Good providence.
I have been blessed to get to know some really great people over the past few years. These individuals have influenced and taught me in more ways than I can count, sometimes without even knowing. Often, God speaks to me through them. Sometimes it is a message I needed right that moment and sometimes it is a lesson I store away that comes in handy later. Regardless, I can see God at work in my life through the hands of those around me.
Today, I received an email from one of those people and it got me thinking about a word: providence. I wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but I knew the general context of it, so I looked it up and this was the definition I found: the foreseeing care and guidance of God.
As this person pointed out to me in the email, providence is the opposite of luck. When we depend on luck, things could work out for the best. That would be "good luck." But there's such thing as "bad luck" also.
There is no such thing as "bad providence." Paul reminds us in 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." While we understand this concept, it doesn't always seem like God is working for our good. In fact, sometimes we are convinced He is punishing us. However, God's promise to work for our good doesn't always mean he'll do what we want.
Sometimes, God's work is painful. It's like having a surgery or getting shots; we need it, but it hurts. However, this idea of providence can give us hope. It means that our pain isn't pointless. It means that the things that seem to happen by chance in our lives, where we live, who we work with, or people we meet, aren't the result of good or bad luck. These things aren't random at all, we're told.
They are God, working for our own good. So as you go through the next week, I don't feel the need to wish you good luck. Instead, I want to remind you: luck may fail us, providence never will.
Today, I received an email from one of those people and it got me thinking about a word: providence. I wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but I knew the general context of it, so I looked it up and this was the definition I found: the foreseeing care and guidance of God.
As this person pointed out to me in the email, providence is the opposite of luck. When we depend on luck, things could work out for the best. That would be "good luck." But there's such thing as "bad luck" also.
There is no such thing as "bad providence." Paul reminds us in 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." While we understand this concept, it doesn't always seem like God is working for our good. In fact, sometimes we are convinced He is punishing us. However, God's promise to work for our good doesn't always mean he'll do what we want.
Sometimes, God's work is painful. It's like having a surgery or getting shots; we need it, but it hurts. However, this idea of providence can give us hope. It means that our pain isn't pointless. It means that the things that seem to happen by chance in our lives, where we live, who we work with, or people we meet, aren't the result of good or bad luck. These things aren't random at all, we're told.
They are God, working for our own good. So as you go through the next week, I don't feel the need to wish you good luck. Instead, I want to remind you: luck may fail us, providence never will.
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