Providence

Examples of Providence

Ps 104:10-19 He sends springs of water between the mountains, giving drink to every creature, even the wild donkeys. The birds dwell next to these springs, singing in the trees. He waters the mountains from His heavens, and satisfies the earth with the fruit of His works. By Him, the grass grows to feed the cattle, and vegetables come forth in response to man's labors, allowing him to feed himself from the earth. He also brings forth wine to gladden man's heart, and oil to make his face shine. God's trees always drink their fill, and birds nest in their branches. He made high mountains for the wild goats and cliffs for the badgers. He made the sun and the moon, and all the seasons.
Ps 104:24-30 O LORD, Your works are beyond counting! Each of them displays Your wisdom in their making, and the earth is filled with Your possessions. The sea is filled with creatures beyond counting, large and small. Ships sail upon it, and Leviathan, Your creation, plays in it. All of them wait for You to feed them in their proper time, and as You do give to them, they gather. You open Your hand, and they are satisfied with good things. When You hide Yourself, they are dismayed. You take their spirit from them and they die.
Ps 105:14-45 He would not let them be oppressed, but reproved kings on their account. "Don't touch My anointed ones, don't dare harm My prophets." He brought famine on the land, taking the bread upon which they depended. He sent Joseph, sold into slavery, before them to prepare. He was afflicted and imprisoned until the time came for his word to prevail. The word of the LORD tested him. The king released him, and made him lord of his own house, ruler over all his possessions. Joseph had power to imprison princes at will, so as to teach wisdom to his elders. Israel then came to Egypt, and so Jacob passed his days in the land of Ham. God caused His people to be very fruitful, making them stronger than their adversaries. He turned the Egyptian's heart to hate His people, and cheat His servants. Then, He sent His servant Moses, along with Aaron whom He had chosen. They performed wonders and miracles in the land of Ham. God sent darkness, and it was dark, and the darkness did not rebel against His words. He changed their waters to blood, killing the fish. He swarmed the land with frogs, even into the king's chambers. At His word, swarms of flies and gnats filled the land. In place of rain, He sent hail and flaming fire. He destroyed their vines and their fig trees, and all the trees of their lands. He spoke, and locusts beyond counting came and ate all the vegetation that remained, all the fruits of their farming. He struck down the first-born of every family in the land, their first-fruits. Then He brought Israel out with silver and gold, and not one of His people so much as stumbled. Egypt rejoiced to see them leave, for they had come to fear them greatly. He covered them in clouds, and gave them illuminating fire at night. At their request, He sent quail, and bread of heaven to satisfy them. He brought forth water from rocks, bringing water like a river in the midst of dry places. All this, He did because He remembered His holy word to Abraham His servant. So, He brought His people out with joyful shouting, and gave them the lands of other nations, so that they possessed the fruits of other peoples' labors. He did this for them so that they would keep His statutes, and obey His laws.
Ps 107:1-43 Give thanks to the LORD, He is good! His love and mercy are everlasting. Let all His redeemed ones say that this is true of Him, for He redeemed them from the hand of their adversary, and brought them from the far ends of the lands. They wandered in dry places, far from all inhabited lands. Hungry and thirsty, their souls fainting within them, they cried out to the LORD, and He delivered them. He took them by direct ways to a city. Let them give Him thanks for His lovingkindness, for His wonders on behalf of man! He satisfied the thirsty soul, and filled the hungry soul with good things. Some dwelt on the verge of death, miserable prisoners in chains because of their rebellion against the words of God. They had spurned the counsel of the Most High, so He humbled their hearts with labor. They stumbled and no one was there to help them. Then they cried out to God in their trouble, and still He saved them. He took them out of their darkness and broke their bonds. Let them give Him thanks for His merciful love, for His wonders on behalf of man! For He shattered strong gates, and cut iron bars apart to free His children. Fools were afflicted because of their rebellious and sinful ways. Their soul would not tolerate good food, and they drew close to death. Then they cried out to the LORD and He saved them. He sent His word to heal them, to deliver them from their self-destruction. Let them give Him thanks for His lovingkindness, for His wonders on behalf of man! Let them give a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and tell of His works with joyful song. Those who sail the seas have seen His works, His wonders in the deep. He speaks, and storm winds come, great waves upon the waters that rise up to heaven, and dive down into the depths. Their souls are melted by misery, they stagger upon the decks like drunks. They are at their wits' end, and they cry out to the LORD in their trouble. And He brings them out of their distresses. He stills the storm, and hushes the waves. They are glad when all is quiet, so He guides them to their desired haven. Let them give Him thanks for His lovingkindness, for His wonders on behalf of man! Let them tell of His glory before the congregation, and praise Him before the elders. He dries up rivers and springs, lays waste fruitful lands, because those who dwell there are wicked. He waters the wilderness with pools and springs, and brings hungry people there to dwell, to inhabit cities, sow the fields, plant vineyards, and have a fruitful harvest. He blesses them with many children, and large herds. When they are humbled through oppression, misery, and sorrow, He chastens their princes and sets them to wander in pathless wastelands. But the needy, He keeps secure, away from affliction, and guards his family like a flock. The righteous see this, and are glad, but unrighteousness is silenced. If you consider yourself wise, give heed to these things, and consider the Lord's love and mercy.
Ps 111:5 He feeds those who fear Him, and never forgets His covenant.
Ps 113:6-9 He humbles Himself to look upon the things of heaven, and things on earth. He raises the poor up from the ash heap, and seats them among the princes of His people. He causes the barren woman to become a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!

New Thoughts

What awesome images we have of our God in these Psalms! Perhaps most incredible is the message of Psalm 113:6, that God humbles Himself to so much as look at us. He must humble Himself to look upon heaven, and we have been made a little lower than that, so how much more must He humble Himself to look at us! Yet, He is ever and always willing to do this. His love for us is so great that He is willing to consider His own great worth as nothing, so that He can come work within us. In Christ, God humbled Himself to the point of taking on flesh, of becoming as man, so as to better understand His creation, and have mercy on us.

Indeed, so full is He of love for this creation He has made, that we are provided for by the fruits of His labors. He not only looks, He works on our behalf, He labors on our behalf. He sustains us with His labors, and will we withhold from Him the fruits of our meager efforts? How could we? Consider that it is by His constant attention, and only by His constant attention, that we live and move and breath. We are no better than the creatures of the sea in that regard, although we have been given the rule over all the earth. Even though we rule, we are as dependent upon Him for our upkeep as any creature we rule. It is in God's hands to decide whether the spirit will remain with the body. And, should He choose to remove the spirit, that body will die. No effort on the part of man will change that.

Another facet of Providence is seen in these Psalms, though, the side we tend to downplay. Notice, in Psalm 105, that Joseph's trials are blamed neither on Satan, nor on his brothers. Rather, the Psalmist makes the truth plain: he was tested by the word of the LORD. It was God who required of him that he go through the many trials he faced. It was God's plan that he would face the difficulties of slavery, of sexual temptation, of reversals of fortune, of false accusations. In none of these situations had God ceased to guide Joseph's steps. In all of these situations, God was working to have His man in the right place at the right time, knowing His man would do the right thing.

How do we face these trials? We have been conditioned by our culture to seek someplace to place the blame for our downturn. It's never our fault, and it's certainly never for our own good, right? If we are having difficulties today, it's because of the way our parents raised us, our friends treated us, our schools failed us. This is the mindset the world has. Everybody's a victim, nobody's responsible. And sadly, we've carried that mindset right on in to God's presence. Now, when trials come, we look not to God, to see what He is doing for us, we don't think on God's word to gain understanding as to what we should do. No, we immediately blame the Devil for our problems. God would never do these things to us. He loves us!

What a weak understanding we have of love! Love means far more than always giving lovers what they want. Is it any wonder that we parents have such difficulty raising responsible children! We've come to think that discipline is bad, but Scripture warns us that no discipline will seem pleasant at the time. Yet, it is our loving Father who disciplines us for our own good. All things work for good. Why is this so? Because it is our good Father who works all things. It is His guiding hand upon all of creation that assures us that no matter what the appearance tells us, the truth is that what we face is for our good. In the greatest trials of our lives, we can be assured that as we keep our eyes and hearts intent upon Him, as we continually seek out and praise our Maker, the end of the trial will be blessing. That's God's promise to His children, who struggle to live in His image.

Another hard issue of Providence also begins to gain its answer in the message of Psalm 107. It bothers us to think that God does these seemingly mean things to people. It bothers us to recognize that for some, the saving from that trouble will never come. It bothers us to think that God is behind all this. Isn't that evil of Him? This, as a young friend of mine was expressing the other day, is the problem people have with predestination. What kind of God is it who would knowingly bring to life somebody who will ignore Him, whom He will have to punish? What kind of God would arbitrarily choose to act on behalf of some of His creation, and leave other portions to perish?

The temptation is to make Him less than the Creator He is, and say that He simply knew what choices they would make, He wasn't directly involved. We are, however, each created as moral agents, with some ability to choose our way. Sin has limited our choices, but still we are the ones that choose. Some will hear God's voice, will hear the Shepherd calling, and will respond. These respond solely because He has broken through the chains of sin to empower them to respond. Others will not respond. They will ignore Him and continue on their own path. Do we understand God's choices in all this? No. But as with Paul before us, there comes a point where we must cease asking the question. We are not in a position to put God in the witness stand at His own defense. We are the ones who should be defending ourselves against His righteous claims. The Potter has the right over His creation.

Here in Psalm 107, we do get a glimpse of the issues, though. We are reminded that those who are imprisoned in the chains of sin are there precisely because they refused to heed God's counsel to them. They rebelled against His revealed will and purpose, and so they suffer. Even then, we are told, God doesn't give up on them, but seeks to humble them to the point that they will come to their senses. See this in the light of Romans, which reminds us that God has left a witness before every man in the works of His creation. Not one man living can make the claim of ignorance in his defense. The evidence God has given on His own behalf leaves every man who refuses Him guilty beyond question.

He is the Judge, and we are on the stand. It is certainly His prerogative as Judge to be lenient, yet if He were lenient in every case, how would justice be served? He is always just, there is no injustice in Him. For Him to be unjust would be for Him to cease being God, which is an impossibility. Still, He is also the great Defender of the faithful. He has provided the one Defense that can serve us in the day of Judgment. He has made that Defense as clear as His own existence. Even where the Gospel has not been heard, His revelation of Himself is clear enough that those who see His works should understand His nature well enough to know the Defense must be there.

There is no excuse we can make. There is nobody upon which we can place the blame for our own shortcomings. God is not at fault for our sins, nor is any other man. It's our own responsibility. If we will refuse the Defense that God in His mercy has provided, is He to be faulted for allowing the charge of guilt to stand? No. We would not blame a human judge for upholding justice, and we dare not blame the Judge of heaven and earth for doing the same more perfectly!

Lord God, in all of this You display Your majesty. In all of this, Your wonders are made the more evident! Indeed, You have given every single one of us so many reasons to be thankful. In our darkest times, in our hardest challenges, we have greatest reason to be thankful, for we know that You are with us. I give you praise all the more in my present trials, my God, because You have so carefully prepared me to stand up under the load. You have timed this study to cover me in the hard place. You remind me over and over of Your great care for me. I pray that in the testing of Your word, I will be found true to You. I pray that You hold me free of all fear in Your perfect love. I pray that You envelop me in the peace that only You can provide, that no strain-induced anger will blot the beauty of Your testimony in my life. All praise and glory and honor to You, mighty God! Holy is Your name.