Getting Job-ed
In the last article, we took a look at some of the historic church stances on the concept of Providence, now I want us to actually look at why this doctrine is good news for us. I think growth in our walk with God in this doctrine comes in stages: 1. actually accepting and submitting to this difficult yet blaring Scriptural theme seen from Genesis to Revelation and then, most importantly, 2. coming to love and praise God for it. I think that’s the most important issue, is our praising God for this beautiful doctrine. Let’s jump into the three reasons this doctrine is such great news.
Three Reasons
1. Pain is never without purpose. This keeps us from being a victim our entire life of how mean ‘fate’ can be or about having ‘bad luck’ that caused our circumstances. Understanding that there is a God out there that is meticulously planning and ‘seeing to’ (literally means Providence) that all things work together for His ultimate, Sovereign Will and also for the good of those that love him is absolutely empowering to us. We aren’t just floating through life blown around by the waves of circumstance: we are sailing down this river in a current of God’s Providence. It’s heading towards a goal, towards the consummation of His Sovereign Will.
Take a look at this passage of Scripture. So, a little context, Moses is being summoned by God to walk into Egypt and demand that Pharoah let the Israelites go from 400+ years of slavery. Now put yourself in that situation… YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT GOD?!! So Moses starts to make excuses of why he’s not suited to do this job. Listen to the conversation in Exodus 4:10-12 ESV:
But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
This is amazing. Moses says he’s got issues with his ability to speak and what does God say? “I made you mouth Moses! Isn’t it me that causes these things to happen for my purpose?” That’s amazing, and should be empowering to us. Pain is never without purpose.
2. You’re Saved Because of Providence. Now, I’m not saying you’re saved on whether you believe it or not, I’m saying you’re saved in spite of whether you believe in it or not. It’s commonly quoted but look at Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV and don’t just blow through it, chew on it and the implications:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Look at some of the themes here: you’re dead and didn’t want God, but God reaches towards you to pull you out of death and into life. Grace is a miracle. I’ve never seen a patient ask to be shocked back to life when they’re dead. Never. We are saved by God’s Providential work. We needed this because of our deadness.
3. God’s Plan Won’t Fail. If God is not Providential over creation, He is not in control. If He’s not in control, how do we know Revelation is going to pan out in chapters 20-22 with God’s resounding victory of evil, sin, and death? I don’t want a God that’s nervously wringing His hands wondering what the decisions of His fickle creation is going to do and then react to try to hopefully make His plan come about. That’s not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is definitively all-powerful and holy. He will ‘see to it’ that His plan will come about, and that is absolutely good news to all that love Him. Isaiah 46:9-10 ESV:
… remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose…
Conclusion
I want us to end with the famous verse. I hope this empowers you today and for the rest of your lives to live not as victims in a world that is crazy, but as a child of God that has a meticulously detailed Father who is working all things towards His purpose.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 ESV
-Austin
