Providence

When the light of divine providence has once shone upon a godly man, he is then relieved and set free not only from the extreme anxiety and fear that were pressing him before, but from every care.  John Calvin

We believe in the providence of God, but we do not believe half enough in it.  Charles Spurgeon

I love the second quote by Charles Spurgeon!  It seems that it is in times of trial, or after, that we see God's providence most clearly.  That certainly has been true in my case.  As I thought over my last blog, I thought how sad it is that it took me so many years and so many God-ordained trials to be at peace with the knowledge that God would supply my every need and that He was using those trials for my growth as well as the perfecting of the body of Christ.  It is sad that I spent so many years looking at my trials only from my "self" perspective.  I saw my financial problems, my health problems, difficulties in my marriage and so many other difficulties as  trials put upon me for no purpose.   What a sin against God Almighty to not see that all the trials were from His hand, even though I could not see their reason.   I have recently been re-reading The Mystery of Providence by a Puritan, John Flavel.  It is not a fast read, which is probably good as it makes me read things several times.  There is  much wonderful reflection in this book on God's providence and I highly recommend it.

One of my favorite Bible characters is Joseph and he is always first in my mind when I think of providence.  Every time I read the story I am struck by more ways that providence was at work in and through his life.  I imagine that Joseph's perspective was much different than what we see when we are able to look back on the whole story from God's perspective.  Everything from his brothers hatred, his dreams,  the decision to sell him instead of kill him, the lusting of Potiphar's wife, his being forgotten in prison and so much more was all in God's magnificent plan, not only for Joseph's good, but especially for that of His people.  Joseph went through many years of being treated "unfairly" while he was doing his best to honor God.  As far as we know he did not know of God's plan until many many years into his life when his brothers came back to get food from him.  God used every bit of Joseph's life to save His people from certain death.

Esther is another who strikes me as a great example of God's providence:  from the banishing of Queen Vashti by the king, the recommendation of those around him to bring forth virgins to choose from for a new queen, to Mordecai's decision to have Esther join the pageant and hide her background. We don't know what was going through Esther's mind as she became queen and strove to honor God despite the risk to her own life.  Not only was Esther saved through her actions, but so were the people of God.

So many others in the Bible, in fact, I daresay all the stories of individuals, in some way portray God's providence.  There are Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Ruth, Job and Paul who, when you read their stories closely you will see God's hand at work not only in preserving them but using them and their trials for the growth of His kingdom.  It makes an interesting study to look at the stories of individuals in the Bible in view of God's kingdom.  In fact, though theologian I am not, I think perhaps we do a disservice when we look at stories of individuals in the Bible as only that of the individuals. I fear we have become a church that sees itself predominantly as individuals and not as a body.  The Bible is the story of God's kingdom.  Just as that is true, it is true that the trials in our lives are not just about our lives, but about God's work in the Church.  We may never see how our trials are being used, but it is important to know that they involve much more than just ourselves.  Whether it is cancer or another health problem, disability, death of a child or another loved one, being treated wrongly by others, financial difficulties or any other of so many trials we need to focus our eyes past the trial to the One who has control and who will use them in His providence for a much greater goal than we can imagine. Not only does this change our perspective on how we look at our struggles, but how we deal with them.  What a joy to know He is perfecting His bride (yes, even through our trials), the  body of Christ, until the day we will all be joined sinless before the throne singing forth His praises!

In a week I go back to Houston for tests to see if the cancer has stopped or progressed.  I rest confident that if God desires, He is very able to cure the cancer.  However, I also rest assured that if the cancer has progressed (as seems likely to me due to increased pain in the hips and leg) it is only because in His providence He commissioned it to do so for my good and His glory!  I may never know the reason that the cancer has been given to me, but I can know that in God's providence it is not only for my good, but for His glory and the growth of His kingdom.

Thomas Watson (thanks Jes M):  There is kindness in affliction, in that there is no condition so bad but it might be worse.  When it is dusk, it might be darker.  God does not make our cross so heavy as he might: he does not stir up all of his anger (Ps. 78:38).  He does not put so many nails in our yoke, so much wormwood in our cup, as he might.  Does God chastise thy body?  He might torture thy conscience.  Does he cut thee short?  He might cut thee off.  The Lord might make our chains heavier.  Is it a burning fever?  It might have been the burning lake.  Does God use the pruning knife to lop thee?  He might bring his axe to hew thee down.  'The waters were up to the ankles.'  Do the waters of affliction come up to the ankles?  God might make them rise higher; nay,  he might drown thee in the waters.  God uses the rod when he might use the scorpion.

There is kindness on affliction, in that your case is not so bad as others, who are always upon the rack, and spend their years with sighing (Ps. 31:10).  Have you a gentle fit of the ague?  Others cry out of the stone (being stoned) and strangulation. Do you bear the wrath of men?  Others bear the wrath of God.  You have but a single trial:  others have them twisted together.  God shoots but one arrow at you, he shoots a shower of arrows at others.  Is there not kindness in all this?  We are apt to say,  "Never any suffered as we!"  Was it not worse with Lazarus, who was so full of sores that the dogs took pity on him, and licked his sores?  Nay, was it not worse with Christ, who lived poor and died cursed?  May this not cause us to say,  'Thy will be done'?  It is kindness that God deals not so severely with us as with others.

There  is kindness in affliction, in that, if we belong to God, it is all the hell we shall have.  Some have two hells:  they suffer in their body and conscience, which is one hell, and another hell is unquenchable fire.  Judas had two hells, but a child of God has but one.  Lazarus had all his hell here, he was full of sores, but had a convoy of angels to carry him to heaven when he died.  Say, then,  "Lo!  if this be the worse that I have, if this be all my hell, I will patiently acquiesce:  'Thy will be done.'