Most of us think of God as lofty, mysterious, and grand. He’s definitely all of that but is also detail-oriented and surprisingly practical. I’ve often witnessed this and saw it again today.

While waiting in my dentist’s office this morning, I sifted through a stack of reading material and settled on this week’s TIME magazine. The cover story was about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals. He’s a fascinating guy for several reasons: (1) he’s only 30; (2) he’s brainy; (3) he’s a tech-guy but loves people; (4) and he hasn’t let mega-money change him.

As I read the article, I was searching for personal information, like the seed-reason why he’s been so successful. Then I read, “Zuckerberg is a great one for breaking down messy, wonky problems into manageable chunks.” That sounds like wisdom, and I filed it for later.

Before I finished the article, the dental hygienist was calling my name. As she clipped on my paper bib I asked her about the possibility of whitening my teeth, so while she cleaned, she gave me a short course in bleaching. But the subject changed when she found several “trouble-spots” and told me that the dentist, Dr. Matt, better take a look. After he did, I realized how our practical God had prepared me (by way of Mark Zuckerberg’s statement) for what I was about to hear.

It turns out I’m going to need some major mouth work: cavities (plural), bridges (plural), and implants (plural). “Oh dear,” I said to Dr. Matt. “This sounds like a major ordeal involving lots of time and big buckaroos.”

“Oh it won’t be so bad,” he said. “Just make one appointment on your way out, and we’ll take it in small steps.”

That sounded an awful lot like a “messy, wonky problem tackled in small chunks.”

This kind of thinking isn’t original with Dr. Matt, though, or even Mark Zuckerberg, since God promoted it first in the Bible. He wants us to conquer our sins one at a time, study Scripture one verse at a time, and communicate with him one prayer at a time. And over the long haul, our lives will be utterly revolutionized.

After Dr. Matt left and the hygienist was lowering the dental chair I said, “And to think I’d been worried about bleaching my teeth.”

She laughed and said, “I guess it’s silly to paint the porch when the house is on fire.”

But if Mark Zuckerberg had been standing there he would have said, “Don’t worry. Just put out the fire one water-bucket at a time.”

“My God will supply every need of yours.” (Philippians 4:19)

Praising and Praying with Mary

Continue to pray for wisdom about the feeding tube, since the phone consultation today wasn’t good enough to make any decisions. Pray for wise conclusions at tomorrow’s appointment.