Yes. God's permissive will and God's ultimate will aren't always the same. Yet there is no shortage of people who believe that God micromanages their lives to the point that a good parking space is perceived as a specific sign of divine favor, as opposed to the general favor of finance to purchase an alarm clock, education to comprehend it, and the free will to choose to arrive on time. A few such souls also seem to give the evil one power to foul up their day -- ("Satan tried to stop me from going to church by taking all the parking spaces!") -- instead of admitting their own agency, choices, and tardiness. How they survive genuine calamity, I do not know. How you survive genuine calamity, they cannot imagine.
I found this section of an old post further up the thread rather more pertinent to what I am about to say, because I could not find a specific 4th July thread here, and my remarking about 4th July would seem a bit cheeky for an Australian, except for the will of God aspect of it. For the Will of God does play a part in the affairs of nations as is clearly demonstrated in the Old Testament, and it doesn't all depend on those horrible Kings of yore, let alone their Presidential replacements. We have been studying 1 and 2 Samuel in the Bible which is quite an eye-opener, not only to the way the prophet Samuel said Kings would act - and yes they do - but also why a King or President is necessary in the first place, however the nation comes by the person, and whether that person is elected, or whether he or she is crowned, anointed, consecrated or inaugurated to do the job.
Famously, 4th July celebrates Independence Day, that is to say, USA or its beginnings, proclaimed themselves a nation independent of Great Britain which at the time administered much of the settled bits of the North American Continent. One of the Colonists' grievances was the threatened imposition of taxes, always a sore point, right back through the ages, right back to 1 and 2 Samuel, when the Israelites started to want a rather more organised sort of governing arrangement than they had at the time, which was often just localised judges who often acted only for their own tribe and if they were lucky, one or two of the others who agreed to help them. Samuel consecrated or anointed firstly Saul and then David, a most beloved Biblical figure, but Saul ended up dead, strung up on a city wall by the Philistines, along with three of his sons, by the end of 1 Samuel. David, whose kingly career involved much more fighting with the Philistines, in 2 Samuel, fought with other people as well, including a civil war against his own son, as well as adherents of a Saul monarchy. Part of these battles were his own fault, as the tale of Bathsheba clearly shows. But for the religious context I could have been reading the latest gossip and fashion magazine recounting the alleged palace rows in the UK Royal family and more.
And then I came across something that King David did right as a King. He had an able administration, which included someone called Sheva who acted as his secretary, Zadok and Abiathar led his priests, and Joab was a particularly gifted and loyal soldier and general under David's leadership. God helped David much, but He also gave David Joab to be his effective lieutenant, even if Joab would probably be seen as a gangster today. And wouldn't you know it? There was someone called Jehoshaphat who did the recording. You can read about it all in 2 Samuel, Ch 20 verse 23, I think it is.
And this particular Jehoshaphat (not to be mistaken for a later king) whose records probably formed the basis of 1 and 2 Samuel even if he did not write those two books of the Bible himself, is why we read about David today. And he is likely how we know, by the way, that the events in those two books included very likely actual historic happenings, not just writings for gossip and fashion magazines.
Today there there are people who actually wonder if either king really existed, much as up to the 20th century it was generally believed that there was no such place as Babylon, or Troy, let alone Mycenae. But the Philistines who fought against David and Saul did not speak the same sorts of languages as many of the other peoples around the Israelites. They were the Sea People of Rameses III, related to the Greeks who besieged Troy and the Myceneans who, having been allowed by the Egyptians to settle there, along the Gaza strip, were trying to expand into the interior of the Israelite lands to take them over.
A week or so ago, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, the grandson of UK's Queen Elizabeth famously visited those areas, prayed at the Wailing Wall, visited where his great grandmother was buried, at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, and also visited the Al Aqsa Mosque along with visiting other important sites. He prayed for peace in the Holy Lands, as well he might, and vowed that would be his life's mission. And he had a chat with each of the relevant Presidents and Prime Ministers, something the rest of us might not be able to do. Public opinion jeered of course. What could he do that hasn't been tried before? said many. "Good luck with that" I thought. But at least he was willing to try.
And what has all this to do with me and 4th July in particular? Why not Canadians as well, since 1st July is Canada day, and Canada is at least as relevant to Le Hamel in France as is both Australia, New Zealand, UK, and the United States. I am a history buff, as everyone here knows. For the past four years there have been a lot of WW1 commemorations. In 2015 my daughter and I visited Gallipoli then went to Villers Bretonneux and Le Hamel where in the open country there is this great monument to the fallen of World War I, where the flags of all the participating nations fly over their soldiers' graves, lest we forget the sacrifices made by those who went before us. You will find Canadians, New Zealanders, South Africans, even, Indians, the British, of course. And the French who welcomed us all as deliverers. And American soldiers, as well as Australians - a lot of Australians. Those who could be identified were listed as Christians, some were Jewish and there were other faiths as well.
Today, 4th July, or what is left of it - it is 6pm here - is the Le Hamel centenary, commemorating a WW1 battle at a small village called Le Hamel, which for the first time included a combined force of all these nations, in particular the new USA forces, as well as Australians, led by Sir John Monash, an Australian general whose battle plan went off perfectly. He used 4th July to stage the battle, specifically to encourage the American troops and to give them something to fight for. And it was a victory that led to other victories the following August. That particular incident was the beginning of the Australian Alliance with USA that continues up to this present day and whose centenary we also should commemorate. Did I mention Joab? I should have, because Sir John Monash, whose face adorns an Australian $100 note, was Jewish by belief. God moves in mysterious ways in the affairs of men and nations.
Oh and that is why of a Sunday we always pray for Queen Elizabeth, her ministers, her officials, her prime ministers, and all who serve her that the government is run wisely. A good thing to do when following the news.
Lastly and not leastly, happy 4th July.