Providence

Examples of Providence

Ezr 8:22 I was ashamed to seek help and protection from the king, because we had told him that God would favor us for seeking Him, and that He would stand against those who forsake Him.
Ne 9:25 Israel captured cities and good lands. They took possessions of houses, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees. So they ate their fill and grew fat, reveling in Your great goodness to them.
Job 5:6-11 Troubles don't spring up from dust, man is born for trouble, just as sparks fly upward. Me, I would seek out God and plead my cause with Him; for He does unknowably great things, wonders beyond counting. He waters the earth and fields, He lifts up the lowly, and brings mourners to safety.
Job 5:24-26 You will know your tent is secure, because you will visit your lands and fear no loss. You will know that your descendents are without number, and you will remain strong until the end of your days.
Job 8:6-7 If you are pure, surely He would arise and restore your estate. Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will be great.
Job 8:20-21 God will not reject a man of integrity, nor will He accept evildoers. He will yet fill you with laughter and shouting for joy.
Job 11:17-19 [If you were pure] your life would shine like the sun, Your deepest darkness would still be bright like the morning. You would trust, knowing there is hope; and you would rest securely, knowing none will disturb your sleep. You would find many seeking your favor.
Job 12:23 He makes nations and He breaks nations. He enlarges them, and He leads them into captivity.
Job 22:18 God has filled the houses of the wicked with good things, but I will not take their counsel. Far be it from me!
Job 22:24-25 Throw your gold in the dirt, then the Almighty will be your gold, your choice silver.
Job 22:28 Your word will establish it for you; Light will shine on your ways.
Job 29:5 When the Almighty was with me still, my children were around me.
Job 29:19-20 My root reaches the waters, and dew covers my branches. My glory is fresh upon me, and my bow has been restored to my hand.
Job 33:14-30 God often speaks, perhaps even repeating Himself, yet no one notices. In dreams and visions, while men are sleeping, He opens their ears and instructs them so as to turn them from their prideful conduct. He keeps a man from death, from passing on to the pit. By pains that keep a man bedridden, with bones that ache without ceasing, man may be chastened. He will come to hate his bread, even his favorite foods. He will waste away so badly that his bones stick out. He will be close to death. Yet, if there is an angel mediating for him - one among a thousand - reminding him of what is right, then let that angel be gracious, and seek that he be delivered from the pit, declare the ransom found. Let his flesh be rejuvenated, as he returns to the strength of his youth. Then he will pray to God, and God will accept him, allowing him to see God's face with joy. He may restore His righteousness to man. The restored one will sing out of how he has sinned, and done things not proper for himself. He will sing out of how God Himself redeemed his soul, bringing light to his life. This is often the way God deals with men, bringing them back from the edge of the pit to be enlightened with the light of life.
Job 36:11 If they hear and serve Him, their end shall be both prosperous and pleasant.
Job 37:6-24 He causes the snow to fall, and He brings the downpour in strength. He puts His seal on every man, that every man will know they are His workmanship. Beasts go to their lairs, remaining in their dens, as storms arise out of the south and cold streams down from the north. Ice is made by God's breath, and it freezes the waters. He loads the clouds with water, and sends clouds of lightning. He directs the storms whither He will, and they do as He commands on the earth. It may be for correction, it may be for His creation, it may be a loving act; whichever it may be, He is the cause. Consider His wonders. Do you understand how He does these things? Do you know how He makes lightning, or clouds? Feh! You are still overheating, because the winds are from the south, not even able to counter that! Will you then join Him in spreading out the skies? Tell us what we should say to Him, for we are still darkened in mind, and cannot make our case. Should we tell Him we would speak to Him? Or should we say we will be swallowed up? Men don't even see the light of bright skies, when the wind has cleared away the clouds. Golden splendor comes out of the north, God in His awesome majesty. He is the Almighty. We cannot find Him. His power is exalted, and He will not do injustice, but will abound in righteousness. This is why men fear Him. He has no regard for those who think themselves wise.
Job 38:25-27 Who has made a channel for the flood? Who has declared the path of the thunderbolt? Who has brought rain on the desert, so as to satisfy that desolate land, making grass sprout there?
Job 38:41 Who feeds the raven when its young cry to God, wandering around with no food?
Job 39:5-6 Who set the donkey free, and undid his bonds? I gave them the wilderness for a home, and the salt lands to dwell in.

 

New Thoughts

The book of Job gives us some incredible insights into God's providence. In several places, there are reminders that God works all things, not only the good and pleasant, but also the mundane, and even the painful. Yet, with Job, we must also acknowledge that whatever it may seem He is doing, He yet remains just in His actions, for He will never work injustice. We may cry out about how unjustly we are being treated, but we are horrendously short on understanding and honesty when we do so.

One of the great lessons in Job is that we must beware of perceptions. All of Job's friends assumed that his sad circumstance must mean that God was upset with him about something, that something must be wrong with Job. Some of their urging of Job towards purity hinges on this argument. If you were clean, they suggest, He would be exalting you already. Since He is humbling you, there must be some impurity you need to deal with. In some ways this counsel is true. There is always some impurity that needs to be dealt with. We are creatures of flesh. We are, as the text points out, born for trouble.

Yet, there is a greater danger in this cause and effect view of Providence, which the text also brings out. In Job 22:18, we see to opposite side of the issue. There is the temptation, when we see a man prospering, to presume that this must indicate that God is pleased with him. This follows on the belief that the absence of His blessing must indicate displeasure. Yet, as Job points out, just because an evil man prospers, this is no indication that we should adopt his ways. In essence, Job is pointing out that there is no cause and effect linkage to be found.

The root of the issue is that we still don't understand God, and in many ways, we never will. His ways are beyond our understanding, as well they should be! Even when we understand that all creation functions at His commanding, we don't understand how that comes to be. Even in this modern age, when we may indeed understand the way clouds form, the way lightning comes, we understand nothing more than the mechanics. We still don't know the why of it. Sadly, for the most part we show ourselves so utterly devoid of understanding that we no longer even consider the why of it. Our ancestors had us beat hands down in this regard. They understood that there was purpose behind everything, that they simply did not have the wherewithal to discern that purpose.

Modern society has taught us to look at most things as purposeless coincidence. This is a direct assault on Providence, for the primary definition of Providence is that there is no coincidence. Coincidence, chance, is nothing. It has no existence, it has no power. It is nothing, and it can do nothing. Being incapable of doing anything, it is clear that nothing can happen by coincidence, nothing can happen by chance, for there is no power in those concepts, no energy to do the work of causation.

This is the point Job is making towards the end of Chapter 37, when he points out that men don't see the skies clearing after the storm. It's not that they don't physically notice the clearing of the clouds. That would be a foolish and obviously incorrect statement. The issue is that they don't see it with any degree of understanding. They don't see the glory of the Lord in His actions on the earth. This is the situation Paul writes of in Romans 1:20. God has ever been visible in His creation, and from it, He has intended that we could learn of His nature, but we have willfully blinded ourselves to this witness. We look at the sunset, and in it we see no more than a beautiful sunset. We don't see the awesome beauty of the Creator revealed there.

Job 33 gives us yet another stunning view of God's work in creation, again showing how weak we are in our proud belief that we understand. Here, we are shown one of the ways God may work to save a man, and at the very start, we are reminded of one of the reasons God may need to follow this particular plan. It is because we have turned a deaf ear to Him, when He speaks, we have not trained ourselves to recognize His voice as Samuel did. When He calls, there is no "here I am." He may, we are told, have issued numerous warnings to us as we began to wander from His ways. He even went so far as to open our ears to receive the instruction, and still we wander off on our own.

Even then, even as we completely ignore His advice, He continues to strive on our behalf. He keeps us from the pit, when our prideful actions are drawing us closer to the edge. He knows He must take harsher measures to get our attention. Pride is a terribly blinding thing. It will take strong measures to break through that self-imposed blindness. God's love is strong enough to do what is necessary. His love is strong enough to accept the hurt He must feel as He allows us to come right up to the edge of disaster. Why does He do this? How can He let us face such danger? It's quite simple, really. He can do so, because He knows it will take just such dangers to wake us up, to grab our attention.

Notice the result that is declared in that passage. When we realize that we've been saved from the disaster we were making, then we will turn to God, then we will pray to Him. And then He will accept us, and we will see His face! That's awesome! Look farther, though! We will be so overjoyed at our condition that we will not feel any shame in admitting what we had done, but will sing out of our own sinful ways, as well as singing out the praises of Him who saved us.

Another wonderful issue is buried in this passage as well. There, right in the middle of it, is a picture of our Jesus. For indeed, there is an angel mediating for us, our Mediator, Jesus Christ. He is certainly One among a thousand, and through the Holy Spirit, He is ever working to remind us of what is right. It is His grace that has saved us. He has sought to deliver us, for we were not aware enough to seek deliverance ourselves. He has paid the ransom for our sins, and has declared loudly to the heavens that the ransom has been paid. "It is finished!"