Lord’s Day 10
Q28. What good does it do us to know that God created all things and still upholds them by his providence?
We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing will separate us from his love. All creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Job 1:21–22
“And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”
Romans 5:3–5
“And not only , but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
James 1:3
“Knowing , that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
Deuteronomy 8:10
“When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Psalm 55:22
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
Romans 8:38–39
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Job 1:12
“And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.”
Job 2:6
“And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he in thine hand; but save his life.”
Proverbs 21:1
“The king's heart in the hand of the LORD, the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”
Acts 17:24–28
“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”
Modernized Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
The doctrine of divine providence is inseparably linked to the doctrine of creation, because providence is, in essence, creation continued. The government of the world is simply the ongoing preservation of everything God has made. We should not think of creation the way we think of a shipbuilder who, once the vessel is finished, hands it over to a pilot and walks away. Instead, we must hold firmly to this truth: just as nothing could ever have come into existence apart from God's creative power, so nothing can continue to exist, even for a moment, without His ongoing government and preservation. This is why Scripture so often pairs the preservation and continual administration of all things with their original creation. It follows, then, that we cannot have a full and accurate understanding of creation unless we also embrace the doctrine of divine providence, which deserves careful examination on three points.
I. Is there any providence of God?
II. What is it?