None of us would have any doubt that providence works in the lives of believers today. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Prov 3:6). How it works and when it works is very difficult to know. Sometimes we may recognise the hand of providence many years after, sometimes we may not know until it is explained in the Kingdom.
Robert Roberts’ The Ways of Providence has, on page 5, six helpful key points obtained from considering Scriptural examples:
1 “confidence in the fact of Divine participation in human affairs”
2 “all human affairs are not Divinely regulated”
3 “many things happen that are not of God”
4 “in only a certain narrow channel of things is providence a fact”
5 “only certain classes are providentially guided and controlled”
6 “Divine interposition as often takes the shape of bringing about apparently evil circumstances as those that are obviously good”.
Can we see the ways of providence in modern life? Some examples may help.
I was running late for a very important appointment the other day and anxiously searching for a car park. There was nothing available at all for miles around. Then, miraculously, right in front of the place where I was going, there appeared an empty car park.
Well, a Pentecostal driver might well cry out, “Hallelujah, praise the Lord”, at such a ‘miracle’. A Christadelphian though would be unlikely to see the hand of providence at work. If the appointment was so important to us, we should have done something ourselves to prevent being late. We cannot expect God to intervene in the minutiae of life. “Time and chance” happens in all our daily experiences. As Robert Roberts so neatly expressed it: “God has control of all chance; but all chance is not controlled” (The Ways of Providence, p 5). Almost undoubtedly, the empty car park just occurred by chance.
My wife and I were seriously interested in doing mission work in an area where the Truth is hardly found. We thought that Taiwan would be an excellent place as there is only one sister there. The problem though is to get work in Taiwan. To get work, you need a work-permit and to get a work-permit you need work. We prayed about this for some time and then, almost miraculously, I was offered a job that brought with it an automatic work-permit.
We can never be entirely sure, but most of us would feel that providence has worked in the lives of this brother and sister to make open the door of Truth in a distant land. The angels were probably behind the job offer. The couple followed the advice of our Lord, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you”. However, to really know whether providence was behind this example, we may want to know the outcome of their work for the Truth. If the work were successful, we would undoubtedly conclude that providence was behind the project. What if the project turns out to be a disaster? What would we say then? Would we change our initial assessment? These matters go beyond our understanding.
In 1984, a fire almost destroyed the major Anglican Church at York, England—the York Minster. This church is almost as important to Anglicans as Westminster in London. Interestingly, it was there that Constantine was crowned emperor of the Roman Empire. Lightning hit the church and it soon was engulfed in flames. No one was injured. The fire took place immediately after the controversial and much disputed ordination of the Bishop of Durham, elevated to number 4 in the Anglo-Catholic hierarchy despite his views that undermined the very foundations of Christianity.
Was this a case of Divine retribution for the uttering of doctrine that completely undermined Christianity, even in its apostate form? A number of Christadelphians and others at the time felt that providence had been at work. It felt good to think this. Perhaps we will never know in this life. When Elijah called down fire on the captains and their fifties, it was designed to show that reverence needed to be shown to the God of Israel and to his prophet, as a man of God. The third captain certainly learned this lesson (2 Kings 1:13). Did the congregation at York learn a lesson from the fire and either oust their bishop or seek the Truth of Christ? If either of these was not the outcome, then can we be so sure that providence intervened to cause the lightning strike on York Minster? We are probably happier to conclude that, because of the bishop’s words, God did not prevent an otherwise chance happening.
More recently, a very severe hailstorm swept through the eastern suburbs of Sydney, causing great damage. It was Australia’s greatest natural disaster, measured in dollar cost—it was far more costly than Cyclone Tracy that hit Darwin. The hailstorm came unpredicted in from the sea to hit the eastern suburbs, then crossed the harbour to the North Shore where it turned back to the sea again. Interestingly, within the eastern suburbs of Sydney is the home of homosexuality in Australia. There the dreadful gay and lesbian Mardi Gras is held each year.
Some have looked at this event and pondered whether here was providence, a Divine expression of wrath upon a wicked and perverse generation. Paul’s words in Romans 1 on the Divine view of such wickedness would certainly allow this retribution. In retrospect, did it change anything in Sydney? This type of immorality has only become worse. Perhaps we can put the event in the same class as the fall of the Tower in Siloam that Jesus referred to in Luke 13: “Think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”. The havoc cause by such a simple event as a hailstorm indicates the effect of the great destruction that God will unleash against Gog and all his bands (Ezek 38:22).
An older brother is diagnosed with a serious illness. Many expressions of kindness are given. A younger brother, no doubt trying to be helpful, tells him that the angels are working, as his character must need further refinement before he meets his Lord.
Despite the best intentions of the young brother, this is no consolation to the older brother. Rather, it is a discouragement, like the ‘miserable comfort’ given to Job by his three friends. It may be that when the books are open, the period of suffering will be seen to have helped the older brother, but we would be unwise to suggest that the working of providence caused the illness. When Jesus was asked specifically about the cause of blindness in the man born blind, he replied, “Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents” (John 9:3).
A young brother, diligent in the Truth, keenly working in the furtherance of the gospel, has before him a lifetime of service to his Lord and happiness in his ecclesial environment. He is driving carefully along a country road when a semi-trailer swerves and the young brother is killed instantly. The family is devastated; the youth group shaken; relations not in the Truth question whether there could be a God who allows the death of those who try to serve Him.
Here is one of the most difficult tests of faith where we wonder most about the hand of providence. We may wonder where the angels were that day. Could they have stopped the accident? Certainly. Did the angels cause the accident to happen? Almost certainly not. It seems much more realistic to say that the accident was a chance event and, while providence could have intervened to prevent it, it was allowed to happen.
Nevertheless, why was it allowed? We may never know this side of the Kingdom. Three points though may be helpful:
- As far as the younger brother is concerned, he may have been cut off from the potential happiness of mortal life in the Truth, but when measured against the prospect of endless life, this is of small moment. Mortal life for him may have brought its sorrows, however unlikely that may have seemed at the time of the accident.
- The effect upon other young people may be to their eternal benefit. His friends may have been brought up with a jolt to see the seriousness of life, to appreciate that life may soon be cut off by death or the return of the Lord and that something must be done now about our response to the Father and His Son.
- Without experiencing “the valley of the shadow of death”, we may not see the same need for the coming age of righteousness when “God shall wipe away all tears”.
What, though, are we going to say to those relations not in the Truth who have questioned God’s very existence because of the death of one of His followers? An argument along the following lines may be helpful.
- God has given man freedoms and abilities, which man has used to invent all kinds of things that bring both good and evil. We can fly in aeroplanes, though a small fraction of flights never make their destination. We have the freedom to drive our fast and comfortable cars, even though we know that there is a small probability of death each time we drive. We accept these risks for the convenience gained. This is our choice, not God’s.
- Would we really expect God to always protect from harm and danger those who have been baptised? There would be a queue for baptism if we could obtain protection until a certain age-limit. How would that affect the subsequent behaviour of young people who are now invincible? Moreover, what age-limit would we set for invincibility to expire—age 55, age 65, age 75?
- During his ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ did not question the ways in which death comes upon men, but he provided a way of escape from death that makes present life bearable. He offered eternal life and joy to those who seek God through him.
We do not pretend that the issues concerning the way God works are easy. Let us move on to a happier example.
An earnest brother is moving into his later thirties. He is slightly different, but very diligent in the Truth. He is not married, though he would like to be. Earlier on, he was hurt by the rejection of some single sisters. Therefore, he devoted himself to his ecclesial work. Then along ‘out of the blue’ comes an ideal partner from another part of the ecclesial world, they fall in love and are married and, we might add, ‘they lived happily ever after’!
With such a happy story, we would probably all say that providence has worked a great blessing. The Apostle Peter was so right when he said, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Pet 5:7). The Psalmist said, “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psa 37:4). To give a real-life twist to this example, two years ago when the first single sisters were baptised in China, a matter of considerable concern to them was whom could they possibly marry once baptised. All that could be said to them at the time was that God works in wondrous ways that we cannot predict. A confident faith is required. Two years later, two of those sisters are now married in the Lord and a third one is engaged to a brother. The ways of providence are alive and helpful.
The concept of Christadelphian schools was being examined a few years ago in two Australian States, to counter the exposure of our young ones to the defiling influences of State schools. By a fortuitous circumstance, the Australian Government changed and the new Government introduced strong financial encouragements for private schools. In one of the States, the State Government was redeveloping a site and offered remarkable concessions to a building and land purchase. The building was refurbished sufficient for initial needs in 52 days, the time Nehemiah took to repair the walls of Jerusalem, and rain fell on the opening night held outside, as it did in the days of Ezra.
Obviously providential we would all say. Such providence works when we put our hearts and shoulders to a good ecclesial work. We must, though, make the effort. “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2 Chron 16:9).
We need to be a little careful, of course. A more recent attempt to build a Christadelphian school in another State has stalled because of State Government policy. Does this indicate that providence is absent in this case? Not likely. Rather, there are difficulties that we believe the angels will work to overcome in God’s good time. Our last example takes us back to the difficult problem of suffering.
A middle-aged brother with a family unexpectedly suffers a massive heart attack and dies. The shock of this is felt across the ecclesial world, for his work in the Truth had taken him on many ventures and to many places. He was an inspiration to many and his work is still remembered years later.
We may never understand the working of providence in this case. We do know, however, that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). A number of points raised above in relation to the example of the young brother killed in the car accident will be relevant. Some more may help.[1]
- Misfortune must be balanced against the blessings that God gives. For every such brother cut off in the midst of his years, there are others of God’s servants who provide sound ecclesial advice and service well past the “three-score years and ten”.
- Given that there is mortality in the world, would we prefer a system in which there are no premature deaths and no unexpected longevity? Would we prefer a system under which were given a “use by” date? Such a system would make life intolerable as we neared that date. It is uncertainty of death that gives optimism for life, while allowing early tragedies.
- We may think a certain brother is indispensable to the work of the Truth. We may even think that we are a little bit indispensable. God, though, can lay one workman down and lift up another. His work does not depend upon the survival of any one of us.
- In the example, it may be that his ecclesial work was even more appreciated through his early death, than if he had lived a normal life span.
In conclusion, the brothers and sisters in the above examples are fictitious, but the examples have been chosen to represent issues that may arise in the lives of believers today.
There are times when we can see clearly the ways of providence and times when it is very difficult to know why events occur. We are reassured, though, that the ways of providence are working. We live a life of uncertainty; we hope for a life of certainty. Meanwhile we have the strong assurance: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb 13:5), or, in the words of the Lord, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt 28:20).
Reference
[1] There are further helpful comments on this subject in Chapter
15 of Bro Harry Tennant’s book on The Christadelphians, What
They Believe and Teach, recently republished under the title,
What the Bible Teaches, the Faith of the Christadelphians