Providence

Overturning Providence

The Doctrine of Providence (Cont'd)

Providence and Evil (9/26/02)

Some of the greatest examples of God's providential actions have come of His use of natural 'evils' in the defeat of moral evil and in the promotion of moral good. The blame for the existence of moral evil lies solely with man. God could only prevent moral evil by preventing our free choice, which He has chosen not to do. To choose otherwise would eliminate not only sin, but also holiness. Had we not fallen, there would not be the great need for 'evil' events to improve our moral condition. It takes such terrible situations to awaken us to our need for a holy God. Yet, suffering has never been strictly a barometer for sinfulness. Suffering serves the spiritual good of man, and it brings glory to God as He is seen to bring good results out of bad events. Natural 'evils' are a powerful and necessary tool for our spiritual development. As a general rule, it will be seen that the more saintly the man, the more severe the trials he has endured. We are made perfect by our sufferings.

Jn 9:2-3 Was it this man or his parents whose sins caused him to be born blind? Neither. His blindness has come about so that God might display His works in him.
Ps 119:67 Before I was afflicted I used to stray, but now I keep Your word.
Ps 119:71 It is good that I was afflicted, for thus I learned Your commandments.
Jn 15:2 Whoever doesn't bear fruit, He takes away. Whoever does bear fruit, He prunes, so that they may bear more fruit.

Providence Overruling Evil

Much that happens to God's children comes about by the sins of other men, yet these, too, are included in the promise of Romans 8:28 - that all things will work to His children's good. That good does not come about because of the sinful act, but in spite of it. It comes because God overrules the intent of the act. God may not prevent the evil acts He knows are planned against His own, because He can instead overrule that evil act for His glory and our good if we remain faithful. What of the martyrs, though? Is good still brought out of their suffering? Yes. They not only have the reward of eternal life, but have also been privileged to advance the kingdom as much in dying as in living. When considering such matters, we must always bear in mind that God's primary concern is with our moral good, not our physical well-being. This does not leave us free to do evil, knowing that He will make it good. Nor can we point to God as the author of evil.

Ge 50:20 You meant to do me harm, but God determined that your actions would be for good. Because of Him, so many are kept alive this day.
Php 1:12 You should be clear that my circumstances have allowed the Gospel to spread that much farther.
Ro 3:8 We cannot think that we can do evil to bring about good. Some claim that is what we are teaching, but they are justly condemned for believing such lies.
Isa 45:7 I am the LORD who creates both light and darkness. I am the One who causes both well-being and calamity.

Interpreting Providence

We must be careful of too quickly attributing events to God's providence, to claim events as being His judgment or His blessing. Both good and evil may suffer illness, and the good may die in spite of all our pious prayers, while the evil regains his health. We are not in a position to know how God is acting in the lives of others, only in our own circumstance can we generally see what He is doing with any accuracy. Even then, we can never know with absolute certainty. Many Christians have come to recognize what seemed like greatest calamity in their lives turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to them, as their holiness and usefulness to God was increased. There is sufficient evidence in the pages of history and in the lengthening days of life for us to recognize that He truly does work all things for the spiritual good of those who love Him, and prove their love with service.

Jn 13:7 You don't understand what I am doing right now, but you will understand it later.

Conclusion

He is ever watchful over His children, working ceaselessly to improve our holiness and usefulness, and to prepare us for our happy future existence. To prepare us to become immortal free agents is the aim of all His providential actions. Only those who willfully persist in sin are excluded from His loving care. It becomes clear that much of what the world considers calamitous has turned out to be of greatest good to our moral development, has turned out to be great blessings. The road of Providence is not free of ills, yet it remains a holy highway, protected by the pillar of cloud by day, and fire by night. Upon that road, the covenant children are led through service and sacrifice to the land of promise. They are sealed as His chosen agents of providence - that wider providence which works to establish His perfect kingdom over all the earth.

2Ti 2:19 God's firm foundation stands, sealed by the words, "The Lord knows His own," and, "Let all who name His name abstain from wickedness."

 

New Thoughts (9/27/02)

Our author, in cautioning us with regard to interpreting the acts of God's providence is only partly correct. We should actually be quick to the point of immediacy in attributing every event to God's providence, the 'good' and the 'bad.' Where we need caution is in the interpretation. This is especially true in the area of believers, both ourselves and those around us. We can be as certain about the nature of God's actions as we are certain about our belief. If we have made certain that we are children of God, then we can be absolutely certain that all His works, all the events He sends or allows to come into our lives, are sent to serve us for our good.

We must remain particularly cautious when we claim to understand His activities in another's life, whether they are believers or not. First and foremost, we do not have the insight to be certain of their state with God. We have enough trouble with knowing our own condition! Given that we cannot see their heart as God can, we cannot be certain as to what He is doing in their lives, whether He is merely preserving them for a time, or whether they are in His kingdom. Appearances can be deceiving.

Even in the case of the most obvious unbeliever, we cannot be certain that he will always remain in his unbelief. God may be working as much in that man's life as in our own, maybe even more. Most of us have known times of unbelief, yet God has brought us to saving faith, to a hunger after His righteousness. Why, then, do we find it so very hard to believe that He might be doing the same thing in others around us?

The simple fact of the matter is that we are not privy to all that He plans. Even the prophets did not know the whole picture, but only a part. Even those who have dreams and visions today are not given the whole picture. He is greater than us. We couldn't comprehend the whole picture if He showed it to us! The apostles could not grasp the whole picture of Christ's ministry. They could not see how the physical evil that would be done to Him could possible serve God's good purpose. "You don't get it," He told them, "but you will when you've seen the results" (Jn 13:7).

Joseph was one of those rare people who, although he did not know the purpose at the time, yet trusted in the purpose to prove the good in the bad things that happened to him. Yet, even he saw only in part. Even he saw in types and shadows. He knew a time would come when the nation of Israel would depart from Egypt. He knew they would go to the land promised to Abraham. But, I wonder, did he understand the full significance of that promise? Did he know that the land that Israel was headed for did not lie completely on this earth? Did he know that the kingdom of God must come?

In all God's work upon the earth, His focus has remained on the moral good of mankind whom He created. Our physical well-being during our short stay in this life is not the greater good that He pursues. We are not promised a joyful life free from all harm. We are actually promised quite the opposite. In this life we will have trouble. That is the promise to those who join themselves to His kingdom. How often do we allow ourselves to become discouraged because we, unlike God, have become focused on the present, earthly circumstance? How often can we, like Paul, say that we know how to be satisfied in whatever condition He chooses for us? How often do we actually manage to live like He is truly Lord of our lives?

I know this is a problem for me. Even with the testing that I have just passed through (an admittedly mild testing) how many times I let go of belief, how many times the promise of Romans 8:28 seemed somehow not to apply. Yet, what strength I found there when I could hold on to it!

Lord, I know You've been with me through this whole period. I know beyond doubting that You have prompted and timed this study to carry me through the test. I know, also, that in many small ways I failed that test. But at the same time, You have shown me just how far You have brought me. There were times of despair, yes, but they were brief. You gave me an overwhelming calm in the midst of uncertainty, knowing that You were in control, whatever my senses might be showing me. You have shown me just how corrosive the world can be. How quickly my strength left me when I was in the midst of despairing coworkers! Yet, You ever restore my strength. Each day, You renew my strength! What an awesome God You are to me! What a loving Father!

There are a pair of verses here, my God, that have really hit home this morning. They speak out loudly of Paul's assurance, and they speak out just as loudly of my own shortcomings. The call that You make to Your children at the end of 2Timothy 2:19: "Let all who name My name abstain from wickedness!" How far I still am from that command! What will it take, Father? Why is it so impossible for me to hold to Your holiness, to Your righteousness? Is the flesh yet that strong? Have I learned so little? Have I put up walls around my heart that You cannot penetrate? Break them down, my Lord! Break them down!

The other verse that is really convicting my heart this morning is Philippians 1:12. There, Paul says that his circumstances (the active Providence of God in his life) were allowing the Gospel to spread farther and quicker. This is something Paul wrote in the midst of imprisonment. He recognized that everything God was working in his life was geared towards the kingdom purposes of God. When he was blessed with much, he understood that his abundance was there to serve the kingdom, to spread the Gospel, and increase the faithful. When he was, in the world's perspective, cursed, rather than cry out over the injustice of it all he looked for opportunities to put his present condition to God's use.

I have to ask myself, have I learned this lesson yet? God has indeed blessed this family of mine richly. He has taken us through a brief time of trial, true. How well did we do, Lord? Did our eyes remain no You? Did we use the lean time to promote Your kingdom? Now, You have turned the picture around again, and chosen to bless us the more. Are we using this time of blessing in Your purpose? In my assessment, it would seem like a great deal of what we do, what we focus on, has no particular impact on Your goals and plans. I see that You have worked things out carefully to give me the time to do for the church what needs doing in the immediate timeframe, and I thank You for that. Yet, what is all this doing for Your kingdom? How is my life impacting others for good? How am I spreading the Gospel to a darkened world?

Lord, I can't see it. And I'm caught by the words of the man of God who visited our church last Wednesday. The things we count as blessings could just as easily be distractions sent from the devil. Not everything that seems good to us truly is. I pray that anything that I have allowed into this life of mine that is a distraction, You would take away. I want to be totally Yours. I want to be committed to Your purposes. I want to be the man of God that You have been working to make of me. I want to be fully submitted to Your perfect will in my life and in my family. Give me the weakness to make it so, Lord, create in me the humility to lean wholly on You.