workings of providence

The divine workings of Providence, its diligent Hand, are such that seemingly insignificant decisions we make for one purpose are often the means whereby another far greater purpose is accomplished, hardly related to the matter that first foisted a fork into our road. Hence, the Scriptures ask a poignant rhetorical question, the answer being obvious:

“Who hath despised the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10)?

My friends, ye that fear the Lord and follow His ways: you never know how the seemingly insignificant decisions you face in the normal, everyday workings of life can be used by the Divine Hand of Providence to profoundly affect the lives of others and even the courses of human history. Take, for example, our Pilgrim Forefathers who made the treacherous 1620 Mayflower Voyage across the North Atlantic. Throughout the early weeks of sailing, these God-fearing men and women endured incessant harassment and mockery from the ship’s crew. One particularly vile tormenter called them “Psalm-Singing Puke-Stockings” and uttered his own “prophecy” that he would soon be feeding them all to the fish. Weeks before, however, a packing decision was made by one of these Pilgrims’ teaching elders, a choice that seemed foolhardy at the time and of little consequence, perhaps even one cause for the incessant mocking. You see, William Brewster had lugged his very heavy personal printing press on board. Aside from revealing incredible insight into these believers’ high regard for truth and the printed Word of God, this “foolishness” in the eyes of the world would later prove a means of saving the entire ship, arresting and humbling even the superstitious mockers.

Before that, however, the fate of Mr. “Psalm-Singing Puke-Stockings” served to do the same. William Bradford, in his journal “Of Plymouth Plantation” (covering the years 1620-1646), relayed:

“But it pleased God before they came half seas over, to smite this young man with a grievous disease, of which he died in a desperate manner, and so was himself the first that was thrown overboard. Thus his curses light on his own head, and it was an astonishment to all his fellows for they noted it to be the just hand of God upon him.”

Those arrested by the just Hand of Divine Providence were thereafter arrested by the gracious and merciful Hand of the same. You see, a terrible and fierce storm arose on the high seas, and the Mayflower’s main beam was cracked and bent to the point of breaking altogether. Without a means to secure it, the ship was stranded and would have ultimately succumbed to the waves … It just so “happened,” however, that a crazy “Bible-thumper” had lugged a big, heavy printing press on board, and that printing press had what William Bradford described as a “great iron screw.” This screw was removed and proved just the right size to raise and secure the damaged main beam back into its original position. The rest is history. On November 21, 1620, the Mayflower landed at Cape Cod, far north of the Virginia coast, its intended destination. For the fierce storm that cracked the main beam had also blown them “off course,” at least in the eyes of man. But you see, “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps” (Proverbs 16:9), and “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD” (Psalm 37:23). Therefore,

“Who hath despised the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10)?

Today, for me and my family, is a bit like the day that great iron screw was found and put to use on the Mayflower. I haven’t packed any heavy printing presses lately, but I do often pack more than I need when I head out to the mission field. #TheLongWalkUSA in November of 2022 was no exception. The SAG was carrying lots of gear and Gospel material. We had just walked out of Yellowstone National Park, the season’s first snows had descended upon us, and we stood at a great fork in the road—north to Montana or south into Idaho. We really wrestled over that decision, even thinking to take a break and head home for the Thanksgiving holiday, putting off the route decision to a later time. Seeking the Lord, we ultimately chose to walk north into Montana. In our minds, it was simply a matter of Montana having more trees, and frankly, we were sick of the barren prairie. Not long thereafter, we suddenly found ourselves the victim of a terrible hate crime and thrown in jail for simply trying to protect ourselves and each other in perfect accordance with Montana Law. As I sat alone in a cell for four days, my mind was plagued with the thought that we had made the wrong decision and should have opted to walk Idaho’s Snake River Plain.

Fast forward six months. We endeavored to re-start #TheLongWalkUSA from the very spot it was sabotaged, and that while under ridiculous and unjust felony charges in the State of Montana. Christians wanted to join us in support for that-restart, and many did, including a whole group from our own local church in North Carolina. That, however, was not without mocking and discord within our own ranks, not a whole lot unlike that of the Mayflower Crew toward the Pilgrims. Yes, our own little church body had a festering cancer at the time that liked to sow discord, throw around personal “prophecies,” and call people in the church names that might translate “Psalm-Singing Puke-Stockings” in 17th-century English. Said cancer did everything in it’s power, even publicly accusing church elders of wrongdoing in open defiance of I Timothy 5:19, to derail a church-trip out to Montana in support of what he called “SOME WALK.” Those efforts failed, and two vans ultimately carried a crew from Catawba County, NC all the way out to Madison County, Montana to join local believers, including JOHN LAMB and his family, and others who had made long journeys from Mississippi, New Mexico, Idaho, California, and even Nepal. Thankfully, that cancer in our church was soon cut out, as such should be according to New Testament church polity. A young lady, my niece, was in one of those vans. Though way out of her comfort zone, she decided to make the trip and walk miles with us out of genuine love and support for her Christian brethren.

A 2022 decision at the edge of Yellowstone to walk north into some trees, a 2023 decision to board a van in North Carolina and go do something way out of one’s comfort zone: These decisions seemed so insignificant and of little consequence at the time, and the events of today, May 5, 2026, though having little to do with trees or vans, yet all goes back to those forks in the road and a whole slough of what men meant for evil. Such are the divine workings of Providence, its diligent Hand: always at work even amidst the stresses and distresses of printing presses, iron screws, pine trees, and long road trips.

Today, it is my great pleasure to participate in a MARRIAGE CEREMONY, that of my niece, Makyna Kay Boyd, and Josiah Seth Lamb of Madison County, Montana. When we re-started #TheLongWalkUSA on May 13, 2023, we took a group photo just off US 287 below the Dream Drift Motel. That’s Makyna and Josiah highlighted in the picture below. That morning, they didn’t know one another from a can of paint and I don’t think had even spoken a word amongst themselves. By days’ end, Josiah was driving one of the SAG buses, and Makyna was riding along, tired and worn out. They started talking, and the rest is history. Both of these young people love the LORD and have proven valuable servants of our local church. I never could have imagined in that Montana jail cell that a decision to turn north and walk into the trees wasn’t a wrong decision at all. We were in the right place at the right time, and the Lord would use it to profoundly affect the lives of Christian brethren of the next generation. Hey, I merely lost a few days of freedom, albeit unjustly, but I gained a family in Madison County, Montana, of all places. Sheer profundity!

Ultimately, we were all delivered from the unjust charges, those who were once enemies in that matter are now friends with whom I regularly correspond, #TheLongWalkUSA was completed and another has begun, our local church has grown, some who were among us at that Re-Start have since gone home to be with the Lord, and we continue to see the Divine Hand of Providence in the normal everyday workings of life as we await our Lord’s return for His Bride. Today, we pause to celebrate a mysterious picture of Christ’s relationship with that Bride, His Church, a marriage today born out of trees, vans, evil men, the love and support of fellow believers, and SOME WALK :)

Last night, at the rehearsal dinner, it was a great blessing to hear John Lamb deliver his own testimony about all these events and the amazing workings of divine Providence behind a seemingly random phone call from a "Paul Boyd." Glory to God, glory to the Living God. I only wish my dad were here to see all this.

Before signing off, I do want to give a shout-out of thanks to Brad Terrell, Dan Wyatt, Tim Jurgonski, Alec Winn, and even old Austin Knudsen. As Joseph said his brothers in Egypt: “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Genesis 50:20). Today is yet another loud proof of that. And my friends, the amazing workings of Divine Providence, as they were against the mockers of the Mayflower crew in 1620, are indeed the greatest revenge against one’s enemies. Today is a day of great joy here in North Carolina, and a day of great revenge, God’s vengeance, not that of taking matters into our own hands.  Glory to God. Glory to the Living God and His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Christian, DO NOT “despise the day of small things” (Zechariah 4:10), and never, never, never forget: “A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).