God's works of providence are his most holy, wise and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions (WSC 11). To put it simply, the Lord controls all things. The seasons, the seas, and even our circumstances are all under the willful decision of our Maker. This wonderful truth should bring us to feel the effects of his majesty as well as our own finitude.
The wording of the shorter catechism, along with the immediate complexities that arise from the doctrine itself, have a tendency to make us lock this truth tightly inside the box of impracticality. Unlocking the box, we think, demands we fully comprehend things like the relationship between his control and the freedom of his creatures (freedom defined biblically), the problem of suffering, and other perplexing ideas. Most of us don't have the time or capacity for this and so we shelf the subject altogether.
In some respects, our own desire to be God, keeps us from worshipping and trusting God. Unless we are all knowing, we cannot possibly be all trusting. But the Lord has not left us completely in the dark. His word is full of searchable depths for us to explore. I do believe it is important for us to know that even if we have not explored those depths, we can still benefit from the doctrine.
In this post, I'd like to point out two practical ways the doctrine of providence is beneficial for us.
First, the Lord's control over all things encourages us to obey his commandments. It is vital for us to know that he can and will provide for us as we "step out in faith." Contrary to popular belief, being a follower of Christ often takes us into places where we are immediately tempted to distrust his power and provision. I am thinking of the Exodus when Israel was led into the wilderness, and the gospel accounts of when Jesus fed thousands. In each account, people followed the Lord and found themselves lacking simple physical provisions.
Similarly, and perhaps more significantly, a follower of Christ will certainly face relational deprivation as well. He or she will be hated for the sake of the gospel. He or she will be confronted with the willful surrendering of property, time, and energy. To live for Christ is to die to self - to lose one's life.
But living for Christ is not only this. The promises run through deprivation into glory where believers will be heavily rewarded for their labors with the inheritance (1Pet 1:4), treasures in heaven (Matt 6:20), and a crown of glory (1Pet 5:4). We have many reasons to obey. But, doubtful questions always linger and eventually may dissuade us. Questions like, "Will the Lord make good on his promise?" "Is he able to come through?" "If I lose everything now, can he give me everything then?" Our doctrine of providence (along with many others, like his faithfulness) tell us, "Yes he can (and will)!"
Second, the Lord's control over all things humbles us as we live in and through this difficult world. We are not our own, and we are not ultimately in control - not even of our own lives. When we find ourselves in the midst of trials and tribulations, our immediate tendency is to blame the situation. Our boss is mean, our teacher is unfair or unclear, our spouse is unloving or disrespectful, our church is not the right church for us, and the list goes on and on. The problem, we conclude, is our circumstance.
The doctrine of providence informs us that this is not likely to be the case. The problem of our life is not our circumstance, but our sin. The wilderness was not the problem, but the grumbling desires of the people. The Lord used circumstances to shape and test his people. In his providence he used hunger to bring about humility; and thirst to bring about dependency and trust (Deut 8:1-3).
The doctrine of providence is highly practical, even for those who have not read volumes on the subject. It is a doctrine for the simplest of Christians. It is truth for the Lord's church that brings about repentance, faith, hope, and love.
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