Not too long ago, it was common for people to agree, at the proposal of some venture - risky or not - that the thing would happen, "good Lord willin' an' the creek don't rise." This simple bit of folk wisdom embodies not simply a way to write off disaster should the thing not happen, but also a sense of humility once universally recognised, but now lost by this formerly-blessed nation.

Intoned at many a young person's funeral, "It simply wasn't God's Will that he should live" is a phrase I remember from childhood, though by that time most of the people employing such sense had degraded it to a platitude, trotted out then there was nothing else one could say. They still mouthed the words, yet few took the time to understand the gravity of the thought.

Today, we are preoccupied with doing our own thing, and marching to our own drummer to give a rat's left ventricle what God wills and doesn't. Ironically, His Divine Providence trudges along, much in the way the globe orbits the sun, despite that we may sit in chairs refusing to go along for the ride.

True enough, in light of the above we need not change our attitudes for God to 'win' in the end, but how much more sense life makes when we endeavour to truly understand it - through the lenses given in scripture rather than our own flesh-t[a]inted glasses.

Tragedy, joy, death, life, success, failure, war, peace - all work together for His purposes, not ours. As we approach this coming conflict with Iraq, whether we agree with the direction our leaders are taking us or not, let us all seek to understand His Will for us in the grand scheme of things. For some it may be given to simply watch and pray...to others the glory of battle...still to others to remind those in power that a sovereign Lord will judge them.

Those who have loved ones heading for the Gulf will be particularly anguished at this time. Let us around them give assurance that all will work out for His Glory - good Lord willin' an' the creek don't rise...