The Father’s Work Through Ordinary Means

 God the Father: Knowing the First Person of the Trinity

God Is Glorified in the Mundane

1 Corinthians 10:31:

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

We often associate God’s activity with the spectacular—but the Father’s glory is just as present in the everyday. He works through ordinary obedience, daily faithfulness, and common means.

The Father Established Ordinary Means for Extraordinary Ends

Acts 2:42:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

These were not sensational acts—but steady, Spirit-filled habits through which the Father grew and sustained the early church. God still works this way—through His Word, His people, and His ordained means.

What Are “Ordinary Means of Grace”?

Historically, the church has identified these as:

• The Word preached and read

• Prayer offered corporately and privately

• The sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper)

• Fellowship within the body

These are not mechanical rituals. They are relational conduits through which the Father meets with His people and shapes them by grace.

The Father Uses Simple Faithfulness

Hebrews 6:10:

“God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown…”

He sees the quiet parent discipling their children. The small church praying through suffering. The consistent believer who returns each week to sit under His Word. These are instruments of the Father’s power.

Examples of the Father Using the Ordinary

• Moses' Staff – Just a stick… until God used it.

• David’s Sling – Just a stone… until God directed it.

• A Widow’s Oil – Just a jar… until God multiplied it.

• Jesus’ Loaves and Fish – Just a lunch… until God blessed it.

God has always taken ordinary means and used them for extraordinary purposes.

God’s Greatest Work Came Through Humility

Philippians 2:7–8:

“He humbled Himself…”

Jesus came not with fanfare, but with flesh. The Father sent Him not to parade greatness, but to suffer, serve, and save. Redemption came through blood, cross, and burial—all scandalously ordinary.

Why We Struggle with the Ordinary

We are trained to crave spectacle. We want breakthrough, not plodding. But the Father grows oaks, not weeds. He delights in patient cultivation—not quick results.

We must recover a vision of His faithful, hidden work in small things.

How to Embrace the Father’s Ordinary Means

1. Prioritize the Word

Don’t chase new voices when God has spoken. Stay under faithful preaching. Read the Bible prayerfully.

2. Pray Persistently

Even when answers are slow, trust the Father’s hand in the process.

3. Gather Weekly

The local church is God’s greenhouse for spiritual life. He works through ordinary Sundays.

4. Take the Table Seriously

The Lord’s Supper isn’t just symbolic—it’s spiritually nourishing, ordained by the Father for our good.

5. Stay Faithful in Routine

Obedience over time reveals the Father’s power. Keep sowing. Keep walking.

The Father Is Always at Work

John 5:17:

“My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

You may not see immediate change. But through every sermon heard, every prayer whispered, and every meal shared in Christ’s name—He is working.

Conclusion: Glory in the Ordinary

The world may overlook it.

Your flesh may resist it.

But the Father is pleased to work through the simple, the steady, and the surrendered.

So keep walking.

Keep gathering.

Keep trusting.

Because the God who split seas also works through seeds—and He will bring the growth.

“Be steadfast… knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58)