Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/91

Contributor - William Bakelaar

Title - God's Providence

Topic - God

Matthew 6:24-34 - Psalm 10

When we confess "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth", or when we confess "Our help is in the name of the Father who made heaven and earth", we are confessing to believe in the Providence of God.

The Providence of God is the almighty and ever-present power by which He provides all that is necessary for his creation.

After God's mighty work of creation, He, did not abandon it to itself, but he still upholds and rules as it were by his own hand heaven and earth together with all creatures. (Answ. 27. H.C.)

It is human nature to want something or someone in control of things. To believe in the Providence of God is often most difficult when it is most needed. Our confessions regarding Providence tend to be most illusive when they are most necessary, when we or family or friends face serious illness or difficulties.

The confession of the almighty and ever-present power of God by which he upholds, as with his hand is better suited to prevention than to rehabilitation. If we build upon this confession before we experience life-shaking crises, it will stand firm, but it is not the sort of thing that is likely to emerge naturally from situations of human agony. This is not to say that Providence is absent at those times. Quite the opposite. Looking back, we can usually see that God was never more faithful than in our darkest hour. But during that hour we may have difficulty seeing, understanding, grasping the truth of Providence. We can understand Providence only by faith and that faith often conflicts with what our experience is telling us. We ought to believe in spite of the evidence.

We are summoned to accept God's generous Providence during rain and drought, during years that are fruitful and during years that are lean, as regards health and sickness, prosperity and poverty. We are always embraced and supported by the everlasting arms of God. We are not promised that we will never have to suffer, but we are promised that we shall never suffer alone. God's Providence comforts us because nothing happens without His Will.

Providence is no excuse for human responsibility. We are not called to sit back and let God provide. We are called to be increasingly God-like, reflecting the image of God within us by providing for ourselves and those around us, by seeking His Kingdom and by doing His Will.

If we really experience the truth of God's Providence we will be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and confident that nothing in the future can rip us from the hands of our faithful Father. He cares for us like a father cares for his children. He is the one who created out of nothing heaven and earth and everything in it. We should not doubt his might. He is concerned with it to the point of providing his creatures with all things necessary for body and soul. He is in complete control, we can trust him completely. This trust should not be just a mere feeling but a powerful confidence based on His Word that enables us to move on, a trust that helps us deal with personal and world problems, to take risks when necessary without fearing the consequences. It is because of Christ the Son that we can call God our Father. The Father in His Providence is concerned with even the smallest detail in our life. (Matthew 6:24-34)

We are much in the Hand of God, in his right hand, in the hand that saves, protects and guides. Faith in the providence of God is not fatalism, but an active assent to His Will, based on His infallible Word.

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