About 4 minutes to read
God Governs What He Has Made
The Lord hasn't left the world to run itself. What happens to you isn't outside his care, even when you can't understand it.
Creation answers where everything came from. Providence answers why creation doesn't fall apart and who governs it now. The Westminster Confession says God upholds, directs, disposes, and governs all creatures and actions, from the greatest to the least (WCF 5.1 (opens in a new tab)). Jesus said a sparrow doesn't fall to the ground apart from your Father (Matthew 10:29-31 (opens in a new tab)). Nothing is too small for his care.
That doesn't mean every event is good in itself. Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. Their malice was real. Years later Joseph could say that they meant evil against him, but God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20 (opens in a new tab)). Their sin was theirs. God's wise purpose was his. Scripture gives us both truths, and we don't need to deny one to protect the other.
Does God Cause People to Sin?
God's decree includes everything that comes to pass, but he is never the author or approver of sin (WCF 3.1 (opens in a new tab) and 5.4). The wicked act willingly and bear responsibility for what they do. God is holy, even when he overrules their actions for his purpose.
Look at the crucifixion. Christ was delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, and those who crucified him acted with wicked hands (Acts 2:23 (opens in a new tab)). The greatest evil done by men fulfilled God's saving purpose. Their guilt wasn't imaginary, and neither was God's sovereignty.
Don't use providence to excuse your own choices. If you've sinned, repent. If someone has harmed you, the wrong remains wrong. God's government of the event doesn't turn cruelty into righteousness.
God Works Through Ordinary Means
Because the Lord orders outcomes, we can pray with confidence. Because he also orders the means, we still have work to do. The farmer sows and the Lord gives the increase. A sick person may see a doctor while praying for healing. A parent teaches a child while asking God to open that child's heart.
Westminster Confession 5.3 says God ordinarily uses means, yet remains free to work without, above, and against them. Faith in providence doesn't mean staying in danger when you can escape it. Paul knew God had promised the lives of those aboard his ship, but he still told the centurion that the sailors must remain if they were to be saved (Acts 27:22-25 (opens in a new tab), 31).
When Providence Hurts
Some readers will arrive here after a diagnosis, a death, or a betrayal. I won't tell you that you ought to know why it happened. Job never received an itemized explanation of his losses. The Lord answered him by revealing his greatness, and Job humbled himself before him.
The Confession teaches that God sometimes permits his own children to experience temptations and the corruption remaining in them, to humble them and teach them dependence (WCF 5.5 (opens in a new tab)). But that isn't permission for us to tell every sufferer what secret lesson God must be teaching. We don't know the secret counsel of God.
What we do know is that the Father's care doesn't fail. If you belong to Christ, your suffering isn't the condemnation he bore in your place (Romans 8:1 (opens in a new tab)). God works all things together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28 (opens in a new tab)). Paul goes on to define that good as being conformed to the image of his Son. The promise isn't that this week will be pleasant.
What Should I Do With This?
Do the duty in front of you. Pray for what you need. Take wise counsel from Scripture and your elders. Give thanks for mercies you've noticed. When the Lord's ways are hidden, you may grieve honestly without calling him unfaithful. Psalm 77 (opens in a new tab) gives you words to pray.
You don't have to pretend to understand providence before you trust the Lord who governs it. If you're struggling with the sense that God has left you, read When God Feels Far. If you are grieving a loss, the Comfort section speaks more directly to that sorrow.