Have you ever stopped to think about how much God is doing in your everyday life? Do you recognize God as you go through your daily life?

We often look for God in the big things. We look for the answered prayer, the miracle, the major change, or the moment when everything suddenly falls into place. But what about the ordinary parts of life?

What about the food on our table? The people who encourage us? The protection we may never even know happened? The wisdom we receive when we need to make a decision? The strength to get through another difficult day?

God is present in the ordinary everyday of our lives. Not just in the big moments or extraordinary times.

We can easily miss the quiet ways God is working right in front of us, even right now. He provides for us. He protects us. He encourages us. He teaches us. He guides us.

The Bible tells us that God is near to us and that He is involved in our lives. We may not always understand what He is doing, but we can trust that He is there.

Psalms 144:3 

O LORD, of what importance is the human race that you should notice them? Of what importance is mankind that you should be concerned about them?

Proverbs 20:24 

The steps of a person are ordained by the LORD—so how can anyone understand his own way? 

Proverbs 16:9 

A person plans his course, but the LORD directs his steps. 

Genesis 16:13 

So Hagar named the LORD who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 

Recognize God as Our Provider

Every day we receive things we did not create and could never provide for ourselves.

We wake up. We have another day of life. We have food to eat, water to drink, a place to live, people who love us, and countless other blessings. We can easily begin to think of these things as simply part of life.

But they are gifts. God is our provider.

This does not mean that life will always be easy or that we will always have everything we want. God never promised us a life without difficulties. But He has promised to take care of His children.

Sometimes His provision looks exactly like what we prayed for. Other times it looks very different from what we expected.

We may even recognize His provision only after looking back and realizing that He was taking care of us all along.

When we begin to recognize God as our provider we gain gratitude and it changes the way we see everyday life. We give God the credit and praise. He is the one behind it all, helping us in it all.

Philippians 4:19 

And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 

Recognize God’s Protection

We may never know about the danger He prevented, the situation He changed, or the path He kept us from taking. Sometimes we only recognize God’s protection afterward.

There are also times when God’s protection does not mean keeping us from difficulty. Sometimes He walks with us through the difficulty.

God’s presence is our protection.

When we are afraid, He is there. When we are uncertain, He is there. When we are facing something we do not understand, He is there. He is with us in everything.

We do not have to see everything God is doing or understand in order to trust Him.

Faith means trusting Him who sees what we cannot see.

Psalms 121:8 

The LORD will protect you in all you do, now and forevermore. 

2 Thessalonians 3:3 

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. 

Recognize God When He Encourages Us

God often encourages us.

A verse we have read many times can suddenly speak directly to something we are going through. A thought comes to mind at just the right time. Someone calls when we need encouragement. A song reminds us of God’s faithfulness.

These moments can be easy to overlook.

But when we are walking with God, we begin to recognize His fingerprints in our lives.

God knows when we are discouraged. He knows when we are tired. He knows when we need reassurance.

He does not always remove or resolve the problem, but He gives us strength to continue through it.

Sometimes His encouragement is simply the reminder that He has not left us.

Isaiah 41:10 

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! I strengthen you—yes, I help you—yes, I uphold you with my victorious right hand! 

Recognize God as Our Teacher

God teaches us through His Word and His Spirit, through prayer, through other people, and even through difficult circumstances.

Sometimes we learn patience because we have to wait.

Sometimes we learn forgiveness because someone hurts us.

Sometimes we learn trust because we cannot control the outcome.

Sometimes God allows us to walk through something difficult because there is something He wants to teach us.

We may not understand the lesson while we are in the middle of it. But God can use every part of our lives to help us grow.

Ask God about your situation. Pray about it and if He wants you to learn something from it. Ask God to each you every day. Give everything to Him and trust His goodness and guidance.

When we begin looking for what God is teaching us, even difficult seasons can become opportunities to grow closer to Him.

Psalms 27:11 

Teach me how you want me to live, LORD; lead me along a level path because of those who wait to ambush me.

Recognize God’s Guidance

God does not leave us to figure out life on our own.

He gives us His Word to guide us. He gives His Spirit to guide and teach us. He gives us wisdom when we ask. He directs our steps even when we cannot see the entire path ahead.

We often want God to show us the whole plan. But He usually asks us to trust Him one step at a time.

We may not know what tomorrow holds, but God does.

We may not understand where a particular road or path will lead, but God knows.

Recognizing God’s guidance means learning to listen, pray, seek His Word, and trust Him even when we cannot see the answer yet.

Sometimes we recognize God’s guidance most clearly when we look back and see how He directed our steps.

Proverbs 3:6 

Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight. 

Look for God in the Ordinary

God is not only God in church on Sunday. He is God in our homes, our workplaces, our gatherings, our conversations, our comings and going’s, our struggles, our decisions, and our quiet moments.

He is there when we wake up in the morning. He is there when we go to sleep at night.

He provides, protects, encourages, teaches, and guides.

The more we walk with God, the more we begin to recognize Him in the everyday details of our lives.

Instead of rushing through our day, stop and look for Him. Thank Him for His provision, presence and guidance. Seek Him. Listen for Him.

God is already present and already working.

Sometimes we simply need to slow down long enough to recognize Him.

James 4:8 

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded.  

Psalms 139:7-18

Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence? If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn and settle down on the other side of the sea, even there your hand would guide me, your right hand would grab hold of me. If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will turn to night all around me,” even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, and the night is as bright as day; darkness and light are the same to you. Certainly you made my mind and heart; you wove me together in my mother’s womb. I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. You knew me thoroughly; my bones were not hidden from you, when I was made in secret and sewed together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence. How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! How vast is their sum total. If I tried to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. Even if I finished counting them, I would still have to contend with you.

Please follow and like:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.