Q. What is God’s providence?
A. God’s
providence is His completely holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing
every creature and every action.
In God’s providence
He controls everything—living and nonliving—in the best way possible. We also
use the word sovereign to refer to God’s providence.
I like to define
sovereignty this way: God is absolutely in control of everything, everywhere,
at all times. Dr. Ron Lynch defines God’s sovereignty this way: God either authors or allows everything that happens.
In Scripture we see
God author many things. He was the
author of the 10 Plagues in Egypt (Exodus 7-12) that led His people out of
bondage. In those plagues we see God’s providence displayed over animals (death
of cattle), nature (sea turned to blood, hailstorm, darkness), and mankind
(boils, death).
But we also see Him
allowing something He didn’t author.
In the beginning of Job God grants Satan permission to carry out an attack on
His servant (ch1-2).
When Jesus was on
earth He was sovereign over nature as “the wind and seas” obeyed Him (Matthew
8:27); He was also sovereign over human life, raising the dead, healing the
sick, giving sight to the blind, and giving mobility to the crippled.
As mortal humans we
need to trust God to do what is right. Even when we do not understand what He
is doing, we know that “all things work together for good to those who love
God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).” God is sovereign.
In His providence He will always act in supreme, holy, wisdom to do what is
best.
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