Lenten Devotional – Day Ten

Q. 11. What are God’s works of providence?

A. God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.

“The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.” (Psalm 145:17, NRSV)

And yet you are never alone. Let yourself be plumbed to the depths, and you will realize that everyone is created for a presence. There, in your heart of hearts, in that place where no two people are alike, Christ is waiting for you. And there the unexpected happens. — Brother Roger of Taizé, Parable of Community

  I saw full surely in this and in all, that ere God made us he loved us; which love never slackened, nor ever shall be. And in this love he hath done all his works; and in this love he hath made all things profitable to us; and in this love our life is everlasting. In our making we had beginning; but the love wherein he made us was in him from without beginning; in which love we have our beginning. And all this shall we see in God, without end. - Juliana of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love

Listen my people, mark each word.
I begin with a story, I speak of mysteries
welling up from ancient depths,
heard and known from our elders.
We must not hide this story from our children
but tell the mighty works and all the wonders of God.
      - Psalm 78:1-4, version unknown

  “Providence” comes from the Latin meaning “to provide for” or “to foresee.” Most broadly, it refers to God’s divine plan through which the whole creation will eventually come to God’s ultimate goal. It describes God’s working within human history, sustaining creation, and accomplishing God’s purposes in and through history. This understanding of God’s work is perceived by faith, as events within the lives of believers are seen as expressions of God’s guidance and direction.

  God preserves the creation. God’s care for the world is to preserve that which has been created as it has been created and to sustain all things so that they can continue to exist. God’s providence also governs or guides the creation, God is at work within it. God works in the world, in human history, and in individual lives to guide all things to God’s final ends or purposes. God’s purposes are being carried out through all God’s activities. These purposes are for the whole world as well as for those who believe in God and have faith in Jesus Christ.

Lenten Devotional – Day Seven

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.