Providence Everyday
“My beloved wife, Providence has brought me to this point in my life, and I know not what Providence has in store for me tomorrow. And if it should be according to Providence that I not survive the morrow, I will entrust the care of you and of the children to that same benevolent Providence.” – Civil War Soldier
If you have seen Ken Burn’s masterful work on the American Civil War, you might recognize the style of writing here. It is characteristic of the way people spoke to one another in the mid-1800s. Of course, “Providence” here is a euphemism for God—for some reason, perhaps out of respect, people were more comfortable speaking about “the Creator” or “Providence” than of “God” or “the Lord.”
But, why would they use the term “Providence” for God, anyway? What’s the best way to understand “providence?”
It’s a safe bet that every one of us has looked back on some event that we originally considered a hardship or a difficulty and, with the benefit of hindsight, realized that God was surprisingly present in the midst of the struggle. What was experienced as tragedy was eventually seen as part of the plan of the Lord—even as a blessing. This work of God, this evidence of His hand at work, this is what we call “providence.”
According to the Bible, God is not only the Creator of the world, but He is actively involved at every minute with the governing, upholding, and directing of all things. The idea that the world functions smoothly (or, not so much!) on its own, only occasionally nudged into the correct direction by the divine is a foreign thought to the Bible. Job puts it this way—“If it were God’s intention and He withdrew His Spirit, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust” (Job 34:14-15). Or, as Paul said, “In Him, we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). In other words, God’s care and engagement with His world is not random or rare, but consistent and necessary.
This robust view of God’s governance of all things is both tremendously comforting and, at the same time, frightening. Comforting because we can be assured of the Lord’s hand actively working in all things, and frightening since so much of what happens in this world seems so out-of-control. It’s great to know that God is present in times of difficulty, but…why are there times of difficulty at all? Jesus comforts us in our sorrow, but why in His providence do we have sorrow at all? If God governs all, does that also mean He governs the bad? The tragic?
We are, of course, left only (but sufficiently!) with the promises of the Scripture—that God’s presence in times of stress is right and true; that His comfort is abundant and enough; that His plan is perfect and good. And, when we are unjustly suffering, when we are lonely, when we are captive to the sin of this world, God’s providence remains. We are, simply put, no different than the Lord we follow: for Christ Himself, the Sovereign Ruler of all things, nevertheless, for His own divine purposes, was subjected to unjust suffering, loneliness, captivity, and eventually even death. Yet, we cannot doubt the guiding hand of the Lord in all things—for God’s plan of salvation marches on, and we are eternally blessed because of it.
To see more of God’s providence at work, read Genesis 40 in preparation for this week’s worship.
1. Why do you think the nature of the offense the cupbearer and the baker committed is not detailed here?
2. Here in verses 3 and 4, we see that the two prisoners are put into the hands of "the captain of the guard." Look back at 39:1 to identify who that might be. How can we see the hand of Providence at work in this?
3. Verse 4, the "captain of the guard" places Joseph in charge of these prisoners. What does that tell you about his relationship with Joseph even after the events of chapter 39?
4. Describe Joseph's character as portrayed in verses 6-8. What might we learn about ministry and service, and ultimately, the work of Jesus from this portrayal?
5. In verse 8, Joseph asks a hypothetical question: "Do not interpretations belong to God?" Obviously, the answer is, "Yes, they do!" But, why is that answer obvious? What bearing does that have on our story here?
6. What does Joseph hope for in verse 14? How is that characteristic of much of ministry? What lesson might we draw from Joseph's request and the fact that it is not honored? What explains the cupbearer's "forgetting" of Joseph? How does the biblical writer want you to see this?
7. What reasons might explain why God used two different dreams here in this story? Why not just follow the cupbearer and his restoration? Why include the story of the baker?
