My Pondering
God works in mysterious ways yet He is also a God of consistency as we see throughout His creation. So yes, 2 + 2 = 4 because God is a God of mathematics. It never changes as there certainly is things called facts and absolute truth which for so many lost people is am enigma. But there is also a variance after the sum. A factor I often refer to a “Providence”. It’s what happens when the super-natural influences the natural realm. So God is both a God of mystery for His ways are much higher than ours yet He is a God of consistency, where He wants us to seek and understand His ways and nature.
“Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.” Ecclesiastes 9:11
So I see the formula like this: (2 + 2 = 4) * Y (which can be a negative or positive integer). God seems to usually reward smart, hard work for Joseph as a diligent worker while in prison serving the Warden well and later Potiphar with a positive attitude despite his circumstance. He used his gifts too. But when the time was right, God executed the Y factor big time.
We can get a glimpse of this from 1 Corinthians 3:6 “I planted the seed and Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” and James 4:13-16 “13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” 14You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.”
All I can do is all I can do. But all I can do is enough, provided it’s in the good Lord’s will and timing. And yes, He is good, very good!