Pondering Providence

Recently, some of our church family have been going through some real difficulties.  Some have faced illnesses, others marital and relational struggles, and still others financial/job setbacks.  Often we turn to Scripture for guidance in these times.  That’s a good thing.  The Bible has much to say about how to approach each of these kinds of things.

But maybe we need to learn to turn to the Bible for something else: the comfort of God’s providence.  Truth is, we need more than just instructions for living, we need help in living.  We need hope, comfort, and strength.  The doctrine of God’s providence is a precious and powerful help in such struggles.

As we’ve studied the book of Ruth, we see again and again that God’s surprising grace comes to us providentially.  Understanding feeds faith, and faith brings strength, hope, and perseverance even in tough times.  So let’s understand a little bit more about the providence of God.

What is it?

Providence refers to the way God is continually involved with everything in creation.  In a Reformed understanding of the Bible, we believe that God has pre-planned and ordered everything that comes to pass.  But He did not just make creation and humanity as some giant wind-up toy.  He created a world that would need His continual involvement and interaction for His plan to actually unfold.  Providence is the doctrine that helps us understand the summary of what the Bible teaches on how God does this.
Several weeks ago, I mentioned that this involvement can be helpfully broken down to several  parts.  Let’s take a look briefly at these parts.

1st- God preserves through providence. 

Passages such as Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:17, and Job 34:14-15 all indicate that what we call “the laws of science” is really describing how God is maintaining the properties of creation by His on-going power.  God deals with inanimate creation differently than volitional creates (humans, angels).  The doctrine of preservation tells us that God is continually using His power to keep everything in existence with the powers/nature that He created it with.  This brings the suffering Christian comfort knowing that God is not dependent upon the forces of the universe that may afflict His people; no, our loving Heavenly Father is in control of them. 

2nd- God directs creation as He concurs through providence. 

Ephesians 1:11 tells us that God “works” or “brings about” everything that happens in creation to accomplish His will.  Daniel 4:35 is pretty blunt and humbling: “all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?””  Proverbs 16:33 affirms that this control of all things extends to everything in creation- even the seemingly random (like dice rolls).  But this control of all things happens through what is called “concurrence.” 
Concurrence refers to how God does this not by eliminating or over-riding the distinctive properties and wills of creatures, but by accomplishing His plans through our willing, responsible choices that have real results and for which we are held accountable.  The precise language of the Westminster Confession 5:2 teaches this concurrence:

5.2. Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first Cause, all things come to pass immutably, and infallibly;8 yet, by the same providence, He orders them to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.

The secondary causes included the willing, genuine choices of humanity.  Many genuine Christians go astray from the truth of the Bible here.  They fail to recognize the difference between the ability to make choices according to our desires (which the Bible affirms) versus the insistence upon a “neutral free will” that has no pre-dispositions towards one thing or another (which the Bible flatly denies).  As St. Augustine said, humanity has “free will” but lacks “liberty” as we are all enslaved to sin due to consequences of the Fall  (See Romans 5:12ff).  We have a true natural ability to make choices that providence doesn’t over-ride; but humanity lacks the ability to make godly choices.  God’s providence works through those choices to ultimately accomplish God’s plans.
So God is controlling all things (providence); yet humanity is making real and genuine choices according to our desires.  How does God accomplish this?  Short answer: don’t know, we’re not told!  This is where many folks go wrong…

On the Reformed side that wants to emphasize God’s sovereignty- we go wrong by down-playing to the point of irrelevancy the real choices of human beings.  We unintentionally commit the very error James 1:13-15 warns against: 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.  If humanity has no real choice in the matter, then God is responsible for evil and James is a liar.  But if our choices are real and genuine yet still fulfill the purposes of God, then we are responsible for those choices; not God.  Yet they serve to accomplish His will. 

On the Arminian side that wants to emphasize human choice- folks go wrong here by ignoring the clear intended meaning of Scriptures like the ones we’ve surveyed and denying God’s ultimate control over the choices of human beings.  They teach that God foreknows but does not control (though even foreknowing is now under attack today through the heresy of Open Theism).  Often sincere Bible-believing folks will embrace this conclusion because they can’t find the answer to how our choices can be real and yet God direct them according to His purposes.   Rather than bowing before this mystery, they seek to remove the mystery by denying God’s providential control.  This lessens the greatness and glory of God as He’s revealed Himself in Scripture and ultimately throws a measure of doubt upon God’s ability to keep His promises if there are things beyond His control…

Sometimes our Arminian brethren will take this position because they say they do not want to make God the cause of evil and that the Reformed understanding does just that.   But when we examine this objection, it falls short.  Reformed theology affirms the real, genuine choices of humanity in which they choose to do that which God has forbidden (evil).  Yes, God is in control of these choices, but his control is exercised by not restraining the genuine, real, evil desires of humanity. 

Imagine I repeatedly tell my children, “Don’t eat too much candy, your tummy will hurt.”  But in order to break them of a longer-term problem of gluttony over candy, I continue to warn, but do not restrain them one night from eating all the candy in their candy jar.  As the tummy ache begins, they are now suffering from the real and genuine choice they made to disobey my instructions.  Yet, I was still in control of the situation, even purposefully wanting them to end up with tummy aches from their gluttony (I know, I’m a mean Dad…).  I exercised my control by not restraining them; but their tummy’s ache not because I forced candy into them, but because they made a real and willing choice to be gluttonous. 

The analogy breaks down at points, but I hope you see from it how God can even ordain and providentially be in control over the evil in the world, yet not be responsible for their actions.  A couple of verses help to drive home this reality:

Proverbs 16:4-  The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Acts 14:16-  In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.

Both verses emphasize God’s control over even the wicked and evil, but the Acts verse emphasizes that God’s control was not done by forcing people to be evil (which would make him responsible) but by “allowing” evil by not restraining it.

Why is it?

    OK, so we understand a bit more about what providence is, but… so what??  Why is it so important?  Why would the author take the time to craft so intimately and extensively the doctrine of God’s providence into the book of Ruth?  Let’s conclude by meditating on the practical power of providence in our lives through 3 snapshots:

1st- Providence ensures us of hope

    Precisely because God is controlling and directing everything and everyone in creation  to accomplish His plan, we can have confidence in His promises.  It is those promises that bring us hope- hope for good, hope for rest, hope for purpose amidst suffering.  Providence assures us that our hope in these promises of God is not misplaced:

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

1 Pet. 1:3-7-   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

2nd- Providence empowers us to change

    Knowing and believing the Bible’s teaching on providence enables us to move past the “why this suffering” questions and on to the “what do you want to accomplish through my pain” questions.  Providence doesn’t take away the pain; but it enables us by faith to trust God is doing something through our pain and to begin to look for it and even long for it.

3rd- Providence eases our suffering.

Providence teaches us that God is present in our suffering.  Our Heavenly Father is not just in control in some reactive way, but whatever we are going through, God has brought it into our lives purposefully and redemptively.  Because providence teaches us God’s active involvement with creation, our suffering can be eased knowing God is not removed and far off but near and involved. 

I hate basketball.  Just really hate it.  My hatred may go back to the fact that I suffered a bad concussion playing basketball as a freshman in High School.  I was whisked to the doctors while feeling woozy and in agonizing pain.  But I’ll never forget when my Dad arrived.  I was seated on the ground waiting to get in to see my doctor (chairs were too high-up for my dizziness).  After checking on things, he sat down beside me and pulled me close so that my spinning head could rest on his chest.  That simple act did more to remove my fear than anything else.  Dad was there and close.  He was going to make sure I got whatever care I needed, but even more than that- he was with me…

The doctrine of God’s providence means that God is with us in the midst of whatever we are going through.  His personal presence can free us from fears and ease our suffering.  Pastor and Theologian John Calvin describes the calming, humbling, encouraging effects understanding and believing the doctrine of Providence can have upon our hearts no matter our circumstances:

Gratitude of mind for the favorable outcome of things, patience in adversity, and also incredible freedom from worry about the future all necessarily follow upon this knowledge. Therefore, whatever shall happen prosperously and according to the desire of his heart, God’s servant will attribute wholly to God, whether he feels God’s beneficence through the ministry of men, or has been helped by inanimate creatures. For thus he will reason in his mind: surely it is the Lord who has inclined their hearts to me, who has so bound them to me that they should become the instruments of his kindness.  Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1, Chap. XVII, section 7.

If we are going to experience God’s surprising grace, then we are going to have to wrestle with the reality of God’s providence.  Hopefully, this post helps to get the ball rolling in your mind and heart.  You can also find some additional info and helpful passages from this article taken from The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible. 

Bonus Reason to be Thankful for Providence:  A man was questioning God’s arrangement of the universe. He said, “Why does God make a big tree with small nuts, and a small plant with large watermelons. It doesn’t make sense.”   Just then a nut fell out of the tree and hit him on the head. He said, “Thank God that wasn’t a watermelon.”