Thought for Today

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,  

Psalm 104:3 you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, 4 you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers.  

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  

“providence, divine (Gk. pronoia, “forethought”; Lat. providere, “to provide beforehand”) God’s maintenance, guidance, and continuing involvement with creation and humans as means of carrying out divine purposes in history ( Acts 4:28; Rom.8:29-30; Eph. 1:5, 11)” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, pg. 226)

Like many reading this, when I encountered the word ‘providence’ in my devotional reading this morning (Coffee with Calvin, pg. 5), my first thought was about a town in Rhode Island. Early in our New England journey, we visited Providence, RI to attend WaterFire, “an immersive public art event . . . WaterFire evenings consist of eighty-six burning braziers (each with approximately 33 pieces of wood); some float just above the surface of the rivers that flow through . . . the middle of downtown Providence . . . “ (en.wikipedia.org) It was a great trip, worth seeing, but impressive as it was, WaterFire pales in comparison to divine providence.

In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin devotes a great amount of space and time to divine providence. The devotional I read this morning began with a quote, “Gratitude of mind for the favorable outcome of things, patience in adversity, and also incredible freedom from worry about the future all necessarily follow upon this knowledge. (Institutes 1.17.7)” Much of chapters XVI and XVII are devoted to divine providence. Calvin wrote, “. . . I infer that no wind ever arises or increases except by God’s express command.” (Institutes 1.16.6) Jesus offers us that same truth, “Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”

Yet, I cannot ever remember hearing or preaching a sermon on divine providence. The message is implicit in almost everything I write or say, but I wonder whether or not I subconsciously avoid directly confronting the doctrine of divine providence. I do not disagree with those words of Calvin; I do feel the gratitude and patience. However, I spent far too much of my life living in an area prone to hurricanes, tornadoes and northers. I have witnessed the destructive power of wind and water, even personally experienced some minor loss and suffering. Is it merely easier for me to eschew even trying to reconcile divine providence, God’s love and the destructive power of nature?

John Calvin is often credited with having written the first systematic theological treatise. In seminary, we read extensively from Calvin, and the theology of both faith traditions I serve is largely based on Calvin. In my first course on systematic theology, the professor introduced us to what she called the Leibnitzian Dilemma. She paraphrased Leibnitz, telling us, “you cannot reconcile an omnipotent God, a loving God and the existence of evil.” I often quote that and remind myself of that when I encounter problems understanding doctrines such as divine providence.

I believe in the omnipotence of God. I believe that “God so loved the world.” I have survived more than 1 hurricane, seen the destruction wrought by  wind and water. Most importantly, I know that I am not God. Some things are just beyond my ken, above my paygrade. I do sometimes wonder what our world might be like were more of God’s children to know and accept that only God is God. Only God can explain the whys and wherefores of everything in Creation.

I often reference Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” This morning, I’m leaning heavily on that word ‘humbly.’ There is a lesson there for us all.

Do justice, love kindness, be humble, trust God,

Pastor Ray