All Your works shall praise
You, O LORD, and Your
saints shall bless You.
They shall speak of the
Glory of Your kingdom,
and talk of Your power.
Psalm 145:10-11
I shall take a hiatus today to speak on this subject of Providence. Our God who is Providential is not the god of the ancient philosophers who did not believe in the God of creation, who can be known and was known to be the God of Israel who upheld Him and revered Him and understood His economy by which He controls, protects, and preserves His creation and His people. These are the opening notes for this study I am preparing.
Providence
In the wake
of any tragic event persons who are otherwise sensible, rational, and in
control of their emotions lose all this and a sadness overcomes them and even
for many a grief that overwhelms. Many will ask, “Why did God allow this?” This
question comes more often than not from people who at other times have little
or no thought of God and will not allow God to guide and rule their lives.
There was not apprehension of God before and now in the wake of a tragedy they
cannot apprehend God and even debate that if there is a God and God is Good, as
Christians say He is, then He would not have allowed this tragic event to have
happened. Even Christians may question the goodness of God, especially when
civilians, or children, are killed, even maimed when they have done nothing to
cause their demise. It is to be expected that non–Christians would question the
reason for a tragic event and even complain against the possibility of a God,
for if God did exist, and they do not believe so, He would not allow this event
and would even have provided protection. In the worst case scenario they assign
that if God did exist He would be evil, or the cause of evil. It is not
expected that Christians would have a complaint against God for evil to exist
and happen even to innocent individuals. Christians often have heard, or maybe
know something about, have a limited understanding, that God is Providential.
Christians believe this to be true but often cannot adequately explain this
doctrine; the Providence of God. Therefore, it is necessary to provide and
explanation of Providence, this will aid understanding giving knowledge of God
and how He rules and governs the universe. This is turn will aid growth in
grace and sanctification, causing preparation to defend the Christian faith.
What then is Providence? How does God’s Providence work?
Does Scripture clearly teach the Doctrine of Providence? Does God actually
preserve and govern all the actions of His creatures, even to non–living
entities? These questions demand answers and rightly so for this world has had
and does even now many atrocities, those tragic events whereby there is lack of
comprehension and no rational apprehension leading to questions and loss of
faith, a blaming the unknown, that is the unknown God. It is most interesting
that at these tragic times Satan is not often blamed, even Christians speak of
the horror and yet do not assign such tragedy to Satan.
God is condemned, ispso
facto. It is not enough to say; “God is in control” unless this is truly a
person’s belief, not questioned, rather understood, and believe with all their
heart that God is in control. If faith does not have a foundation strongly
built on the word of God then questions will arise and always will in the
aftermath of a tragic event. Scripture states: “…who being the brightness of
His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the
word of His power,…” (Hebrews 1:3a). Speaking of Jesus Christ Paul writes: “and
He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17). The
Old Testament give further witness to this fact that God preserves His
creation: “You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of
heavens, with all their host, the earth and everything on it, the seas and all that
is in them, and You preserve them all. the host of heaven worships You”
(Nehemiah 1:6). For any of these Scripture to have meaning there must be a
firm belief that God is holy, wise, and powerfully preserving, as well as
governing all that He created. It is not enough just to say that God preserves
if there is no understanding that all things owe their existence, continuance,
and are able to have their properties and powers, and all this is due to the
will of God. If so, that this is firmly believed then it is to be understood
that there is not some general assertion as to God’s providence. The Providence
of God is not spoken of in general terms as this would not give credence to the
power of God and to speak in generality of the Providence of God, this would
give cause for Him not to sustain, or be able to sustain all creation. Some do
assert in general terms of the Providence of God and when a tragic event occurs
they are left scampering for answers, they wonder, “where is the power of God?”
Yet, Scripture is clear and it is plainly taught in Scripture the doctrine that
God is Providential. Providence of God may be spoken of in general terms that
He does sustain all things by His power without making God the cause of evil
while the world operates within the powers of nature. It is to be declared as
the above Scriptures indicate that the powers of nature do operate under the
efficiency of the power of God, by which all things are preserved. Scripture
clearly teaches us that this is true of God, that He not only created all
things, He preserves all things and have their efficiency in the power of God
(Psalm 104; 148). Scripture teaches us that Providence of God relates to
irrational animals for they are said to live, move, and have their being in God
as God give water to flow for them to drink, grass to grow for them to eat, and
trees where birds may make their nests. These passages teach us that the
universe, as a whole, does not operate unsupported by God. If it did so
operate, that is, unsupported by God, it would cease to exist, in fact it would
never have developed into anything. Nothing would exist if not by the will of
God. For God to be Providential then He would have to control all that is, and
this by His will for if He did not will a thing to be, then it would not be.
Many have adopted and embraced the ideology and philosophy of evolution. Even
some “Christians” have accepted a form of evolution. God may have begun
creation but He does not control creation for those who adhere to evolution.
God somehow sits idly by, or tacitly gives approval and support but is not in
actuality involved in that which He created. Therefore, they have trouble
accepting that God is Providential. Tragic events then have no real meaning
accept for the emotions that are wrenched by loved ones, and friends, they just
occur or to find meaning they assign the event to the will of God as though He
cause this to happen or He just allowed it to happen. This void in thinking is
that if God does exist He is not present and does not providentially preserve
His creation. Yet, is this true?
Evolutionist, or those who hold to some evolutionary
theory do not consider the most important aspect of creation: It moves and has
power. How does movement happen, and from where does power arrive so as to
create and re–create anything? If two balls were hung in a vacuum, they would
not move. There would be no time as time can only exist and be measures by
movement. If anything existed for all time the question is still present: how
did they begin to move? Where did this power arise causing movement and even
such movement as to create anything? If you say power always existed you have
not answered the question of movement. Much more you have not answered the
questions as to a power that would cause movement because power has to have a
source, a source that is external. For power to have motion or movement there
needs be a resistor from which it receives its resistance causing motion. This
resistance must come then from an outside source that itself is the first cause
and that of itself, for if we assign only power to this outside source the
question is still not answered. This power source is God and He must not be of
any substance that exists, for He must reside outside of anything that is for
His power, from Him to give cause for motion, or movement. Now, by Him all
power exists then to have power emanate from Him it must be done by his will or
it would not happen. If by His will then He is directing His power and this
direction is not simply thrown out from Himself it has meaning, that is God
directs His power to create all that is necessary for this universe and for
anything that He may create; i.e., angels. This power having direction from God
by His will then He also directs His power to make cause for any form that may
be extended and of the substance of all forms, their essence, qualities,
properties and powers, all of His creation is under His will therefore God not
only determines all things, He preserves them by His Providence. Nothing occurs
outside the will of God even when He as First Cause creates all things and give
to His creation second causes, He is still controlling all things for all
things exist according to Hs purpose(s). the Philosopher Plato in his
philosophy spoke of a god who made all things out of chaos, such as a carpenter
takes wood from a tree and makes a chair and a table, etc. Once the chair and
table are no longer in the hands of the carpenter he has no control over their
use. God is not a carpenter and as the First Cause He preserves His creation
because He is intimately associated with it and protects it and Providentially
brings about His will even in the case of any tragic event. As humans, created
by God, and are not God, we cannot comprehend with any completeness the will of
God, all we can comprehend is that which He has revealed to us and this by His
word, the Scriptures.
Let them praise the name
the LORD, for His name
alone is exalted; His glory
is above the earth and heaven.
Psalm 148:13
Pray To God For All Those Undergoing Trials
Richard L. Crumb
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