Providence Is Life: Always
Do you worry? Do you fret? Do you contemplate the future and wonder with concern as to how it will play out? Do you wonder and ask “why” as you face people and circumstances beyond your control which often have adverse effects on you life and the life of your loved ones? Do you even react in anger to injustice, incompetence, and insidious plans and actions of sinful men and women who seemingly carry out their designs with little or no hindrance?
The things that occupy our thoughts, monopolize our emotions, and give direction (at least in a temporal sense) to our lives are many and varied and often seem arbitrary and grossly unfair. Yet, most of us who follow Christ believe that God is in control of our lives. We may be a bit confused by the seeming inconsistency of it all, nevertheless we believe that God loves us, cares for us, and in some sense watches over the affairs of our lives.
But the Biblical concept of providence is more than a benign belief that God, as a loving grandfather, cares and watches out for us. Providence teaches us that our God is at work in all the matters that comprise the details of our lives and that our good and His glory are sure. It was so in the death of His Son. “Him, having been delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” (Acts 2:23) No more wicked and unjust event ever occurred than the crucifixion of our Lord. But it was God’s will carried out by wicked men. And no event better illustrates God’s providential dealings with mankind and, more particularly, His own. Literally nothing is left to chance. All things are working together for our good and God’s glory; not independently but interconnected by the wise and powerful hand of God.
Our worries and concerns may be natural responses to our limited knowledge of the events and eventualities that are sure to come our way, but they do not have to dominate the life of the man or woman in Christ. For we know that our God is never surprised or worried. He is never caught off guard, nor is He at a loss for what to do. He does not respond or react. He governs and rules. And He is pleased to do so in such a way that will bring the most good to His child and the most glory to Himself… always.
Trusting Him,
Charles Cavanaugh
