Divine Providence

   My message is on just a minute fraction of divine providence. Providence falls into the category of the divine order or operation of what God created, His economy, His divine guidance.
   Providence has no day of rest. A similitude of this is our heart; it never sleeps. When we sleep, it keeps right on beating. God created everything and then He rested. But what He put into operation continued to run and is still running the exact same way He put it into motion.
   We observe God’s providential operation, or economy, every day. The sun rises every morning at God’s precise order and timing. He placed the moon in its orbit and it follows His set pattern. The trees and plant life continue their cycle year after year. All of life continues in its same species the way He created it and He sustains it.
   If we look upon God’s providential dealings with a mere eye of reason, we will not discover the whole truth. We must be attuned to who God is in order to appreciate what He has created and His sustaining attributes. There are many people in the world who take everything for granted, or think it’s their just compensation and God is not even considered in their realm of reasoning for their subsistence.
   The truth of providence comes from above - God’s hand closes around us on all sides. As the old song goes: “He’s got the whole world in His hands.”  By Him all things consist.  Every object is an impression of His handiwork. Each new day repeats the wonder of creation. Each morning when we open our eyes, we meet a scene as wonderful and beautiful as that which Adam awoke to in the garden.
   There is not a grain of sand or a pearl, a blade of grass or a flower, a mountaintop or a valley, a bug or an eagle, a dewdrop or an ocean, or the grandeur of the sky above that does not adorn itself with the providence of God.
   The Bible sets forth two great doctrines of creation and providence.  It affirms on the one hand that everything in the universe has its origin in the creative power of God, and on the other, that everything is sustained by the providence of God. In these two doctrines - if we put them into perspective with the Gospel of John chapter 1, verses 1 through 14, we have the sum and substance of biblical truth.
   When we look at providence in the realm of the human race, we could cite many occurrences in Scripture, in history, in our nation, and in our own experience.
   We readily observe, and are amazed at how God providentially interceded in the lives of person after person throughout Scripture and history, and yet so often we do not trust His divine guidance available to us.
   Let the life of Moses flash through your mind. You can have no doubt that all the events in his life were orchestrated by God Himself. Pharaoh learned that a babe was going to be raised up to delivery Israel out of his domain. He made a decree to slay all the firstborn males of Israel. Then God saved Moses and used Pharaoh to rear the very child who would be used to defeat him!  What an incredible paradox. God used the very oppressor to rear Moses who was to be the deliverer of the Hebrew people.
   There is not an oppressor, or oppression, that God cannot deliver His people from. When God sets a time and place to expedite His will, nothing can deter Him. When one trusts God and comes under His divine providence, he is in the safest zone he will ever enter.
   In Deuteronomy 29:2, 3, 9, Moses re-iterates what God did for Israel through His divine providence and exhorts them to be obedient to Him in order to retain His favor. And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did [Moses was but a vessel] before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; the great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles. Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do. That’s divine providence!  There is but one source of happiness and well-being - the favor of God.
   God blesses obedience, and He always assists in what He demands of us, and it is always for our own good. Blessings always come when one hearkens to God's divine revelation - His providence. In order for one to be wise in his ways, he must allow God to lead. When God leads, He protects and provides. When we trust and obey, there is no other way to be happy.
Jeremiah 29:11 shows us what providence is: “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
   An expected end - that’s a hope and a future!  When you trust God’s divine providence, you have an expected end.  In whatever you do, if God is in it, it has to be successful. He has the whole world in His hands; He has the hope of your future in His hands. He is in it to give you an expected end!
   Hope of an expected end is like a spring in a watch: it sets all the wheels of the soul in motion. With God, whatever you do in life, you do it with hope of an expected end.  You trust in His promise to be with you and bring your desires to fruition.  For instance, a farmer would never plant a seed if he didn't have an expected end that a crop would be produced. God's providence puts and maintains the process of production. He is the Creator and Sustainer.
   In God's providence, He uses whatever it takes to get our attention.  A few illustrations from Scripture are: The burning bush. God used it to get Moses’ attention. He thereby commissioned Moses to deliver His people out of Egyptian bondage. The expected end was they were delivered. Next, God made a walking stick perform to convince Pharaoh that He is Lord. The expected end was the children of Israel were led out of the land of Egypt by Moses. Then God parted the Red Sea. The expected end was the Israelites went through on dry land and Pharaoh’s army was drowned.
All through Scripture, God’s divine providence is eminent.  God created everything - He has no problem manipulating things or people to accomplish His purpose.  He is in control of the animate and the inanimate. He is in control today the same as He was in the days of Moses. When we put our life in His hands, He guides us every step of the way, and when this life is over, He will take us into the next.
   Divine personal providence is not a list of do’s and don’ts. We look all through Scripture and we find it is solely a SURRENDERED LIFE. We look at the Apostle Paul who gave up his pharisaical ways of do's and don'ts. He only had one desire:  “Lord what would you have me to do?” He proceeded in that surrendered state.
   Before I knew what was inside a Bible, on July 3, 1968, I acknowledged God and surrendered my will to Him and simply asked Him, “Lord, what would you have me do?” I trusted then and continue to trust His divine providence. Everything in my life - the building of my home, my vocation, my work, and more - I accredit it all to my Savior and His divine providence.
   If you want divine guidance, the answer is simply to ask, “Lord, what would you have me to do?”  He will not only show you --- He will empower you.  He will be with you every step of the way!
   Ephesians 1:19 says,  “And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.”  That’s His providence in your life!
   We will get into helpless places, or situations that are beyond our control or comprehension, but they are not beyond His.  There are no helpless places or situations with Him.  His divine presence and providence is everywhere. All we have to do is avail ourselves to Him.
   Psalm 37:4-5 says, “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.  That’s divine providence.
   Psalm 121: 1-2 says, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”
   Life sometimes throws grief and despair our way, but it need only be for a moment, because God is the lord of peace and deliverance.  Nothing is incredible considering the greatness of the works of God. Nothing is too hard for Him - His divine providence will prevail.
   People today imagine that the prosperity they enjoy is not derived from the favor of God, or His divine providence, but assume, or take it for granted, that their own power and undertaking is the proper cause of the bountiful condition they are in. Therefore, they do not turn to Him because they do not think they need Him. Their lives are centered on the material, and in our fast-paced world, they don't stop long enough to think about His providence, death, or eternity. It’s all about me, and it’s all about now!
   God is still the source, even if one does not take Him into the equation. He is the only one who holds each person’s destiny in His hand.  Whether one believes in Him or not - He still renders the final judgment.