And both are in the same verse spoken by the same man. Now, if you'll notice, Peter doesn't soften the charge against these men because God was sovereign. He doesn't give him a pass. And he also doesn't diminish God's sovereignty because the people acted wickedly. Well, you know, God was wringing his hands over this. No, because you go back and look at chapter four and you get 27 and 28. The believers prayed about Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and the people of Israel who gathered against Jesus. They acknowledged that these people carried out what God determined beforehand would happen. The cross was God's saving purpose, unfolding through the actions for which those people remained accountable. Judas betrayal still remained his betrayal. The injustice still remain injustice. God's purpose was holy. Their wicked intentions belong to them. You see how, it's almost mind boggling. Now, I can't explain every part of this, don't ask me to. But the Scripture gives us reason to affirm both. And at the cross, I see why that matters. You know, the people involved wanted to get rid of Jesus. Every one of those people that cried out to release Barabbas. But God accomplished the salvation of sinners through the cross. Their actions didn't defeat his purpose. And see, that's where this doctrine steadies me. When I look at something painful and cannot understand what God is doing, which is pretty regular. I mean, let's. Let's be real here. I look to the cross. I see how seriously God takes sin. I see what our redemption cost. I see the love of a Savior who gave himself for us. And I see human wickedness could not overthrow God's saving purpose. That doesn't give me an explanation for every hospital room I've set it, but it does give me a reason to trust him in those rooms. Do you understand that? Now, I am real careful about that distinction. I can't tell another caregiver exactly why something happened, I don't know. But I can point him to Christ. I can point him to the cross because the God we're trusting made his character known there. So when I say I cling to the doctrine of divine concurrence, this is where I'm looking at the cross. It doesn't make what I do easier, but it focuses my attention higher. And I can ask God, who has shown me such mercy, to help me do what is right today. And that brings me back to my responsibilities. That brings me back to where I live as a caregiver, knowing that he is sovereign over all of these things and works his purposes in these things in ways that we cannot wrap our minds around. But we can trust it. We can trust it. And that is hope for this caregiver. This is Peter Rosenberger, by the way, I'm going to put this out on my sub stack, and if you want it, you want to go back and listen to it, feel free. And then I'll put the written version of it at some point. Caregiver.substack.com okay. And you can link to that from the [email protected] as well. We'll be right back. I'll never forget walking into the hospital room after Gracie had her second amputation. Both legs are gone now. And she looked at me. She said, I know what I'm going to do. And I was kind of startled. What are you going to do? She said, I'm going to help provide prosthetic limbs to my fellow amputees and tell them about Jesus. And I said, well, baby, can we get out of the hospital first? She never let it go. And for almost 20 years, we've been working out of Ghana West Africa. We treat patients all over there from other countries that come there. We send supplies, we send tea teams, we sponsor patients. We work with a prison where inmates volunteer to disassemble used prosthetic limbs so we could recycle the parts. All of this because Gracie trusted God with her heartache. We've got a huge shipment of supplies that is being loaded up right now to go out soon. Would you help us do it? Standingwithhope.com giving standingwithhope.com giving there's prosthetic feet, knees, pylons, sleeves, adapters, all kinds of connectors. All of these things we are sending over there so that people can walk. Going to point them to Christ. Help us out. I'm Rick Scarborough, and this is my take. Nearly everyone is on a phone reading, texting, or scrolling social media. No one is immune to screen addiction, and children are the most vulnerable. We live in a digital world. They live in a digital jungle. Every parent has faced the struggle of limiting screen time for their children, which are intentionally addictive and influence children at a time when they are forming lifelong patterns. Enforcing boundaries for children is not an easy task, but is an essential task that we do. The problem is a national crisis. A, California trial alleging meta and YouTube Engineered addictive platforms that harm children. The case may redefine accountability, but it won't solve today's parenting problems. For now, be aware, concerned, informed, and stay lovingly connected. I'm Rick Scarborough, and that's my take. For more information, go to recoveramerica.com. Welcome back to Hope for the Caregiver. I am Peter Rosenberger, and I am very glad to be with you. Hopeforthecaregiver.com hopeforthecaregiver dot com We've been discussing today the doctrine of divine concurrence. And that's part of my series I want to do on just helping us as caregivers lock down. What do we believe and why do we believe this? Why do we even talk about these things? Understanding doctrine stabilizes us. And you've heard the thing with people. I don't want to talk about doctrine. I just want to just, you know, just love Jesus. Then you ask the question, well, who is Jesus? And now we're having a doctrine conversation. You follow me on that? So in this one, we're going over the doctrine of divine concurrence. That's a big term. here's a simple version. God carries out his sovereign purposes through the real choices and actions of his creatures. We make decisions, we do things. Our actions have Real consequences. And we're responsible for them. God gives us the ability to act, sustains us, and sovereignly governs everything that happens. For example, Gracie having her car wreck 43 years ago next month. She was behind the wheel. She got into the car. Do you think it caught God by surprise? Do you think, well, let me see what I can do with this mess now. Or do you think he knew about it and prepared her? And I would suggest to you by the fact that it was Corrie ten Boone that led Gracie to the Lord when Gracie was a young girl. Because scripture says, remember those who speak the word of the Lord to you and when appropriate, imitate their faith. Well, Gracie was going to need somebody whose faith was worth imitating, wouldn't you say? And, look at, look at how God wove those things together. And I can go through story after story on that about how God providentially superintends all of these things. Proverbs tells us the king's heart is like a stream of water in the Lord's hand. He turns it wherever he wills. Even the king answers to someone. Think about Pharaoh. Scripture says Pharaoh hardened his heart. It also said God harden Pharaoh's heart. And, R.C. sproul explained that God withdrew his restraining grace and gave Pharaoh over to the wicked desires already in his heart. Pharaoh did what Pharaoh wanted to do. His rebellion belonged to him, and he remained responsible for it. God remains sovereign over the whole event, accomplishing his holy purposes. We saw it with Joseph. We talked about that in the last block or two. So. And then, and then, of course, we see this most clearly at the cross. Judas betrayed him, betrayed Jesus. The religious leaders plotted against him. Pilate handed him over. Soldiers crucified him. They all made real decisions in real time. And they were real responsible for what they really did. Through those actions, God accomplished his plan of redemption. And that matters to, to us. When we're trying to understand providence, we. We can look to the cross and see that even terrible human wickedness cannot defeat God's purposes and bring that into our life as caregivers. The physician really treats the patient. The medicine really acts on the body. You really prepare the meal. God sustains his creatures and works through these ordinary means. Our work matters. And we do those things knowing that everyone involved is under God's sovereign rule, including us. We don't know his hidden purpose behind every delay, every meltdown in the middle of the night, every difficult conversation, every painful thing. We don't understand this. We don't know. We may never know this side of glory. But his providential care continues throughout all of this. And I need to remember that I could start acting like every need. And Gracie's life requires my personal attention. Apparently God, has said I'm the only person available me. You know, you would think after 40 years I would learn this better, but. But I. But I haven't. God has other people. He has other hands that help. He has other skills, people that I don't even know still waiting to intersect our life because of God's work. And so all of this comes into play when we live out our day trusting we're doing the work that is set before us, but we're trusting that God is moving through this. And this brings me to our hymn in our series of hymns that every caregiver ought to know. And today's is God Moves in Mysterious Ways. Now I want to introduce you to the guy that wrote it. And his name was William Cooper. It's spelled Co W W. I say W Co W C O W P E R, but it's pronounced Cooper. And he lived in England from 1731 to 1800. His father was a minister. His mother died when he's about 6. And he was trained as a lawyer and eventually became a poet. And he had a pretty good sense of humor. I think that variety is the spice of life comes from one of his poems, that phrase variety is the spice of life. But he lived with very serious recurring depression. And at times his. His mental illness and his depression became so overwhelming that he attempted suicide and required residential treatment. A physician named Dr. Nathaniel Cotton cared for him. And during that time, Cooper came to a deep Christian faith. His illness kept coming back, though. He kept struggling with this for the rest of his life. And it's important to keep that in mind as you listen to his words. He, A woman named Mary Unwin became his devoted, ah, friend and caregiver. His pastor and close friend was Jon Newton. You know, Newton's work. He wrote Amazing Grace. And Newton encouraged Cooper to write hymns. And their work together eventually appeared in a hymnal called Only Hymns. O L N E Y. And you probably know some of Cooper's other hymns. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins. Oh, for a Closer Walk with God. And he wrote that second hymn during Mary's, serious illness. And so he was, you know, afraid of losing his own caregiver in this thing. He. He understood this from both sides of the equation. And he knew what it was like to need someone and to Be needed and. And so he wrote quite a few hymns. This one today, though, we're going to talk about the text. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take the clouds Ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head. You think. You think he's preaching to himself at this point? I, think he was. I think he knew something about fear and, I think he felt when it was ganging up on him and he was losing his way on this thing. And he would write to himself. I don't know why God allowed him to go through this, but I'm grateful for what God produced through him in this. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense but trust Him m for his grace Behind a frowning Providence he hides a smiling face. Some of you are looking at a frowning Providence right now. I've been in that particular area. I spent a lot of time there. And he gives us words to sing from that. Behind a frowning Providence he hides a smiling face. So, let me go to the caregiver keyboard here. Let's go with this fourth verse. Judge not the Lord Lord my fear he was singing to himself dealing with mental illness. Behind a friend Providence he hides a smiling face. Behind a frowning Providence he hides a smiling face. God moves in amnesty. Isn't that a great hymn for us as caregivers? I mean, just to go back and look at again, I play these things a little slower, all right. And I throw in a little different chord probably, than they. They did with it. But that's only to really spend some time with the text. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense. How often do we judge God and His motives? We hear this all the time in our society and sometimes from ourselves. But trust him for his grace Behind a frowning Providence he hides a smiling face. Can we hang on to that this week as caregivers? Can you. Can you just hang on to that? God moves a mysterious way. We don't know. And there are things that are really, no kidding, very, very uncomfortable in our lives right now as caregivers. And they may be that way for the rest of our lives. So what are we going to do about it? Do we want to just stay bitter and stay churned up and despairing, or we willing to take a tiny step of faith and take him at his word with. With the light that you see, the only light that you see. Maybe it's just for one step. That's it. And as I share these things with you, remember this, I take great comfort. The fact that Paul, the Apostle Paul did not preach to the shipwrecked. Remember on that island when the, when the boat wrecked? He didn't preach to the shipwreck wreck. He preached among the shipwrecked. Okay. He was one of them. And I think this is what we do as believers and as fellow caregivers. We preach to one another. We preach to ourselves in this. Okay? My mom is very big on talking about the Lord thy God in the midst of the is mighty right here in this, not waiting on the other side. He's in it with us and he's speaking to us in this place. And that is hope for this caregiver. Hopeforthecaregiver.com hey, listen, thank you so much for being a part of this. If you want to get involved, you want to help us do more, go out to the website hopeforthecaregiver.com and find out ways that you can sponsor this program and other things that we do. And always remember that healthy caregivers do indeed make better caregivers. We'll see you next time.