The Great Providence of God Answers the 'Why' of This Life

Definition of Providence…From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Providence literally means foresight, forethought; but is generally used to denote God's preserving and governing all things. (Ps. 18:35; 63:8; Acts 17:28; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3). God's providence extends to the natural world (Ps. 104:14; 135:5-7; Acts 14:17), the brute creation (Ps. 104:21-29; Matt. 6:26; 10:29), and the affairs of men (1 Chr. 16:31; Ps. 47:7; Prov. 21:1; Job 12:23; Dan. 2:21; 4:25), and of individuals (1 Sam. 2:6; Ps. 18:30; Luke 1:53; James 4:13-15). It extends also to the free actions of men (Ex. 12:36; 1 Sam. 24:9-15; Ps. 33:14, 15; Prov. 16:1; 19:21; 20:24; 21:1), and things sinful (2 Sam. 16:10; 24:1; Rom. 11:32; Acts 4:27, 28), as well as to their good actions (Phil. 2:13; 4:13; 2 Cor. 12:9, 10; Eph. 2:10; Gal. 5:22-25). As regards sinful actions of men, they are represented as occurring by God's permission (Gen. 45:5; 50:20. Comp. 1 Sam. 6:6; Ex. 7:13; 14:17; Acts 2:3; 3:18; 4:27, 28), and as controlled (Ps. 76:10) and overruled for good (Gen. 50:20; Acts 3:13). God does not cause or approve of sin, but only limits, restrains, overrules it for good.

The mode of God's providential government is altogether unexplained. We only know that it is a fact that God does govern all his creatures and all their actions; that this government is universal (Ps. 103:17-19), particular (Matt. 10:29-31), embraces events apparently contingent (Prov. 16:9, 33; 19:21; 21:1), is consistent with his own perfection (2 Tim. 2:13), and to his own glory (Rom. 9:17; 11:36).

I think it is safe to say that the Bible speaks to Providence in our lives and that it is used by God to govern what happens to us, around us, behind us, ahead of us, through us and in us! That is why ONLY GOD is all knowing!

      Providence is why Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth. He came to make a way for us to be part of God’s Kingdom. God knew from the beginning that we would not be able to stay in fellowship with him because of sin. His plan and providence was that He would send His Son to do that one thing that we could not do; which is be sinless. Jesus came and modeled that for us and ultimately died on a cross and rose from the grave to conquer sin in this world so that we would be able to have Salvation.

The things that happened to Jesus were no accident. They happened to Him under God’s Providential Hand so that the entire world would know that He gave His all for us and that the entire world is worthy of the Salvation that Jesus bought and paid for with His own life.

      God has the same Providential Plan for us. He desires that we would give our all for Him in this life to bring as many people to Him as possible. He uses our lives; lived out; pointing toward Him to do so.

We do not see this. We think we are just living life, believing Jesus and moving forward from there. The bigger picture is that we are under the Providential Hand of God. We have a purpose and although we can’t know what it is…God DOES! Although the life we live here sometimes does not make sense…God KNOWS. When things happen to us that cannot be explained…God is INVOLVED! Our job as the believer in Christ is to BELIEVE that God is in control.

      This is the Providential Hand of God in our lives. We can’t always see the good in what He does but the Bible explains it all so beautifully…”All things work together for good to those who love Christ; to those who are called according to His purpose.”

When we can’t always ‘see’ this great truth…God is working Providentially. He is working in our lives with ‘forethought’. (This is what ‘providence’ means in Greek and Hebrew)

We serve a Mighty God and He IS ALWAYS a step ahead of us! There is great comfort in that. The believer can sense that God is in control and is willing to ‘wait’ upon Him in this life!

We always want to know ‘Who is in charge’. When something goes wrong…we ‘ask for the manager’…if we have a problem at the church it is always the ‘preacher’s fault’. As humans, we have to know that someone is in charge.

      God wants us to know THAT HE IS IN CHARGE! He has not forgotten us and He will bring it all together at some point. We do not have the brain capacity to understand this in its entirety. We can only understand a glimpse. It may be that we won’t understand until we are at the foot of the Jesus in Heaven!

• AS BELIEVERS WE SHOULD:
• Trust in Jesus; He lived out His life on earth so that we would have a pattern to follow.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

• Have full confidence in Jesus and the Plan of Providence that God is in control of.

Psalms 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

• Commit our works to the Lord; He has provided for us.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

• Encourage ourselves in Jesus even when we can’t understand the ‘why’.

1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

• Pray to be guided by by the Lord; even when we can't know 'why'.

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

God IS in control of all things! He was in control when Jesus walked this earth and gave the Promise of God to man. He is in control today in my life and in yours. The Providence of God is present even when we cannot see or understand. We should have assurance in that and believe that God is working ALL THE TIME! Spend some time this week in these verses of Scripture and begin to understand just how HUGE our God is. He is over everything! And He loves YOU…His creation--that much!