Virtual Service September 4, 2022
What the Bible Tells Us about God’s Providence
Ephesians 1:11 In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.
Throughout the Bible, God tells us He has a plan and a purpose for everything: from the least to the greatest. He has designed it to achieve a particular end, and He directs it so that it will surely reach that end.
God’s Providence
God is Sovereign over All – As King of kings and Lord of lords, God has no limitations (1 Timothy 6:15 and Revelation 19:16).
- God is before all things.
Revelation 21:6 He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end….
- God created all things.
Colossians 1:16 For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.
- God can do all things and accomplish all things.
Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You.
- God is in control of all things.
Psalm 103:19 The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
Matthew 5:45 … He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.
God’s Providence Stands In Direct Opposition To The Idea Of Chance Or Fate.
God’s Providence Doesn’t Leave Things to Chance
God controls the small things:
Proverbs 16:33 – The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.
Proverbs 18:18 – Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart.
God’s Providence in Nature
Earthquakes:
Job 9:6 He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble.
Famine:
Leviticus 26:18 –20 If after all this you will not listen to Me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit.
Drought:
Amos 4:7-8 I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.
Plagues:
Exodus 9:1-4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.” If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”
God’s Providence over Plants and Animals
Plants:
Matthew 6:28-30 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Animals:
Psalm 147:9 He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.
God Provides for every living thing!
Job 12:10 In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
God’s Everyday Providence
He is sustaining all things:
Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word…
He preserves all things:
Nehemiah 9:6 -You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship You.
God works all things together for our good and His glory
Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
Romans 11:36 – For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.
God’s providence is very much an everyday reality:
Ephesians 1:11 In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.
God’s Extraordinary Providence
Joseph Reassures His Brothers
Genesis 50:15–21 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.