Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PROVIDENCE

The term “providence” derives from the Latin noun providentia, “foresight, forethought,” and the related verb providere, “to provide for, take precautions for or against” something. Its secular usage included the common belief that a benevolent ordering principle governed the universe and human history, that nothing happens solely by chance or is merely haphazard, but rather that there is a guiding purpose ordering all things toward an end. Stoicism saw this principle as the “world soul” or “world reason.” At other times the notion of providence also led to a more pessimistic worldview marked by determinism or fatalism. This idea contributed to a passive sense of human resignation before the whimsy of uncontrollable fates.

The biblical concept of God’s providence, however, signals a universally confident belief in God’s loving care and protection of the world, It is grounded in the belief in God as Creator, one who continues at all times to preserve and order the world, holding chaos at bay, and leading the world and all human history toward life and full happiness. Sometimes through unpredictable turns of fate God’s providence can be written “straight with crooked lines,” as in the case of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers and who later became God’s instrument of protection for the family of Jacob in Egypt. Joseph attests to God’s loving hand at work with the words: “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good . . .” (Gen. 50:20). Time and again God promises that the divine presence will remain in the world and with those who need divine protection (Exod. 3:12). God’s very name revealed to Moses at the burning bush in the enigmatic tetragrammaton YHWH (Exod. 3:14) has sometimes been translated “I will be with you,” signaling the irrevocable covenantal and protective presence of God among the people in the midst of the world.

God’s provident presence can be manifest in both merciful care and righteous chastisement, but the biblical emphasis surely rests with the affirmation of God’s ultimate care. An old cultic confession acclaiming God’s steadfast love and mercy reverberates through the OT tradition (Exod. 34:6-7; Num. 14:18; Neh. 9:17, 31; Ps. 103:8; Jer. 32:18; Jonah 4:2). This confession does not negate the need for God’s judgment upon sin, but promises that mercy and forgiveness will be God’s ultimate providence. The affirmation of God’s providence neither nullifies human freedom nor cancels the mysterious problem of the presence of evil in the world. It promises, however, simply that God will be a loving God in the midst of the world, leading it and all creation toward a future full of hope (Jer. 29:11-14).

The Christian tradition reiterates the same confidence in God’s provident care. “Consider the lilies of the field . . . ,” Jesus says (Matt. 6:26-30), and be certain of a loving God who cares for the smallest living thing. Paul expands this notion even further to see God’s providence and loving presence drawing all creation, the entire cosmos itself, toward the divine intention (Rom. 8:28-39). Given this conviction, Christian prayer is marked by trust and certainty that God hears the cries of humanity and responds with love and care (Matt 6:8; 7:7-8).

Barbara E. Bowe

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

PROVIDENCE

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)