Great Truths About God's Providence
Great Truths About God’s Providence
“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.”
Proverbs 21:30
The Bible leads us to believe in the providence of God. Providence means “God’s gracious oversight of the universe.” He upholds all things. He governs all events. He directs everything to its appointed end. He does this all the time and in every circumstance. He does it always for his own glory.
Truths About God’s Providence
He creates and sustains.
Proverbs 3:19 -20 says :
“By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundation, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the deeps were divided , and the clouds let drop the dew.”
Do you know that the earths’s speed is 62,000 miles per hour ? Everything here on earth is governed by God’s providence. Consider the water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, the food chain and the various laws of nature. Are you not amazed that everything is in order ? We are indeed swimming in God’s providence. If you will only observe the various species of nature and how they thrive and survive, you will surely be amazed of God’s perfect providence.
He governs and plans.
Proverbs 16:4 says :
“The Lord works out everything for his own ends – even the wicked for a day of disaster.”
God made the laws . He made the physical laws that govern the nature such as Law of Gravitation. There is a pattern for nature. He also made the spiritual laws that govern man’s eternal destiny. In Romans 6:23 God made it plain that death is the punishment for sin. In IThessalonians 5:17 which is a law about prayer God has decreed that He will work through the prayers of His people.
He prevents and permits.
This is especially applicable with regard to sin and evil. God has set limits and restraints to sin and evil. There is preventive and permissive providence. As seen in the life of Joseph the dreamer (Genesis 50:20), God permitted unfavorable circumstances to happen in Joseph’s life for the preservation of the Hebrew people. The Lord allows unpleasant circumstances to happen in the lives of His children for their greater good in the future. Whatever the devil meant for evil against us, God is always able to turn it out for good. Whatever unpleasant things have happened to us , God is always able to transform these ugly things into something beautiful.
Many times in our lives, God intervene and prevents the devil from causing harm to us. Haman, an enemy of God’s people was allowed to rise in power yet he was prevented from harming Mordecai.
God directs and controls.
With regards to all events of life. It is written in Proverbs 16:33 ;
“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”
This is done by God without violating man’s will so that man remains responsible to his decision and action. God is in control but man is responsible.
God is sovereign and in control of every event that are happening here on earth. In the Book of Esther, though this book made no mention of any miracle, but God’s providence is very evident in the book. The Hebrew people were spared from slaughter because the heart of King Xerxes is in God’s control.
Nobody is above the sovereign control of God, no matter how mighty king he is , even the devil is not in any single circumstance above the sovereign control of God. Not any single event will happen in this world unless the Lord permit it. No plan of God can ever be thwarted, no matter how many forces of evil prevail against it. And no servant of God will ever die without the permission of the Almighty.
He reveals and conceals.
Proverbs 25:2 says : “ It is the glory of God to conceal a matter.”
God revealed to us only enough to be assured of His providence yet much of it remains a mystery. Not all truths in the universe are revealed to us by God. But He revealed some of the most important truths to us in the Bible. We have to be thankful for the truths that have been revealed to us.
He works and prevails.
God continually works among His people. Whatever plan and purpose He set in the universe, will always prevail and no amount of evil powers can thwart God’s purposes in the lives of His precious children.
We have to thank God that we do not live in random chance, we are never out of His hands. You are so dear to Him that He will not entrust you to anyone’s hands but only to Him.
This hub is an excerpt from the Vesper Worship Service Message as preached by Brother Benjie Baclagon at Grace Bible Church (Manila, Philippines) last August 12,2012.imHH H hh HH
