For the first time we have Dan from the Bible Basics Webinar (www.biblebasicswebinar.com) here to talk with us about the providence of God. This is an essential Bible study because it gets at the heart of how we perceive the circumstances of our life. Are events just by chance or can God manipulate them for his purpose? This question leads us to consider many examples from the Bible of how God works behind the scenes in the lives of believers.

Key Verse:

“But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.” Ecclesiastes 9:1

Show Notes:

What is Providence?

• the invisible hand of God working in our lives
• Example of Elisha (2 Kings 6:15-17)
• The angels (Psalm 34:7)
• The book The Ways of Providence by Robert Roberts (hardcopy here or here)
• Awareness of God in our lives

Providence vs. Miracles

• Providence is more applicable to today
• Example of the healing of the man blind from birth in John 9
• His healing = a miracle
• His circumstances = providence “that the works of God might be manifest in him”

Providence vs. Time and Chance

• Ecc. 9:1 “the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God” vs. Ecc. 9:11 “time and chance happens to them all”
• “God has control of chance, but not all chance is controlled by God” (The Ways of Providence, Robert Roberts., pg. 5)
• Proverbs 3:5-6 - God will direct our paths, if… 1) we acknowledge Him. 2) trust in Him. 3) lean not on our own understanding
• God’s direction over our lives can be lost (e.g. Saul 1 Samuel 18:12; 28:15)

Life Won’t Always Be Easy Because of Providence

• Example of Job - “shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:9-10)
• God promised to keep Jacob in all his ways (Genesis 28:15; 41:9; 48:16)
• “All things work together for them that love God…” (Romans 8:28-32)

The Importance of Knowing God’s Will

• Danger of assuming that circumstances in life are clearly a result of God pointing us in a certain direction (e.g. of David with Saul in 1 Samuel 26:7-11,18-19)
• We must make life decisions based on Biblical discernment, not on what appears to be a direction God is sending us

We Might Be the Instrument of Providence for Others

• God uses various means to accomplish his will
• Control of nature
• The angels
• Us! Examples of Abigail (1 Samuel 25:26,32-34 and Esther 4:14)