Q. 8. How does God execute his decrees?
A. God executes his decrees in the works of creation and providence.
"But ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being.” (Job 12:7-1, NRSV)
I am convinced one of the joys of heaven will be discovering the hidden ways that God, in his sovereignty, acted in our lives on earth to protect us and guide us so as to bring glory to his name, in spite of our frailty. As I look back over the years, however, I know that my deepest feeling is one of overwhelming gratitude.
I cannot take credit for whatever God had chosen to accomplish through us and our ministry; only God deserves the glory, and we can never thank him enough for the great things he has done. - Billy Graham, "God's Hand on My Life," Newsweek, March 29, 1999, 65.
Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary. There are burning bushes all around you. Every tree is full of angels. Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb. Life wants to lead you from crumbs to angels, but this can happen only if you are willing to unwrap the ordinary by staying with it long enough to harvest its treasure. - Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B, "A Tree Full of Angels"
Both the Old and New Testaments show us a God who is thoroughly involved in creation. God sustains the physical creation, the universe and all within it. The book of Psalms is rich source of praise to the God who has created and who continues to care for the world. God also sustains humans within the creation. Yet, God not only sustains and upholds, God also guides. God guides both individuals and, in the Old Testament particularly, the nation of Israel.
The story of Joseph is a prime example. After facing the hatred of his brothers and slavery in Egypt, Joseph rose to a position of prominence. When he met his brothers after his father’s death, he was able to say: “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good” (Gen. 50:20) Joseph was conscious of God’s guiding and directing his life to carry out God’s purposes.
God’s guiding purposes were recalled by Israel’s prophets when through them, God reminded the nation of God’s mighty acts: “For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” (Micah 6:4)
God’s promises are carried out in individual lives and in history to accomplish God’s will. The same emphasis on God’s gracious providing for creation and humans is found in the New Testament. Jesus assured his disciples that God’s care is real and personal, and that nothing is too small to be of concern to God – even the “hairs of your head.” (Matt. 10:29-31) God’s plan and purposes find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. God has brought salvation in Jesus Christ, according to the divine plan (Acts 2:23, 4:28)
Christian theology has typically seen the doctrine of providence as having three parts. God preserves the creation; God cooperates with all created beings; and God governs or guides all things toward the accomplishment of God’s ultimate purposes.
Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to his love, and the future to his providence. - Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
The ways of Providence cannot be reasoned out by the finite mind. I cannot fathom them, yet seeking to know them is the most satisfying thing in all the world. - Selma Ottiliana Lovisa Lagerlöf (1858–1940)
Today’s Lectionary Readings
Morning Psalm: 7
Evening Psalm: 83, 121
Deuteronomy 9:13-21
Hebrews 3:12-19
John 2:23—3:15
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