The Importance of Providence

Theology is important because it is the foundation of worship, obedience, and joy. If we try to be practical without a true and solid doctrinal foundation, we will fall flat. The Providence of God is one very significant Biblical and theological truth. There are many practical applications of believing that God, in His Providence, controls all things. It is often asked, "Is it important to understand and believe the Providence of God?" I offer the following applications as an answer. I think that they speak for themselves.

Understanding Providence gives us deep gratitude to God for all good things--including our love for Him and faith in Him--because all good things are from God (see Romans 11:36 and James 1:18). It should also create a godly fear and reverence of God in our hearts--for He is in control and we are not. He is on the throne before which we must bow. Not only that, it also brings great joy to know that God is so concerned with his creation and that in his wisdom he is ruling all things for His greatest glory and His people's greatest good.

Knowledge of Providence can keep us from despair and instead give us patience and comfort, strength and hope through suffering and adversity because we know that all pain has a purpose. God only allows bad things to occur to his children for the purpose of bringing about a greater good to them. Thus, God's control over the evil events in our lives is very loving, not vindictive. Because nothing can occur to us without passing through God's loving hands, in all bad things that happen to us we can have the confidence of Joseph: "God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20) and the worship of Job: "...and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said, `...The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord'" (Job 1:20-21). This should shatter all complaining and bitterness and instead give us great hope and rejoicing. Margaret Clarkson has said, "The sovereignty of God is the one impregnable rock to which the suffering human heart must cling. The circumstances surrounding our lives are no accident; they may be the work of evil, but that evil is held firmly within the might hand of our sovereign God....All evil is subject to Him, and evil cannot touch His children unless He permits it."[1]

We are never at the mercy of circumstances or people. If people threaten to hurt us or those in authority over us act unjustly, we can take joy in the fact that ultimately, God is working to bring about a greater good. Further, we can have a great incentive to act in order to improve our circumstances, for we know that God can move people to do His will.

As the world seems to go haywire around us, we can have peace and a deep trust in God because we know that He will accomplish all of His purposes. None can fail (see Job 42:2 and Isaiah 46:10) because everything is under His control and proceeding according to plan (Ephesians 1:11). This should also give us a great encouragement to and confidence in prayer. For God can do what we ask. No matter how stressful, confusing, or difficult things seem to be, we need never feel overwhelmed, because God is in control.

If we believe in Providence we can marvel at God's great wisdom because He works all things together for His glory and His people's good (Romans 8:28)--not just in spite of the opposition but by means of the opposition. He makes evil backfire and makes satan continually shoot himself in the foot because when satan intends something for the harm of God's saints, God's intention is to ultimately benefit them. This is amazing wisdom to praise God for!

Therefore we can have a joyful trust in God for the future. Far from Providence being a discouraging doctrine, it frees us to obey with confidence and security--even when obedience appears risky or "foolish" by the world's standards. Knowing that God is in control encourages us into risk-taking obedience for God's great glory. In all things, we can have great courage and boldness.

Understanding Providence is also very important for humility. Daniel 4:35 is a key verse on God's control over all things: "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, `What have You done?'". This verse is especially significant in light of the context of the whole chapter. God had revealed to Nebuchadnezzar, through a dream, that His kingdom was going to be taken away from him. Why was God going to do this? Because Nebuchadnezzar was prideful. Why did God think that Nebudchanezzar was prideful? Because he did not acknowledge that "the most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever He wishes" (v. 25). Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom would not be restored until he realized "that it is heaven that rules" (v. 26). Thus, it seems that knowledge of God's absolute Providence is important for humility.

After Nebuchadnezzar was humbled, he realized that God was in control and made the statement recorded in verse 35 above. Nebuchadnezzar's attitude towards God in His sovereign majesty should be shared by us: "Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride" (v. 37).

Because of all these things, a heart-felt beliefs in the Providence of God will make us strong people. Perhaps most importantly, the truth of Providence greatly glorifies God and exalts His supremacy. A denial of this truth involves a reduction of the supremacy of God in our hearts because we will not see God as authoritative over all things and with the wisdom to keep His creation under control. Acceptance of this truth, on the other hand, provides powerful fuel for worship. John Piper gives the illustration of the human soul being the furnace of worship, the Holy Spirit bringing the fire of worship, and a proper vision of God being the fuel of worship. The resulting heat of our affections, expressed in praise to God, is worship. If we have a poor vision of God, our worship will be poor because the fuel is low. But if we have an exalted view of God, our worship will become white hot. J.B. Moody has said, "True worship is based upon recognized greatness, and greatness is superlatively seen in sovereignty, and at no other footstool will men really worship."

Notes 1. Margaret Clarkson, quoted in "Does Divine Sovereignty Make a Difference in Everyday Life?" by Jerry Bridges in The Grace of God, The Bondage of the Will, Thomas Schreiner and Bruce Ware, ed., (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995), vol. I, p. 209.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, by the Lockman Foundation.

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