Providence

McClintock & Strong on Providence

Definition

Foresight, with implications of God's continual exercise of wisdom and power in preserving and governing the world for His own ends.

Proofs of Providence

From Reason

• If there exists a Supreme Creator of all things, it is reasonable to suppose that He also upholds and governs all things.
• As reason teaches us that God is perfect in knowledge, power, wisdom, goodness, justice, and righteousness, it is also reasonable to expect that these attributes of His will be operating in providential ways. Power upholds providence, wisdom directs it, goodness gives it, righteousness discerns the ways, and justice judges. All of this together constitutes what providence is.
• As we are not self-existent, there is no cause within us for our continued being. We depend upon that which is self-existent: the Supreme Creator, and His exercising of His own will, which again is providence defined.
• The complex order of nature is evidence of God's handiwork, especially when seen in the light of creation's dependence on the self-existent One. The constant adjustment evident in nature is equally seen to be proof of His present and continuous work.
• Our own moral functions, our conscience, can only be an illusion and a lie if there is not truly a providential God at work in the universe. Our worship and devotion must also be a delusion if there is not truly a Supreme God at work in creation. That He does respond to our worship is evidence of His providential work.
• When we consider the ways in which the loss of one function in man results in increased effectiveness in other functions, we see God's providential recompense. When we see the sinner brought down by things that greatly resemble his sins, we see God's providential retribution. Indeed, as a man sows, so he reaps.

From Scripture

In declarations of His preserving power

Ge 48:15-16 Jacob blessed Joseph, saying, "The God before whom my fathers walked, and who has been my shepherd all my life, who has redeemed me from all evil bless these children. May my name live on in them, along with the names of my fathers. May they grow into a multitude upon the earth."
Ne 9:6 You alone are God. You made the heavens, and that which is above the heavens, and all the host that is in them. You made the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all they contain. You give life to them all, and even the hosts of heaven bow down before You.
Job 7:20 Have I sinned? What have I done to You, who watches man? Why do You make me Your target, so that I am a burden to myself?
Job 10:12 You have granted me life and lovingkindness, and Your care preserves my spirit.
Job 33:18 He keeps the soul from the pit, and life from passing into Sheol.
Ps 16:5 The LORD is my portion, my inheritance, my cup. You support my lot.
Ps 36:6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God. Your judgments are like a great ocean. Lord God, You preserve man and beast alike.
Ps 46:9-10 He causes war to end on the earth. He breaks the weapons, and burns the chariots with fire. "Stop your battling, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among all the nations of the earth."
Isa 46:3-4 Listen, you remnant of Israel, You have been borne by Me since birth, and carried by Me from the womb. Even when you are old, I will remain the same. Even when you are gray with years, I will continue to bear you! I have done it 'til now, and I will carry you yet. I will bear you, and I will deliver you.
Mt 10:29 Two sparrows can be had for a cent, yet not one will fall without your Father knowing of it.
Lk 12:6 For two cents, you could have five sparrows, yet God does not forget even one of them.
Ac 17:28a In Him we live and move and exist.
Col 1:17 He is before all things, and in Him everything holds together.

In declaring His control over nature

Ex 9:18 This time tomorrow, I will send heavy hail, beyond anything Egypt has ever seen before.
Ex 23:26 None among you will be childless. I will fulfill your days.
1Ki 18:1 The LORD told Elijah to go to Ahab, and that He would then send rain on the earth.
Job 5:10 H gives rain, and sends water on the fields.
Job 9:5-6 He removes mountains, overturning them in His anger. He shakes the earth out of place, and its pillars tremble.
Job 28:24-27 He sees everything. He gave weight to the wind, and measured the waters. He set limits on the rain, and declared paths for the thunderbolt. He saw all this and declared it. He determined these things and established them all.
Job 36:29-32 Can anyone understand the clouds or the thunder? See! He spreads His lightning around Himself, and covers the seas. By these He judges peoples. He gives food in abundance. He covers His hands with lightning, and commands it to strike the mark.
Job 37:6-16 He tells the snow to fall, and the downpour to be strong. He seals every man, so that all men can know His work. The beast goes to its den, as storms come from the south, and cold from the north. Ice is made from God's breath, and the waters are frozen. He loads the clouds with moisture, and sends forth the clouds of His lightning. They go where He guides them, doing whatever He commands on the face of the earth. It may be for correction, for His world, or for lovingkindness. Whatever the reason, He causes it. Consider His wonders! Do you know how God made the lightning to shine? Do you know the layers of the clouds? The wonders of One perfect in knowledge?
Job 38:25 Who cut a channel for the flood, or made a path for the thunder?
Ps 74:17 You have established the boundaries of the earth, making summer and winter.
Ps 89:9 You rule the sea. When its waves rise, You still them.
Ps 104:10 He sends springs in the valleys, that flow between the mountains.
Ps 104:13-15 He waters the mountains from His rains, and the earth is satisfied by His works. He makes grass grow for the cattle to eat, and other vegetables for man to labor and bring forth food, as well as wine to make man's heart glad, and oil to make his face shine.
Ps 104:19-21 He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows where it is to set. You determine the darkness, and night falls; the beasts of the forest prowl. Lions roar after their prey, seeking food from God.
Ps 104:24-30 How many are Your works! You made them all in wisdom, filling the earth with Your possessions. The sea, broad and filled with swarms of animals, is Your doing. Ships move on it, and You made Leviathan to play in it. All of these wait for You to feed them at the right time. When You do, they gather, and are satisfied with the good that comes from Your open hand. When You hide away, they are dismayed. You take their spirit, and they return to the dust. They are created when You send Your Spirit. You renew the face of the earth.
Ps 105:32 He gave them hail instead of rain, and sent flaming fire in their land.
Ps 135:6-7 The LORD does as He pleases in heaven and earth, in the seas and the deeps. He makes vapors rise from the earth, and makes lightning to go with the rain. He brings forth the wind.
Ps 136:25 He feeds everything, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Ps 145:15-16 All eyes look to You, and You give them food at the right time. You open Your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Ps 147:8-9 He covers the heavens in clouds, providing rain for the earth to make the grass grow. He feeds the animals and the birds.
Ps 145:18 He melts the snows with His word, and blows winds on the waters so they will flow.
Ps 148:8 Fire, hail, snow, clouds, and storm winds all fulfill His word.
Isa 45:7 I am the One who formed light and created darkness. I cause well being and I cause calamity. I am the LORD, and I do all these things.
Isa 50:3 I clothe the heavens with darkness, covering them in sackcloth.
Jer 5:22-24 Don't you fear Me? Don't you tremble in My presence? I put the sands down as a boundary for the sea. It is an eternal decree which the seas cannot cross, no matter how they may toss their waves, no matter how they may roar. But this people is stubborn and rebellious at heart. They have turned aside and departed. They don't think to fear the LORD their God. They don't consider that He gives the rains in their seasons, and keeps the harvest coming at the right time.
Jer 10:13 He utters His voice, and waters pour from the heavens. He causes clouds to rise from the earth, and makes lightning for the rain. He brings the winds.
Jer 14:22 Do any of the idols of these lands bring rain? Can they grant showers from heaven? Is it not You, O LORD our God? This is why we hope in You, for You are the one who has done all these things.
Jer 31:35 The LORD gives the sun for light, and placed the moon and the stars to light the night. He stirs up the sea such that its waves roar. The LORD of hosts is His name.
Jer 33:20-21 If you can break the covenant I have established for the day and for the night, such that day and night do not come at their proper times, then also My covenant with David might be possible to break.
Jer 33:25-26 If My covenant for the day and the night fail, if the fixed patterns of heaven and earth do not remain as I have established them, then I would also reject the sons of Jacob and David My servant. But I will restore their fortunes and have mercy on them.
Jer 51:16 When He utters His voice, waters pour from the heavens and clouds rise from the earth. He makes the lightning and sends the wind.
Eze 32:7-8 When I put an end to you, I will cover the heavens and darken the stars. I will cover the sun with cloud, and the moon will give no light. I will darken all the lights of heaven, and set darkness on your land.
Eze 38:22 I will judge him with pestilence and blood. I will rain on him and his troops and on all the peoples with him with a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire, and brimstone.
Joel 2:23 Rejoice, sons of Zion, and be glad in the LORD your God. He has given you the early rain for your vindication, and has poured rain for you as in earlier times.
Am 4:6-10 I gave you clean teeth in your cities, and nowhere did you lack bread, yet you have not returned to Me. So I withheld the rain from you before the harvest. I would send rain to one city and not another. Those not rained upon would dry up and stagger to another city to seek water. Yet there was not enough to satisfy. Still you did not return to Me. Then I sent hot winds and mildew. I sent caterpillars to devour your gardens, and still You have not returned to Me. I sent a plague among you like I did the Egyptians. I killed your youth by the sword, as well as your horses. I made your camps stink, and yet you have not returned to Me.
Am 4:13 Behold! He who makes mountains and wind, He who declares His thoughts to man, He who brings dawn to the darkness, and treads upon the heights of the earth, the LORD God of hosts is His name!
Zech 10:1 Ask the LORD for rain in the spring, He who makes the storm clouds. He will give showers of rain upon the fields of every man.
Mt 6:26 Birds do not sow or reap. They don't gather into barns, yet your Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they are?
Mt 6:28-32 Why are you anxious about your clothes? The lilies grow, neither laboring nor spinning, yet even Solomon did not dress in such finery as they. If God works this hard to clothe grass, which lives for a day, and then is burned, won't He also work hard for you, in spite of your little faith? Don't worry about what you will eat or drink or wear, for the Gentiles are caught up with chasing after these things, but your Father knows that you need these things.
Ac 14:17 He did not leave Himself without a witness. He was good to you, and gave you rains and seasons. He satisfied your hearts with food and gladness.

In showing His sovereignty over birth

Ge 33:5 Esau saw the women and children and said, "Who are these with you?" Jacob answered, "The children God has graciously given me."
Ge 48:9a Joseph said, "These are my sons, whom God has given me here."
Jos 24:3-4 I took Abraham from beyond the River, led him all over Canaan, and multiplied him. I gave him Isaac, and I gave Isaac Jacob and Esau. Esau, I gave Mount Seir, but Jacob and his sons went to Egypt.
1Sa 1:27 I prayed for this boy, and the LORD has granted my petition.
Job 10:18 Why did you bring me from the womb? Would that I had died, that I had never been seen.
Ps 71:6 You have sustained me from birth. You took me from my mother's womb. I praise You constantly.
Ps 139:15-16 My bones were not hidden from You when I was made, skillfully designed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was yet unformed, and all the days ordained for me were already written in Your book before even one of them had come to pass.
Isa 46:3 Listen, house of Jacob, you remnant of Israel: You have been borne by Me since birth, and I have carried you from the womb.

In showing His sovereignty over life

Jos 14:10 Look! The LORD has let me live for these last forty-five years, just as He said. He told me that back when He spoke this word to Moses in the wilderness. Now I am eighty five.
2Sa 12:22 While the child remained alive, I fasted and wept, thinking that perhaps the LORD would be gracious to me and allow the child to live.
Job 7:1 Man is forced to labor on the earth, and his days are like those of a hired hand.
Job 14:5 His days are determined. You know the number of his months, and the limits You have set, he cannot pass.
Ps 66:8-9 Bless our God! Declare His praises abroad! He keeps us in this life, and does not allow our feet to slip.
Ps 91:3-16 He delivers you from snares and pestilence. He covers you under His wings, and His faithfulness is a shield and strong defense. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrows of the day. You will not fear the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that comes at noon. Though a thousand may fall at your side, or even ten thousand, it will not approach you. You will only look on and see the wicked repaid. Because you have made the LORD Most High your dwelling place, no evil will befall you and no plague will come near you. He will charge His angels to guard you and they will bear you in their hands, lest you injure your foot. You will tread on lions and cobras. Because you have loved Me, I will deliver you; and I will set you on high, because you have known My name. You will call upon Me and I will answer. I will be with you in trouble and rescue you and honor you. With a long life I will satisfy you, and you will see My salvation.
Isa 38:1-5 Hezekiah was mortally ill, and Isaiah told him the word of the LORD: That he should put his effects in order because he was going to die. Hezekiah prayed, reminding the LORD of his faithfulness. The LORD sent Isaiah again, to tell Hezekiah that He had heard the prayer, and would allow Hezekiah another fifteen years of life.
Php 2:27 He was sick unto death, but God had mercy on him, and on me as well. Had He not, I would have had sorrow added to my sorrow.
Jas 5:14-15 Is there anyone sick among you? Have him call for the elders, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer offered in faith will restore the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, this, too, will be forgiven him.

New Thoughts (10/7/02-10/9/02)

Throughout Jeremiah's writings, God seeks to reassure His people that in spite of the discipline they are presently suffering, there will come a time when discipline is at an end. He chooses themes from nature to show the imperishable, unchangeable nature of His love for Israel. These must have been assurance indeed in that time! If heaven and earth do not remain as He made them, then maybe there would be cause to worry. If the patterns of life on this earth do not remain as He made them, then there might be a chance that He would let go of Israel.

With the odd weather patterns we have come to know of late, one could almost imagine that the time had come when God would indeed break His covenant with Israel. Almost. Praise God, we know Him better than that! We know that He is faithful even when all men have been shown untrue. We KNOW that! Even so, our weak resolve leads us to see in this an escape clause for God. We're so used to seeking loopholes that we all too easily assume God also seeks loopholes in His law. He doesn't. This passage is not an escape clause, it's an absolute reassurance.

What really strikes me is the evidence in these particular verses (Jeremiah 33:25-26) that God has known for long ages past what would be occurring in our day. He knew a time would come upon the earth when the patterns would change enough that man might begin to think His promises suspect. So, He has covered that once and for all. Looking at the passage, He says that if the patterns of the earth don't remain as He made them, then He would reject Israel, but He will restore them, and have mercy on them! This is our God! Even when it seems like everything is falling apart, even when we see in our nature and in our surroundings every reason to believe that He has withdrawn from us, even knowing He has every right to leave us to our own destruction; even with all this, He speaks to our hearts and says, "I will restore!"

This was the word for Israel in the time of Jeremiah, and it has been fulfilled across the ages since. Jerusalem was rebuilt. The temple was rebuilt. Messiah came. Even now, Israel remains a nation, in spite of all attempts to change that. Even now, enemies gather against God's chosen people, hoping to destroy them, and with them, the faithful record of God. But He is faithful! He will restore! In the books of the kings, it was written that His discipline upon Israel would be only for a time. In the records of the ministries of Paul of Tarsis, the promise is shown again: There will come a time when Israel is restored to faith, when they will accept the Messiah they rejected.

This, then, is the word for Israel today. He will restore! Though much of Israeli society has wandered down that same secular trail that has led this nation so far from its roots, the time of their return to Him will come. And, through Paul, God promises that in that revival will come a revival upon the whole earth, such as has never been seen before!

So, we have also a promise for the Church of Jesus Christ in this age of humanism, atheism, and pragmatism! Though we may have lost much of our influence due to our inaction, He will restore! Though He has every reason to give up on us, and pass His mission on to another who will do as He desires, He will restore! Though we mangle so much of His message, He will remain faithful to His word, He will remain faithful to teach His children of His ways, and He will remain faithful to sanctify and to save. Praise be to our Maker! Indeed, He has worked through all of history to preserve His children. There always has been, and always will be a faithful remnant that has not abandoned Him for the gods of their own ages. May we be found among that holy remnant!

Why are you anxious? This is the question Jesus had for His listeners (Matthew 6:28) Why are you anxious? It's a question I have to ask myself entirely too often. When we are anxious about our life, it shows a lack of faith in God. There can be no other cause for our anxiety. We can dress it up any way we like, but the naked truth remains that we lack faith in God. Consider just a few of the things you know of God, and see that your anxiousness has no basis in reality.

In Acts 17:28, Paul declares to the Athenians that in God we live and move and exist. Consider this. In God we live. Our continuance in this life is not a matter of our own power, it's not something that we accomplish. Neither is it a function of modern science and technology. No. It is because of God that we live, and it is because of Him that we continue to live. He is also the source of motion - all motion, not just our own. All the great machinations of the universe, all the wonders that astronomers observe and still struggle to define, these are all His doing. He has set the stars in motion. He has gathered the planets around this star we call the Sun, each in their proper place, orbiting in their proper time. He causes the movement of the seasons. If they are changing, it is not because He has lost control of them, but because He has decreed that change must come. There's that reassurance again! He remains in control. Our very existence is His doing. We are not an accident that happened one night between our parents. We are not the failure of some device or procedure. We are the long-planned events of God! The greatest wonders of our modern medicine cannot create a child that God has not planned. It is not because of medicine that we exist. It is not because of cloning that we exist, and it never will be. It is God. He is the proven answer to the questions of the ancient philosophers. He is the proven answer to the questions of modern man. He is the proven answer to all the questions of this life we live. Why, then, are you anxious, who have the privilege of calling Him 'Daddy?'

Consider, also, the words of Colossians 1:17. He is before all things. Not 'He was,' but 'He IS!' Though He is with me even in the writing of this, He has never left the starting point of His works. He remains before the beginning of everything that ever began, and He remains (not will remain, but presently remains) after everything ends that ever will end. Being outside of time, He is present in every time. Being outside of space, He is present in every place. There is no place I can go that He is not with me. There is no point in my life that He will not be present to hear my cry. Why, then, am I anxious? Whom shall I fear?

But, Paul doesn't stop with telling us that the great I AM is. He continues from there, and tells us that it is in this great I AM who is that everything holds together. He is the glue that binds the universe together. He is the theme that brings meaning to the seemingly unrelated fragments of our lives. If God were to depart from His creation, His creation would no longer exist. In Him we exist. If He is not there to be in, existence is over. If our God were not the God who is there, present and active in the universe He made, there would be no us to wonder where He had gone. There would be no universe in which we could ponder this question. There would be nothing. But, in Him everything holds together. It all continues on because of Him, and He has left us with a great promise: "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." Through every trial, through every blessing, through every moment of every day of every life of every person He calls His own, He is there. Already. Why are you anxious for your future? He is there! Why do you continue to worry on your past? He is there! He has a purpose in all that you have and ever will experience! He is in every moment of your life, planning and working to see His will fulfilled in you! Why are you anxious?

Still not satisfied? Consider another of His promises to us. In Psalm 91:15, the promise comes forth: you will call upon Me and I will answer. This is the word of the God who is to you. We have already established that there is no place or moment that you can ever experience where He is not. He is always present with each one of us, though you and I often forget that simple fact. He is there, His eyes are ever on the righteous, and His ears await their prayers that He may answer. That is the promise. You will call upon Him and He will answer. See any 'if' in that? No! It's you will and He will. It's not 'if you call on Me,' it's 'you will call on Me.' You're a child of God! You will call upon Him because He is your Father! Who else would you turn to in times of trouble? And what a wonderful promise! He will answer! Not 'I might answer,' but 'I will answer!' What possible cause is left for us to be anxious?

There is only faithlessness on our part to cause such anxiety. He has said He will answer. If we truly believe that, we cannot be anxious. He has said that He will never leave or forsake us. If we truly believe that, we cannot be anxious. He has said that He is in every moment of our lives. If we truly believe that, we cannot be anxious. When that anxiousness comes, and you and I both know it will, our proper reaction must be to repent and turn our eyes toward the God who is. How can we have anything but confidence in the One who has promised such great care over His own?

Father, even now, I know I have much to repent of in this area. You have seen the anxiousness with which I have looked to this new job You have placed me in. You have seen my anxiousness in serving in Your house. I have seen it, too, and it is an ugly sight. Your children were not meant to be ugly, but to reflect Your glory. Forgive me, Lord, for making such a poor reflection of Your grace. Truly, Lord, You have shown me so many reasons to set aside all anxiety, and yet I pick it back up again. There can be no excuse. Your very essence eliminates every excuse. There is no reason I could give You that would justify such lack of grace in me. I can only repent of it here and now, and ask Your forgiveness. Thank You, Lord, that I do truly know that You will answer.

I confess that there are many times I have wondered if You will indeed answer. I know that there are numerous places where I have not seen the answer I thought to see. Help me to keep my eyes on Your answer and not my expectations. Forgive me, Lord, for trying to dictate terms to my Maker. Forgive me for my lack of faith in You. Keep me ever mindful that I will indeed call upon You, even as I do in this moment, and You will answer. Thank You, Lord for that assurance!

In considering that He cares for us in such a complete fashion, we must also remember that everything in our lives is for His purpose, both the things we rejoice in and the things we would prefer had never happened. The reason we fail to see His answer to our prayers is often because we don't give Him credit for everything. The reason we fail to see His answer to our prayers is often because we have already decided in our minds what His answer will be, and if His answer doesn't match our expectation, we assume it must not be Him. We cheerfully put the blame on the Devil for every 'bad' thing that happens to us, for every situation that does not turn out as we had planned it, yet in doing so, we never seem to remember that even the Devil is answerable to God, and can move only as God directs and allows.

There is a truth that we need to get deep inside ourselves, that God works all things for good. But the good He seeks is an eternal, spiritual good, and more often than not the good we ask for is a fleeting, physical matter. Healing is wonderful, but if it is only physical it is only for a time. Even though Lazarus was raised from the grave, he still returned to it eventually. If there is healing that we should seek, it is the healing of the spirit, the renewing of our mind, the conforming of our being to His image. That is healing! If there are prayers that seem to be going unanswered, perhaps it is because we fail to pray as we ought. Perhaps it is because we have allowed our attention to get all wrapped up in this present life, and God's looking far beyond the present. Perhaps, rather than simply blaming our trials on Satan and then ignoring them, we should expend a bit more energy trying to understand why it is that God is moving as He is in that situation.

I want to put together a series of verses, now, because together they paint us a far clearer picture of God's movement in our lives. So, I'll string together Psalm 135:6, Psalm 148:8, and Job 37:13: The LORD does as He pleases in heaven and earth. Fire, hail, snow, clouds, and storm winds all fulfill His word. It may be for correction, for the upkeep of His world, or for lovingkindness and mercy. Add to this God's declaration in Isaiah 45:7. "I am the One who formed light and created darkness. I cause both well-being and calamity. I am the LORD, and I do all these things."

We don't like to think that of our God. He wouldn't do such things! God is love! But God Himself says He does indeed do such things. We would be far better served if, instead of trying to sort out whether it's God or the devil doing the deed, we sought to understand God's purpose in the deed. We have simply got to get it into our thinking that even the worst of the devil's deeds is put to God's purpose. All things work for good, because God causes all things to work for good. Instead of seeing the bad and complaining about it, we need to seek to understand what it is God is trying to bring out of that badness.

Is it discipline? No discipline seems good at the time. Our sorrows should give us cause to consider whether there be something in us that needs His correction. Is it mercy? We are all to capable of asking from Him things that wouldn't really be good for us. In His mercy, He is kind enough not to answer such requests as we have put them. In His omniscience, He knows our hearts. In His wisdom, He often chooses to answer in ways far better than we could think to ask.

Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord, to see You moving even in those things that don't seem to be Your doing to our way of thinking. Open our minds, Lord, to recognize that You are in control, that You have ordained the pathways of our lives, that You are ever working to conform us to Your image. To You be the glory, my Lord! Amen.