On Providence
God creates all things and sustains all things for His purposes. Providence is God working intimately with His creation. The Deist has no sense of the intimacy God has with His people. God knows all things and sees all things and He works through all things; for from Him, through Him, to Him are all things (Rom 11:36). Here again the Calvinist and the Arminian observe these things and draw very different conclusions.
God’s design is on everything, for He is the maker of all things (Acts 7:50). Everything made by God must behave according to its elemental properties, and God works with these properties. With the pinnacle of His creation, humankind made in His image, we are told in Scripture that He planned our days before we were born (Ps 139:16). Providence is very comforting to the believer in Jesus because his steps are ordered by the Lord (Prv 20:24).
If these statements from the Bible are true, then the next question pertains to human choice. We must affirm God’s design of man includes the ability to make decisions. Still, we have to qualify this by saying man’s will to choose is not somehow outside of the realm of God’s providence. Solomon made this observation in writing, “The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly from the Lord (Prv 16:33).”
The most mysterious aspect of this subject relates to God’s relationship with evil. We know from the Scriptures that God hates sin, and He takes no pleasure in evil. Yet, we see God working through the evil of men, who are responsible for the evil they produce. Joseph’s brothers did much evil, but God made all things work together for good for this family that was learning to love Him and who were called according to His purposes. They would be a light to the nations.
Numerous examples find God as the primary cause of all things. Man’s participation becomes a secondary cause of good and evil. Providence should lead man to worship God. When the grass grows, we should worship Him. When it rains, we should give Him thanks. When the rain turns to floods, or when earthquakes and tsunamis plague creation, we must consider the judgment of God. We cannot ask God what He is doing? This is because His ways are far above our ways. Paul comforted the church of Ephesus with these words of encouragement. God is the one who, “accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11).”
Without providence, creation would not bring glory to God. The measure of tension produced by evil, aligned against God surely increases the quantity and quality of glory produced. From Genesis to Revelation, we see the forces of evil at work. In the last days, when the Restrainer of evil is removed, the world will enter great tribulation.
The Day of the Lord has no equivalent in the past nor in the future. It is a day known to the Lord in His providence. We are given a glimpse of it so that we might warn the nations of this impending doom. The climax is the bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory. Finally, providence ensures an eternity in the presence of the God of providence. Providence has made provision for an eternity of worship. Thank God for His providence.
David Norczyk
Lakewood, California
July 18, 2021
