God's Providence is the Creator's plan for His creation.

Greetings, dear readers.

The eternal question in our lives is not “to be or not to be,” which tormented Hamlet. What controls this world: Divine providence or chance?

When I first became a Christian, I had a lot of questions. I constantly asked them to believers who already understood something about the Bible and the Christian faith. But the main dilemma for me was to understand who or what controls a person’s destiny.

Many people use different words to describe events in life that seem to happen by chance. It could be rock, fate, destiny or some other definition. But the essence, in general, is the same. Are we either guided in all situations by God's hand, or are we carried by the wind of life's changes like a leaf falling from a tree.

Either we make our own decisions and get what we have. Either inexorable fate and unfair fate decide for us. Or is there an Almighty and Sovereign God behind everything?

Philosophers, believers and atheists argue with each other, trying to prove their point of view. But the facts, like melting snow in our hands, slip through our fingers.

What is God's providence

But we, as Christians, rely on the fact that God created this world out of nothing. And believers of different denominations agree that God is the Creator of our universe. Disagreements begin in the questions of how the Lord did this and whether He continues to participate in the fate of the world.

I will explain how I understand the word “fate” so that there is no misunderstanding of the meaning that I put into it. It’s just when some people say: fate, fate, destiny. They imply events that are inevitable and will happen in any case, regardless of our desire. But behind these life events there is no one standing, except for an impersonal concept.

But I believe in a different destiny. The one that God has ordained for us. It is He who stands behind all incidents, people and accidents. Yes, even accidents in God's plan are instruments in His hand.

The Lord looks down from heaven and sees all the sons of men;

from the throne on which He sits, He looks down upon all who live on earth:

He created the hearts of all of them and looks into all their affairs.

Psalm 32:13-15

Let's define what Divine Providence is. The word providence comes from the Latin word “providere,” which literally means “to foresee.” But its meaning contains something more than just knowledge about the future. It implies predetermination of the future.

If we believe that God created this world, then creation is not an accident. We exclude from our worldview the explosion that led to the origin of existence. After all, chaos cannot produce order. Above creation sits the wise Creator, Who has a purpose for every thing in the universe.

So now we come to a question that has also troubled the minds of philosophers and religious people. Does God continue to be present in this world and control it? Or did He create it and leave it to its fate?

The fact of creation is irrefutable if you look at everything around you. You don't have to be a scientist to see the beauty and order, wisdom and love of God for us. But the fact that God preserves, directs and controls this world is also irrefutable.

How Divine Providence Manifests itself

Divine providence must be seen and properly understood. After all, the Almighty Creator does not work directly, but sends his own signs to each of us:

• Explicit
  . Often such providences are seen by a person in cases when he needs to radically change his life path once and for all. In the text of the Bible you can read more than once about similar signs that appear to the son of God in the form of a bright flash or with the help of a voice address.
• Indirect
  . Unusual events happen in the life of a certain person: winning the lottery, meeting your future husband/wife, an accidental promotion, etc. events that we sometimes call miracles or luck. The believer deserves such a reward for his righteous life and good deeds.
• Fateful
  . The most difficult providences that beset an individual leading an unconscious life: the death of a loved one, a serious illness, an unexpected loss of work. In such situations, a person seems to wake up, look at his past life and “work on his mistakes.” Despite serious troubles, a person who has made the correct conclusion about what happened reaches considerable heights in all areas of life.

God preserves and guides the world

But there are believers who believe that God created the world, established the laws of nature and left his creation. I have heard opinions that God does not participate in people’s lives, but watches us from the outside, without interfering in the course of history.

It turns out that God is like a watchmaker, who made a clock, wound it, and it continues to tick. The only problem is that the watch often breaks. And if the Lord does not preserve and govern the world, then we are in greater danger than we think.

After all, the laws of nature may one day get out of control. The sun may explode, and we will be left without light and heat, as if the lights in our house are turned off. But without sunlight we will freeze and die. The Earth may collide with meteorites or other disasters will occur. We all managed to watch films about Armageddon, and we have enough fantasies about this.

If this is true, then God is like the Creator who gave birth to the world and pushed it to move like a ball. And he continues to roll towards a goal unknown to him. But the Lord not only began the movement of the universes, but also continues to direct their course.

If the earth revolves around the sun only because the Creator once directed it, but does not support further movement. Then tomorrow she may stop like a broken down car in the middle of the road.

The doctrine of Divine direction teaches us that the Divine hand directs everything in this world. God preserves every object: planets, plants, animals and people. And he manages everything as a sovereign master in his house.

It is said that God created everything with His Word. And He continues to hold everything that exists by His Word.

Hebrews 1:3 says of Christ, “…Upholding all things by the Word of His power.”

The Greek word translated here as “to hold” is the word φέρω, “to carry.” It does not simply mean “to hold” or “to support.” It has the meaning of active, authoritative control over a thing being transferred from place to place. Jesus “continually carries all things” into the world by the Word of His power. Christ is effectively involved in the work of providence.

Our idea of ​​God will be too far from reality if we assume that his creative act did not last long and was finally completed after the creation of the world. This is what the pagans and the ignorant think; we must certainly dissociate ourselves from them and declare that the creative power of God is invariably present in the world - in its present state, as at creation.

John Calvin

These principles can be seen in nature. On TV or on the Internet, you can now find out what the weather was like on this day: ten or twenty years ago. But you don’t even need to look far. I just looked: a year ago on this day it was -10, and today it’s +7 outside. This already shows that everything in nature does not happen all the time.

My mother likes to garden at her dacha in the summer. Plants potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes. But it differs from year to year. This year there were a lot of cucumbers, but last year there were almost none. Harvest and failure are not in our hands. Rain and sun are not in our control. We, of course, have learned to predict the weather. And in our city, during holidays and parades, they shoot from cannons at the clouds to disperse storm clouds. But this will definitely have little effect on the climate. God gives sun and rain, drought and abundance.

There is one humorous story about a certain clergyman. One day the priest was getting ready to go on vacation. A neighbor suggested that he water the lawn while he was away. “I thank you for your concern,” the priest replied, “but I have already taken other measures in this regard.” And then, after he left, the neighbor saw that the rain was pouring on the priest’s lawn, but not on the adjacent yards and plots.

Orthodox Life

There is an ancient parable that speaks this way about God’s providence.

Near the source, the boy was playing children's games, running among the flowers; then he got tired, sat down by the water and dozed off. And so he dreams of Fortune and says to the dozing boy: “Poor thing! You sat down in a place from which you could easily fall into the water and die: get up and get away from here so that no trouble happens, otherwise, if trouble happens to you, everyone will blame me and say: it was not you who slept, but I fell asleep and did not warn you from that trouble.” Here is a mythological statement about the existence of Divine Providence. All Christians know about whom the Psalmist said: behold, the guardian of Israel shall not sleep;

(Ps 120:4).

God has such watchful eyes that nothing can be hidden from them; ears so sensitive that nothing can fly past them unheard, for He hears and knows all thoughts; He has arms so long that no one can escape them. Ancient philosophers reached this consciousness only through reason, but we draw this knowledge from the books of Holy Scripture.

1

Jesus, the son of Sirach, speaks at length about Divine Providence: God foresees everything from century to century, and there is nothing marvelous before Him; The works of all flesh are before Him, and it is impossible to hide from His eyes. You can’t say: “What is this? What is this for?”, for everything was created for its own use

(Sir 39.25–27).

God sees, examines and foresees the past, present and future in one instant of His vision. All are inherent in His eyes: Adam and the Antichrist, the entire human race, all creatures. The Providence of God can never change; This is well expressed by Sirach: all the works of the Lord are very beneficial, and every command of Him will be fulfilled in due time; and you can’t say: “What is this? what is this for?” for everything will be revealed in due time.

(Sir 39, 21–22).

That is why Blessed Augustine says: “To recognize the existence of God and not recognize that He foresees the whole future is obvious madness.” Truly, God's Providence is quick

spreads
from one end to the other and arranges everything for the benefit
(Wisdom 8: 1): from the highest Seraphim, even to the smallest ant on earth, God’s watchful care descends, much less ever departs.
Even in ancient times, Moses and Aaron proclaimed: tonight you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Me in the morning

saw His
glory
(Exodus 16:6-7).
Truly, on the evening of death we will all recognize God’s wondrous Providence for us; For from the Lord are the steps of man ordered;
How can a person know his path? (Proverbs 10, 24). Often God, who wisely provides for us, leads us along the disastrous, barely passable roads of life, but the Lord knows well which way He will lead us into the heavenly paradise gardens. Why should we raise piteous cries against the wisest and most reliable Guide in our lives? Why say if we are following the path determined for us by God: “Where are You leading us? It seems that we have long ago strayed from the right path.”

“Do not be sad, my friend,” God mysteriously tells us, “trust only Me: I will see you through safely, you will not grieve at all when you finish your journey.” Thus, each of us on the path of life, from the day of birth to the day of departure into eternal life, is accompanied by God’s Providence, if only we remain faithful to God’s guidance indicated by our Savior in His Holy Gospel. It is enough for us that this is the only safe path, and what if it seems difficult and inconvenient?

2

Speaking about the Providence of God, one cannot help but recall the story of the Israeli king Saul. There was no such kind and courageous man in the tribe of Israel at that time who would surpass him; but he did not retain his valor until the end of his life and was subsequently rejected by God. Saul, sent by his father to look for the missing donkeys, found himself a kingdom. Let us consider here the Providence of God about this man.

God told the prophet Samuel: “Tomorrow at this time (it was noon) I will send

to you a man from the land of Benjamin; and you shall anoint him as king over My people Israel.” God's sending of Saul to Samuel was as follows: Saul's father had lost his donkeys, and he sent his son to look for them. Saul, taking one of his servants with him, went in search. They passed through Mount Ephraim and the land of Shalisha; but the donkeys were not found; and they passed through the land of Shaalim and through the land of Benjamin, and were not found, and when they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, “Let us go back, so that our father, forgetting about the asses, will not worry about us and be forced to look for ourselves."

At the same time, the servant said: “Here, in this city, there is a man of God, a respected man, whatever he says comes true: shouldn’t we ask him about the donkeys?” Saul found this advice from his servant to be reasonable and helpful. This is the way God sent Saul to Samuel (cf. 1 Samuel 9:1-7). But before they saw each other and began to talk, the Lord revealed to Samuel that Saul who came to him was the one who should be anointed as king to rule the Jewish people. Everything happened, according to the incomprehensible order of God, in an apparently ordinary order: Saul found the donkeys, and received a kingdom that he had never thought about.

Oh, what an incomprehensible abyss of God's Providence! What a great secret! How different are the destinies of God from the thoughts of men. Saul did not think at all about the royal crown and scepter, but by the favor of God he was elevated to the throne. So, it was not by chance that the donkeys ran away, it was not by chance that Saul was sent to look for them, it was not by chance that he did not find them for a long time, and it was not by chance that the servant advised the master to go to the seer Samuel: all this happened according to God's Providence and the secret inspiration to the executors of His will for this purpose. to make Saul king of Israel.

At the same time, the question arises by itself: why did God want to anoint Saul to the kingdom, about whom God foresaw that Saul would subsequently fall into wickedness and end his life miserably? Instead of a direct answer, I will offer my questions. Why did God create in His grace Angels, about whom He knew in advance that they would resist God and, forever rejected by Him for sin, would suffer in Gehenna? Why did God settle Adam in a paradise dwelling when he knew that Adam would not live long in paradise and would be expelled from it? Why did Christ number Judas Iscariot among the apostolic ranks, about whom he knew in advance that he would become His traitor? Why did Christ send His apostles to the Samaritan village, knowing that they would not be accepted there? What is the reason for such changes in God's determinations? But you will find thousands of such cases.

Saint Jerome answers similar questions: “Do you want to know the reason for such changes? Here it is: God judges not future actions, but present ones and does not condemn anyone according to His foreknowledge, although He knows that a good person at the present time will subsequently change into a worthless and evil one; with all this, in His mercy, He puts him in the position that he currently deserves, and gives him strength in case of a fall, to turn to the true path through repentance.”

Adam sinned not because God foresaw his sin, but God foresaw that Adam would sin of his own free will. Saint Ambrose argues in the same way: “He did not sin because he received a commandment, or Judas because he was chosen to be an apostle; for God did not impose on them the need for one to break the commandment, and for the other to become a traitor: both of them, if they had kept their duties sacred, they could have restrained themselves from sin.”

Those whom God knows will lead a virtuous life are often evil at first, and those whom He knows will sin and become evil are at first good. As you stand now, be careful not to fall. The Holy Apostle Peter fell: be careful; Judas has fallen, and his example should prevent you from falling. This is our greatest instruction, says Euthymius, that no effort and zeal of ours can save us without God’s help; but God’s help without human desire will not bring any benefit: we see examples of this in Peter and Judas. We must avoid one-sidedness: do not remain lazy, placing everything on God; again, we should not think that on our own, without God’s help and His favor, we can do anything good. For God Himself does not do everything, so as not to leave us idle, and He did not leave us to do everything, so that we would not become vain; but God takes away everything that can harm us; and what is useful for us, He encourages and promotes.

h

Again I bring to mind Saul: how marvelous was God’s Providence for him in everything. For the one who tried repeatedly to destroy David with the sword of the Philistines was himself surrounded by their numerous army, rejected by God, turned to the sorceress contrary to the commandment of God; she summoned the soul of the already deceased prophet Samuel (in his living form), who announced to Saul his imminent and inevitable death.

He, not having the courage to either avoid or endure, stuck his sword with the hilt into the ground, fell on its edge and thus took his own life (for details of these events, see: 1 Samuel 18-31). Punishment and revenge on violators of God's law are inevitable: Saul gave himself up to death in order to avoid the enemy's ridicule, dishonor, reproach and reproach; but he did not escape this either, for the Philistines cut off his head from his dead body, threw his body to beasts and birds to be devoured, and carried his head with mockery and ridicule throughout Palestine! Oh my God! No one will hide from Your Providence and no one will escape Your destinies. The same Saul did not fulfill God’s command to destroy the Amalekites, thereby bringing upon himself immeasurable disasters and death itself. Just as on faithful scales everything is measured by balance and preponderance, so with God everything is measured by truth (cf. Proverbs 16:11).

God's providence is revealed with the greatest wisdom: usually not every crime is punished immediately; but, on the other hand, it is not left without punishment at all. If God had not punished a single crime, many would have thought that there was no Providence. If every crime was immediately followed by punishment, then they would believe that after death there are no rewards or punishments. Therefore, God, by punishing only a few, reveals His Providence; when he does not punish others immediately after a crime, he threatens them with punishment after death, in a future life, if they do not repent in this one.

On the same basis, he delivers some righteous people from troubles and attacks, while delivering others into the hands of the godless for torture and torment. Yet everything is done by God wisely and very prudently: thus He preserved the three Jewish youths unharmed in the red-hot Babylonian furnace; God allowed Antiochus to torture the seven Maccabean brothers to death: both this and this happened according to God’s Providence.

4

In a similar way, all the opposite phenomena encountered in real life are wisely directed by the Providence of God: God turns all everyday disasters to our benefit and to our good; allows the Falls themselves to accomplish the highest, incomprehensible, mysterious works of His divine rule. For both to do good deeds and to allow evil deeds is a property that exclusively belongs to Divine Providence alone.

Truly, God would never have allowed evil if He were not so strong and good that He would not produce a good consequence from every evil deed. Tell me honestly: when did the most severe and greater evil appear in the world, like the crime of Adam and the murder of Christ the Savior (the new Adam)?

However, original sin brought God down from heaven to earth to take on the human body; The death of Christ created heaven for us and returned everything we had lost in Adam. The Most High God is the wisest Artist, transforming every evil action into the cause of the best consequences, just as gold is mined from a rough mass: for those who love God... all things work together for good

(Rom 8:28).

Magdalene's sins served as a reason for many to correct themselves; the fall of Petrovo is an example of true repentance for countless people; Thomas's unbelief confirmed many in the truth of the Resurrection of Christ. From here the greatest Divine glory is revealed: “You reap where you did not sow”; God did not sow sins, but from them he gathers a rich harvest of virtues. Truly God flows honey from the stones, and oil from the hard stones,

when the greatest atrocities produce the most beneficial consequences.

In the same way, the Providence of God is vigilant about us and about everything that is useful for us, and is vigilant without fail, so that even our slightest oppression

the physical does not go unnoticed. As a result, let each of us, in case of any weakness, reason like this: “This illness occurred either from my carelessness, or from human malice, or from something else, in any case, it did not happen without God’s Providence, which determined it according to my strengths.” , so its beginning, its severity (weakening or strengthening) depend on His Providence.

In the same way, the method of healing and healing her depends on the Providence of God: it admonishes the doctor and points out the means or counteracts everything according to the dispensation and will of God: for both good and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth are from the Lord

(Sir 11, 14).” In the same way, one must reason in all trials that they were foreseen and allowed by God. Does the enemy slander and curse you? Know that all his blasphemies and words uttered by evil lips have been placed from time immemorial on the scales of God’s Providence; He will say as much as he is allowed to, and not a single word more. Why do you resist in vain and become angry in vain?

Think in the same way about all your other disasters, the origin, quantity, severity, continuation and ending of which are provided by God. Therefore, submit to the Providence of God, speaking with the Psalmist: I was dumb and did not open my mouth

(Ps 38:10). Thy will be done, O my God, according to Thy Providence and permission, all this was arranged. And since You did this, I would be wicked and lawless if I were indignant against You. So, Your holy will, O my God, I obey in everything and with gratitude accept everything sent down from You and patiently endure. Clement of Alexandria claims that everything that was said above was known and prudently discussed by the one who is faithful to God and professes the truth that everything in the world is governed and directed towards good, and therefore courageously endures all trials with an untroubled heart.

Truly, not by human reason, which is very often mistaken, but by the good will of God, everything is directed to the best end. God sometimes, through the most insignificant means, unhinderedly fulfills His predestinations: remember what happened before, from the beginning of the age, for I am God, and there is no other God, and there is no one like Me. I declare from the beginning what will happen in the end, and from ancient times what has not yet happened, I say: My counsel will take place, and whatever I please, I will do.

(Isa 46
,
9–10).

5

The above discussion about Divine Providence, repeated every day, affirms the deepest peace in the soul and inclines the human will to the will of God and subjugates it, and how sweet and peaceful it is! For he who has entrusted himself in everything to the Providence of God remains entirely free from all sorrows and temptations: it will be,

according to the word of Isaiah,
to live in the abode of peace and in safe villages and in the chambers of the blessed
(Is 32:18).

Therefore, one inspired father used to say: “A person will not have peace in his heart until he isolates himself from everything, saying: “I

and
God
are the only ones in the whole world”; and Blessed Augustine exclaimed: “Oh my God! You have as much diligence (care) about every person, as if you cared about only one person: so about everyone, as about everyone”; Saint Gregory said: “So God cares for everyone, as He means everyone in general, and also provides for everyone, as if for only one.”

So, reader, God cares about you and has Providence, no matter how much He cares about anything else. The large number of people about whom God cares does not confuse God’s Providence or burden it: for Him, caring for one person is the same as caring for countless thousands of people. Just as before about Noah and his family or about Adam alone in paradise, so now God has equal care and providence for everyone.

Let everyone cry to this Guardian and reliable Trustee: My beloved belongs to me, and I belong to him.

(Song 2, 16). I honor God and keep all His commandments as if there was nothing else in the world that I could care about and think about; and mutually, my salvation is in God’s care and preservation to such a thorough degree, as if besides me alone there was nothing else in the world that God could care about: He all belongs to me, and I belong to Him.

He is the Lord who rules over me, and I am an obedient slave, ready to fulfill all the commands of my Lord; for He decreed: “Think about Me, I will mutually provide for you (take care of your needs), forget yourself, always remember only about Me, so I will remember My promise and have constant care for you " Truly, God is all-encompassing in mercy and bounty: He, by His Providence, protects and saves everyone in general, as well as each individual: The eyes of the Lord are in every place: they see the evil and the good

(Proverbs 15:3);
the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He measures all his paths
(ibid. 5:21).

Oh, if we willingly plunged into the unattainable depth of the Father’s providence, then everyone could say about himself with unshakable confidence: the Lord shepherds me and will deprive me of nothing. In the place of health, there they settled me, on the calm water they raised me

(The Lord is my keeper, I will not be left in poverty and danger, the Lord will protect me and provide for me in everything) (Ps 23:1-2).

If we love peace of soul, if we want to hope in God, if we intend to live in everything according to the will of God, then we must always have before our eyes the Providence of God: the more we trust in it, the more diligently we will fulfill the will of God.

St. John (Maksimovich), Metropolitan of Tobolsk

"Iliotropion, or conformity with the Divine will"

Providence in philosophy

Representatives of many philosophical schools developed their own understanding of the term providence. Each of the theories has the right to life, since today it is not known how this “mechanism” actually works. It should be noted that all theories are based on the same thing - divine intervention in human affairs. But the principle of “action” in each theory is different. For example, Socrates understood the action of higher reason as the basis of the foundations of good. But such a statement largely does not correspond to reality, because it rejects all manifestations of human evil. A completely different understanding of providence is given by Philo of Alexandria. According to his theory, providence is the actions of the supreme deity or mind aimed at achieving balance in the world by using all necessary means. This determines the emergence of evil, because it is not always possible to achieve the desired result only with the help of good.

Providence is a significant part of all ancient philosophy. This knowledge developed and eventually pumped into religious beliefs, which began to actively develop during the Middle Ages.

Life path

Every person must choose a path in life for themselves. Finding your recognition means living according to Biblical tenets, serving God and helping people.

What an individual becomes is his own business. The Almighty Creator does not force one to accept a specific calling, but thanks to his guidance, he protects and guides on the true path:

• Time
  . Young people need to learn to read God’s plans as quickly as possible - the longer the life path behind them, the harder it is to find their true goal.
• Destruction
  . Sin, whether it be gambling, drunkenness, or adultery, often leads the son of God astray. This way of life leads to the destruction of a person’s spiritual and physical state, and, most likely, fateful providences will come to this individual.
• Prosperity
  . It is impossible for everyone to have a successful business that brings enormous material wealth to a person. Thanks to the signs of the Lord, many of those who have “little” increase their worldview and enjoy life, good health and harmony in the family.

"God's hand" in human history

Many events that happen in our lives are considered random by many. In fact, this is not so, everything is God’s will, and it is unclear what scenario the history of mankind would follow if:

• In the autumn of 1895, Wilhem Rengen would not have accidentally discovered the “magic ray” and saved Europe from the tuberculosis epidemic.
• In the winter of 1938, physicists in the German Reich were unable to find the “last key” to creating an atomic bomb, which would help save the world from nuclear destruction.
• The American Maurice Hilleman did not produce a brilliant series of vaccine discoveries that stopped diseases such as measles, hepatitis A, and chicken pox. According to medical estimates, the famous biologist saved the lives of 30 million people in 1957 alone.

Links[edit]

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   . Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
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5. "providence". Lexico
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7. Muller, J. T., Christian Dogmatics
   .
   Publishing house "Concordia". 1934. pp. 189–195 and Fuerbringer, L., Concordia Cyclopedia
   Concordia Publishing House. 1927. p. 635 article of the Christian Cyclopedia about Divine Providence. For further reading see Test Texts of the Catechism with Practical Commentary, Section on Divine Providence, page 212, Wessel, Louis, published in Theological Quarterly, Vol. 11, 1909
8. Muller, Stephen P., Called to Believe, Teach and Confess
   . Wipf and Stock. 2005. pp. 122–123.
9. Muller, J. T., Christian Dogmatics
   .
   Concordia Publishing: 1934. P. 190 and Edward. W.A., A Brief Explanation of Dr. Martin Luther's Small Catechism
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    Luther's Large Catechism, First Commandment
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    pp. 199-200.

Providence: general characteristics of the term

In the narrowest sense, providence is the process of influence, regulation and coordination of people, their behavior, fate, life processes, feelings and emotions by some supernatural being, in other words, a deity. Such a definition of the term is very complex and incomprehensible, but even here a rational grain can be identified. Scientists have suggested that God still exists. Moreover, having intelligence and strength, he is able to influence the world of people. Thus, providence is the activity of a supernatural being called god.

The question of providence has always excited the minds of scientists for many centuries. For the first time, philosophers of ancient Greece took up this issue. It is thanks to their reasoning that scientists from other branches of science (theology, history and logic) can not only assume, but use previously acquired knowledge regarding the issue of providence.

2.2. Purpose of the Providence of Restoration

What is the purpose of the providence of restoration? In the creation of Tsars-

tva of Heaven, God's object of good, representing the fulfillment of God's purpose for creation. The center of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth must be people. Therefore, in order for his plans to come true, God created the ancestors of humanity. However, they fell into sin, and His will was not done. From that moment on, the main purpose of the providence of restoration was the restoration of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Jesus, who came to fulfill this purpose, told his disciples to pray that God's will would be done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10), and called people to repentance, “for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” ( Matthew 4:17). His words are evidence that the purpose of the providence of restoration is nothing less than the restoration of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

From His fatherly hand

Let me conclude my answer with a wonderful example from history. This is question 27 from the Heidelberg Catechism (1563).

Question:

How do you understand God's providence?

Answer:

As the omnipotent and omnipresent power of God, with which He preserves the heavens, the earth and all His creations, and so rules them that grains and herbs, rains and droughts, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and illness, wealth and poverty - everything this does not come to us by chance, but from His fatherly hand.

So God's providence is His wise and purposeful sovereignty.

External links [edit]

Christian materials[edit]

• Systematic Theology
  Chapter on Providence in the Christian Classical Ethereal Library
• Summa Theologica: The Providence of God by Thomas Aquinas. Traditional teaching of the Catholic Church
• Providence by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, OP
• Divine Providence by James Montgomery Boyce
• Dialogue 4, 13 “On Divine Providence”: LH, Sunday, 19th week, OR
  . by Saint Catherine of Siena
• The Mystery of Providence
  by John Flavel, ISBN 0-85151-104-X—a Puritan classic on the subject
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  introduction
• Creation, Providence and Miracle
• Divine Providence, Emanuel Swedenborg
• Gerbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Divine Providence". Catholic Encyclopedia
  . New York: Robert Appleton Company.