Fulfilled in Christ

February 2

Seeing the Works of God
From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman

Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord.... - Psalm 107:23-24

When you were a child, perhaps you may have gone to the ocean for a vacation. I recall wading out until the waves began crashing on my knees. As long as I could stand firm, the waves were of no concern to me. However, as I moved farther and farther into the ocean, I had less control over my ability to stand. Sometimes the current was so strong it moved me down the beach, and I even lost my bearings at times. But I have never gone so far into the ocean that I was not able to control the situation.

Sometimes God takes us into such deep waters that we lose control of the situation, and we have no choice but to fully trust in His care for us. This is doing business in great waters. It is in these great waters that we see the works of God.

The Scriptures tell us that the disciples testified of what they saw and heard. It was the power behind the gospel, not the words themselves, which changed the world. The power wasn't seen until circumstances got to the point that there were no alternatives but God. Sometimes God has to take us into the deep water in order to give us the privilege to see His works.

Sometimes God takes us into the deep waters of life for an extended time. Joseph was taken into deep waters of adversity for 17 years. Rejection by his brothers, enslavement to Pharaoh, and imprisonment were the deep waters for Joseph. During those deep waters, he experienced dreams, a special anointing of his gifts to administrate, and great wisdom beyond his years. The deep water was preparation for a task that was so great he never could have imagined it. He was to see God's works more clearly than anyone in his generation.

God had too much at stake for a 30-year-old to mess it up. So, God took Joseph through the deep waters of preparation to ensure that he would survive what he was about to receive.

Pride sometimes engulfs God’s servants who have access to His great power, but when receipt of the power has been preceded by adversity, His child uses it with grace and gives all glory to Jesus rather than claiming it for himself..

If God chooses to take us into deep waters, it is for a reason; the greater the calling, the deeper the water. Trust in His knowledge that your deep waters are preparation to see the works of God in your life, to see His glory revealed in you and in your circumstances.



The words of our Brother Hillman strike a profound chord in the symphony of our lives, for who among us has not suffered? Who among us has not been betrayed by someone we trusted? Who among us has not been penalized for wrongs we did not commit?

Who among us has not dreamed great dreams of personal achievement or of great works done for the Kingdom of Christ only to find our accomplishments to be among the mundane and inglorious deeds of ordinary men?

Should we languish in a prison of despair because the heights of glory we thought were to be ours have not been scaled? That’s not what Joseph did in his prison. Even though his brothers had sold him into slavery, even though Potiphar’s wife lied about him when he refused her favors, even though prison was his seeming reward for his faithfulness to the law of the Holy One, yet he abounded in faith; yet he remained faithful!

When we are hemmed in on every side by limitations not of our own making; when we are faced with consequences unworthy of our diligent efforts; when we are bound by chains of mediocrity when our abilities assured us acclaim, would be ours, may we yet hold fast to the One whose Word, fulfilled in Christ, is “yea and amen,” II Corinthians 1:20.