Have you ever experienced the providence of God? If so, how did you know? In this lesson we are going to find the Bible’s answers to those questions. But be warned: the answer probably isn’t what you are expecting. As a bonus, we will consider if you might be experiencing God’s providence right now—whether you’ve just inherited millions or you’re reading this from the hospital or prison. If you want to know, be sure to keep reading to the very end of this study.
Before we can identify providence, we must be able to define providence. Put another way, if you hope to see something, you have to know what you are looking for. Several years ago, I visited a local zoo with my wife and her family. My mother-in-law was struggling to spot the Komodo Dragon even though this massive lizard was literally only a few feet from her face. How could she possibly miss it, you ask? Because she didn’t know what a Komodo Dragon was! She was looking for a small tree lizard and, not finding one, assumed the dragon wasn’t there. Similarly, if we don’t understand what providence is, we might very well make the mistake of assuming it isn’t there at all.
So, what is providence? The word providence comes to us from the Latin word prōvidentia which means “foresight” or “forethought.” It suggests the idea of considering possible events and outcomes ahead of time and incorporating them into one’s plans or actions. According to the Scriptures, this is exactly what God has done. Isaiah tells us that the God of the Bible is completely unique because He is “declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose,’” (Isaiah 46:10).1 Here we see God saying that He has always been aware of everything that is going to happen and He has planned accordingly so that His ultimate purpose will be achieved. This is the idea of providence on a grand scale.
But does providence occur on a smaller, personal, non-cosmic scale? Is God’s providence active in my life? Certainly it is! Looking again at the very word “providence,” we see the word “provide” hiding in there. Providence is the means by which God provides what is needed. If God has ever provided for you, then there is a level at which you have experienced the providence of God. What is more, according to the Bible, everyone has been blessed with this degree of providence. Jesus taught that God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). God provides these natural blessings to everyone, and thus, everyone has been touched by His providence. Still, we generally associate the word “providence” with something more precise, something in particular that God has done for me specifically. Have I been providentially blessed in that way? Hold on to that question, because we will come back around to it.
For the moment, there is one more distinction we must make when it comes to defining providence. While there is a sense in which all of God’s providing actions can be called “providence,” we typically limit the term to His non-miraculous actions. To help understand the distinction, consider how God has provided for people at various points in history. While Israel was wandering in the wilderness, God provided food for them through the miraculous means of manna. Exodus 16 describes how every morning, when the dew evaporated, a fine, bread-like substance was left behind. Even more incredible was the fact that, on the morning of the Sabbath, this phenomenon didn’t occur. Instead, Israel was commanded to collect and prepare two days’ worth of food the day before so that they might rest on the Sabbath. There is no natural phenomenon that can explain these circumstances. This was God acting outside the laws of nature (laws which he himself created) to provide food for his people via what we would rightly call a miracle. You know, God still provides bread for us today. That’s what Jesus taught when he instructed his disciples to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). God continues to provide bread, but He now does so within the laws of nature by means of sending rain and sun to produce a harvest and providing us strength to work and earn a living. So, when you receive your daily food, even though it’s not provided through a miracle, thank and praise God.
You see, miraculous actions are obviously the work of God. As Nicodemus said to Jesus, “No one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2). In contrast, providence is understood to be God’s use of natural events, “chance” encounters, and even what seem to be coincidences to achieve His purposes. That is why some have defined providence as “God acting anonymously.” To borrow from the 90s television character, Steve Urkel, providence leaves us asking, “Did God do that?”
Now that we understand the basics of what providence is, let’s take a deeper look at how it functions. The most illuminating Bible verse for the concept of providence is Romans 8:28.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 NASB
For many, this is one of their most beloved passages in the Bible. But the love Christians have for this verse seems to only be matched by their misunderstanding of it. Let’s allow ourselves a few moments to dive into this verse that we might better appreciate what providence is.
As we begin, let’s notice what this passage doesn’t teach. It doesn’t teach that God causes all things. In fact, at least some of the things that happen in this world are the work—not of the Father, but of the adversary. In 1 Thessalonians 2:18, Paul mentions how he had often tried to come visit the brethren at Thessalonica, “but Satan hindered us.” Whatever these specific hindrances were, they were not the actions of God, but those of Satan. Here then is a powerful warning: if we describe every single event as providence, we will end up attributing some of the activities of Satan to God. I certainly don’t want to do that!
So, God doesn’t cause all things, but He does cause “all things to work together.” Here we begin to see the idea of providence taking shape. While some things happen which God neither caused nor intended, He has been aware of them from all eternity. Consequently, He has already factored them into His plans and He is causing them to “work together for good.” Providence is not necessarily one single act. When we look to specific examples in Scripture we most often find that God’s providence was the combination of many different events or actions “working together” towards God’s ultimate purpose.
There is another key distinction we need to make here. God’s providence causes “all things to work together for good.” How do we define good? You see, we can be experiencing good in the moment, and not even realize it. Is it good to receive God’s discipline? Absolutely! Hebrews 12:6 reminds us that “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” But in the moment, we aren’t likely to realize the good we are receiving. Notice that just five verses later, the Hebrews’s author says, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). We need to remember that if God is the Father, then we are children, and as children, we don’t always understand what is truly good for us. Paul initially thought it “good” that his thorn in the flesh be removed, so much so that he prayed three times for that result (see 2 Corinthians 12:8). Yet, God understood something Paul didn’t—that thorn was keeping Paul’s pride in check (see verse 7). Eventually, Paul came to realize that, unpleasant as it was, the thorn was a providential blessing from God. As an added point, notice that Paul also describes this thorn as a “messenger of Satan” meant to “harass” him (verse 7). Here is a very practical example of God not causing something (the thorn), but still causing it to work together for good (Paul’s humility). That is the very definition of providence. When we search for examples of providence in our lives, we don’t necessarily look for events that were pleasurable or pleasant. Rather, we want to look for results that were bringing us closer to God and more in line with His word—for that is what is truly good.
Romans 8:28 reveals one more very important point about providence that we must take great care not to miss. God “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.” The fullest level of God’s providence is reserved only for those who love Him. At first, that might not seem that restrictive. After all, don’t most people love God? Here, as always, we need to allow the Bible to define its terms, rather than assume the definitions ourselves. How does the Bible describe love for God? Jesus said it perfectly.
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 14:15
There is a level in which all people will benefit from the providence of God. But if you want to experience the fullest level of those blessings—if you want to be in the category where all things are working together for good—then you must live a life obedient to God.
Now that we understand what providence is, we are in a position to begin to look for it. But before we search for it in our own circumstances, let’s look to the Bible and a confirmed example of providence. Let’s turn our attention to the account of Joseph found in the book of Genesis, chapters 37-50. Initially, Joseph’s brothers were very jealous of him, so much so that they contemplated killing him. Eventually, they calmed themselves enough to “only” sell him as a slave to a caravan of Midianites. In turn, those Midianites carried Joseph to Egypt and sold him to one of Pharaoh’s officials known as Potiphar. There, Joseph did everything he possibly could to be a good servant to his master. Unfortunately, he drew the lustful attentions of Potiphar’s wife, and when Joseph refused her advances, she accused him of attempted rape and had him imprisoned. Again, Joseph was determined to make the best of the situation and tried to prove himself the model prisoner. Eventually, Pharaoh’s cupbearer was also thrown in prison where he met Joseph. One night, the cupbearer had a troubling dream. Joseph was able to interpret this dream to actually be a revelation of the cupbearer’s coming release. In exchange for this good news, Joseph asked the cupbearer to put in a good word with Pharaoh on Joseph’s behalf. But the cupbearer forgot, and Joseph remained in prison. Another two years passed, and Pharaoh had his own puzzling dream. At last, the cupbearer remembered Joseph who was now called before Pharaoh. Not only was Joseph able to explain this dream as a divine warning of an impending famine, he was able to offer some prudent advice on how to prepare. Impressed by his wisdom, Pharaoh elevated Joseph to the highest rank in Egypt. The ultimate result was that, when the devastating famine struck, Joseph was well positioned to provide for his family, thus saving their lives, as well as countless others.
This story illustrates both providence in action and the challenges of identifying it. It is telling that most of the events in the Joseph account are what we would classify as evil rather than good. He was hated, sold, falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten. There doesn’t seem to be a single step in this account which we would call a providential blessing. But we must remember that providence “causes all things to work together for good.” Providence used the brother’s jealousy, Potiphar’s wife’s dishonesty, and the cupbearer’s forgetfulness to bring Joseph where he needed to be. Although God truly was there with Joseph all along (as we see in Genesis 39:2, 5, 21), such only became apparent once the entire story played out. It was nearly two decades after these events that Joseph, with the benefit of hindsight, was able to say to his brothers:
You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.
Genesis 50:20
Joseph understood something extremely important about providence—it is very hard to see in the middle of the story. Rather, it is best seen from the end by looking backward at the numerous steps that occurred. Joseph was where Pharaoh could find him because the cupbearer had forgotten to mention him sooner. He was able to meet the cupbearer in prison because his master’s wife had lied about him. He was in Egypt in the first place because his brothers had sold him. All these events were playing a part, but it was only after the entire story played out that Joseph could see how God had been with him all along.
So, what if we are in the middle of our own story? What if we don’t yet know exactly what the end is going to be? Can we look at a specific event and call it the providence or intended purpose of God? Well, the Bible addresses this as well. Much like the account of Joseph, the book of Esther records a series of unlikely events by which one of God’s people (in this case, Esther) was positioned to be an instrument of deliverance. Listen to what her relative Mordecai said about that possibility while the story was still unfolding:
And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Esther 4:14
Ask Mordecai, “Has God positioned Esther so that she might save the Jews?” and he will humbly respond, “Who knows?” We see something very similar in the New Testament book of Philemon. Philemon had a servant by the name of Onesimus. This servant ran away to Rome where he met the apostle Paul and was ultimately converted to Jesus Christ. Speaking of this improbable chain of events, Paul said:
For perhaps this is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
Philemon 15–16
Great caution must be taken when we claim an action as providential and from that claim attempt to extrapolate God’s purpose. What do I mean by that? Suppose you were in a situation and chose action X. If you see immediate benefits, you might assume, “This is a providential reply. God wants me to keep doing X.” Did you know that on July 20, 1944, Adolf Hitler survived an assassination plot and interpreted such as proof that God was with him? He assumed this was God’s providence. Consequently, Hitler became convinced that Germany would win World War 2 and the Nazi Reich would thrive. So, he kept fighting and committing countless atrocities.2 Obviously, his conclusions were incorrect. But if we interpret a blessing as a conclusive sign of God’s providential approval, we’re fundamentally guilty of the same shortcoming. No one can know what God is thinking unless He tells us. As Paul says:
For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 2:11
To say, “This was the action and intention of God” where God hasn’t said so, is to speak for God and that is one of the most presumptuous things any human can do. Understanding that, the wisdom of Mordecai’s “who knows?” and Paul’s “perhaps” becomes clear.
Now, at last, let’s return to our original question. How can you identify God’s providence in your life? With all due respect, you can’t. I know from the Bible that God has providentially blessed me. There have even been moments in my life where I believe I can see the hand of providence. But unless God specifically reveals, “I did that!” I can’t say for sure. The best I can do is echo Paul and say, “Perhaps this is what God was doing.”
What then should be our attitude towards providence? We should believe in it, because the Bible clearly teaches that God remains active in the world and especially in the lives of believers. Whenever we encounter blessings, we should thank God, for “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). When we encounter difficulties, we should remember that God can and is using even this to ultimately bring forth good. But we should not take a definitive stand and say, “This was God’s providence.” If all Paul could say is “perhaps,” well, I dare not go beyond that.
When we started this lesson, I raised the possibility that you may be experiencing God’s providence right now. How so? Well, I don’t know the particular set of circumstances that led you to read this article, but something did. We at Topical Bible Studies are simply interested in pursuing God’s truth found in Scripture. So maybe, you have further questions you’d like to explore. Why not search the website for them, or submit a question you’d like to see tackled in a future study? Perhaps, God’s providence brought you here, that you might better understand and obey his truth. And after all, wouldn’t that be the ultimate good?
- Except where noted, Scripture quotations in this article are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ↩︎
- Manvell, Roger, and Heinrich Fraenkel. The Men Who Tried to Kill Hitler, 135. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2008. ↩︎