Day 90

Of Divine Providence

Chapter 5, Paragraph 3.

“... and against them at his pleasure.“

Scripture Lookup

Daniel 3:27.

Reflection

In God’s ordinary providence He uses means to accomplish His decree.  However, He is not limited by how means usually work. Let’s explore how God is free to work against means.

When the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem and overtook it, they captured and brought many Israelites to their country. Among them were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. You might recognize them by the names given to them: Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-nego. These Hebrews were assigned to serve in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court and eventually were promoted to oversee the province of Babylon.

Proudly the king fashioned a tall golden image that was erected on a plain in Babylon. Every government official was to be present at the dedication. As part of the ceremony, all were commanded to demonstrate worship to the image at a certain time.  Disobedience was more than just a question of losing one’s powerful position; anyone who withheld homage would be thrown immediately into a blazing hot furnace. Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-nego refused to bow. Furious, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the heat to be turned up, and commanded his soldiers to cast the Israelites into the furnace.

Fire has a certain function. It burns. It consumes what it touches and leaves ash in its wake. Yet God worked against the ordinary means of the raging fire in that furnace:

…the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell or fire even come upon them.

-Daniel 3:27

The three men were saved. That is awesome in itself, and that is where many Sunday School lessons stop. But wait! Look at verse 28:

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve and worship any god except their own God.”

God preserves and governs all His creatures and their actions for His own glory. No matter the circumstance surrounding us, we can know that He is free to use the means available to glorify Himself, and He is free to work against the means to glorify Himself. Whatever our future brings, we Christians can rest in His providential care.

Questions to Consider

• Is it hard to believe that God can work against means?

Day 88

Of Divine Providence

Chapter 5, Paragraph 3.

“... yet is free to work, without,…“

Scripture Lookup

Hosea 1:7

Reflection

In God’s ordinary providence He uses means to accomplish His decree.  However, it does not mean that He must use means all the time. God is not dependent upon any thing or creature He has made; He is most free to work His providence without the use of means.

Our Scripture reading gives an example of God working without means. “But I…will deliver them by the LORD their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses, or horsemen.” What is the normal way to be rescued? Isn’t it to have a great battle with large armies and mighty weapons? Yet we see times where God delivers without any of those things. In 2 Kings 19, the Lord defeated a whole army in one night without using a single soldier or weapon.

Remind yourself, then, that while there are normal ways of providence being fulfilled, they are not the only means God has at His disposal. He can act without them! Thomas Boston reminds us: “Do not despair if there be no means, for God can work without them, as well as with them…” While sometimes our troubled selves may not see how God can accomplish His will, we can know that He does accomplish it, no matter the circumstances.

Questions to Consider

• Is it hard to believe that God can work without means?

Day 87

Of Divine Providence

Chapter 5, Paragraph 3.

“God, in his ordinary Providence maketh use of means;...“

Scripture Lookup

Acts 27:31, 44.

Isa. 55:10, 11.

Reflection

Probability and statistics was the most interesting math class I ever took. While many of my fellow classmates struggled in confusion over graphs and outliers, I, who had never been mathematically inclined, understood what to look for. To be able to accurately predict an outcome based on data, there had to be results that were more likely to occur. What could be considered dry and boring became fascinating.

We see this with God’s providence as well. Ordinarily, God uses means to carry out His decree. What are means? The Free Dictionary defines means as “A method, a course of action, or an instrument by which an act can be accomplished or an end achieved.” Since God has created a world that runs logically, it makes sense that most of the time certain actions produce certain outcomes.  If we run our car into a building, we can rightly conclude that our car will most likely be damaged. Flip a coin, and it will most likely land on heads or tails.

Knowing God ordinarily uses means keeps us from lethargy. While God could provide for us without us lifting a finger, He ordinarily provides by having us work. To say “If the Lord wills, this will happen,” but not use that which we know usually produces the result we seek is foolishness. This applies to our spiritual lives as well. God uses the means of grace to aid the Christian in holiness. If you wish to grow in godliness, but never pray or attend a worship service, then you disregard the very means that God provides for your benefit! So while the use of means may be part of “ordinary providence”, there is nothing dull about how God uses His means to accomplish His will.

Questions to Consider

• Have you been disregarding God’s ordinary providence?

Day 85

Of Divine Providence

Chapter 5, Paragraph 2.

“... so that there is not anything befalls any by chance, or without His providence;…”

Scripture Lookup

Proverbs 16:33.

Reflection

“Befalls” is a word not often used in common conversation. You may recognize it from the hymn “Be Thou My vision”: “Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all.”  Another hymn also uses the word befall: “For I know whate’er befall me Jesus doeth all things well.”

Befall means “to happen”. As the Confession keeps reminding us, there is nothing that happens to anyone without God’s providence. This can be difficult to acknowledge. So quick are we to proclaim that we’re “#blessed” when all is well according to our standards. How about when you’re troubled? When the future does not seem so certain? Are we willing to be resigned to trust in His wisdom in ordering all things?

When all seems to be going smoothly is the time to remind ourselves that no matter what, the Lord is our Ruler who does all things well. For when the trials come, and emotions rise up and threaten to overwhelm us, it is these truths previously stored away that will come to mind. In prosperity or poverty, all that befalls us is not by chance.

All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

-Fanny Crosby

Questions to Consider

• Do you agree that “whate’er befalls me Jesus doeth all things well”?

Day 84

Of Divine Providence

Chapter 5, Paragraph 2.

“ Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly;...”

Scripture Lookup

Acts 2:23.

Reflection

Dazzled and frazzled by the things of this world, it is sometimes hard to remember that all things happen because of God’s decree. There is so much that consumes our senses and our time. We see the blooming burst of flowers in the Spring. Spices and textures make for a delicious dinner. There is much to watch out for, as well: we hear the squeal of tires as we avoid a car crash. A certain smell emanating from a baby tells us a diaper needs changing.

With so much vying for our attention, it is easy to lose sight of God’s work in creation. All that is happening around us has been decreed by Him. Nothing takes God by surprise. There is no error in the unfolding of His decree. How will you live in light of that?

Sovereign Ruler of the skies!
Ever gracious, ever wise!
All my times are in Thy hand,
All events at Thy command.

-John Ryland

Questions to Consider

• Are you trusting that God’s decree is without error and unchangeable?

Day 83

Of Divine Providence

Chapter 5, Paragraph 1.

“...by his most wise and holy providence, to the end for the which they were Created; according unto his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable Counsel of his own will; to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness, and mercy.“

Scripture Lookup

Ephesians 1:11.

Reflection

You glorify God.

Like His decree, God’s providence is not not something that you can influence or control. He knows all things, and is not constrained by anything or anyone in carrying out His decrees. God does not change, and as a result His providence does not change.

So your life, along with everyone else’s life, is designed by God to glorify Him. All creatures and things are governed and directed by Him for a reason, and they all have various abilities and characteristics that God uses in His works of providence. Your personality and your abilities have all been decreed by God and are intertwined with all those around you. All those around you also have personalities and abilities decreed by God, and as the sun rises and sets, as we rise and rest, as we interact with one another, His providence unfolds.

Through God’s providence we see His wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness and mercy. This is why no matter what, everything and everyone will glorify God. Through providence we see His goodness towards His creation; through providence we see His power displayed. Those forgiven through Christ glorify Him to the praise of His mercy; those who deny God glorify Him through the administration of His justice. We can rest in His infinite wisdom, and trust that His providence is right and good.

Questions to Consider

• What acts of providence in your life display God’s glory?

Day 82

Of Divine Providence

Chapter 5, Paragraph 1.

“...from the greatest even to the least,…”

Scripture Lookup

Matthew 10:29-31.

Reflection

Crying out to God often happens in the midst of great trials in our lives. When circumstances scream to us that this is out of our control, we remember that God directs and upholds all things, and we turn to Him. This is good and right, for God does govern events through His providence, and major upsets are not beyond His governance.

How often, though, do we remember that God upholds and directs even the little events in our lives! From finances, to health, to scheduling our weeks and raising our children, we can be so focused on working towards a certain outcome that we perceive ourselves as solely responsible for any outcome. Our culture does not help in this. Want something badly enough, it says, and work hard enough and it will be yours. Take charge, follow x, y, and z and this outcome is guaranteed! So much emphasis is placed on the power of the individual, that God’s involvement is forgotten.

The mind of man plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

-Proverbs 16:9

But it is God who gives and takes away. It is God who has numbered every hair on your head, yes even the unruly hair that won’t smooth down – that is governed and directed by God. It is God who directs the breath you are breathing right now, it is God who upholds you while you drive on the highway, it is God who governs over your checking account. We are responsible to work and steward our gifts wisely, but we must never forget that all is through His providence, from the greatest to the least.

My times are in Your hand

-Psalm 31:15

Questions to Consider

• Do you recognize God’s providence in the little events of your life?

Day 81

Of Divine Providence

Chapter 5, Paragraph 1.

“God the good Creator of all things, in his infinite power, and wisdom, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all Creatures, and things,...”

Scripture Lookup

Hebrews 1:3

Job 38:11

Isaiah 46:10,11

Psalm 135:6.

Reflection

Providence reminds us that God is intimately involved with His creation. What is providence? Providence, as Zacharias Ursinus states in his Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism,

…is the eternal, most free, immutable, wise, just and good counsel of God, according to which he effects all good things in his creatures; permits also evil things to be done, and directs all, both good and evil, to his own glory and the salvation of his people.

Look at all the actions God performs in these works of providence:

• He upholds all creatures and things. By the word of His power everything is sustained.
• He directs all creatures and things. The severity or mildness of a season, the rise to power of rulers and the tumbling of others, all are directed by God.
• He disposes all creatures and things. This doesn’t mean He throws them out; rather, God arranges or positions His creation to fulfill His decree.
• He governs all creatures and things. The Lord God reigns and rules over His creation!

If you needed more reasons to trust the Lord besides His word, look to His providence. “In Him we live and move and have our being..” (Acts 17:28) He is the good Creator who works these things. We have no reason to doubt Him!

And, indeed, it were not worth while to live in a world devoid of God and Providence. -John Flavel

Questions to Consider

• How does God’s providence affect you?