The doctrine of providence is a central thread weaving through the fabric of the Scriptures. This belief asserts that God ceaselessly sustains and governs every aspect of His creation, from monumental moments to infinitesimal incidents. He orchestrates, maintains, and rules all activity in His world for His glory and the ultimate good of His people.

John Flavel, a member of the Westminster Assembly, wrote, “Providence is that continued exercise of the divine energy whereby the Creator preserves all his creatures, is operative in all that comes to pass in the world, and directs all things to their appointed end. The providence of God reaches to all things, great and small. It is particular and universal, extending to every individual person and every individual event.”

The Westminster Larger Catechism highlights God’s activity (preserving, governing, ordering) and the character of His activity (holy, wise, powerful), drawing from the Scriptures. In preserving, God upholds the existence and functioning of all. God also governs His creation by directing and ordaining all actions, bringing about His intended outcomes. The Bible testifies that in the Son of God, “all things hold together” (Col. 1:17) and that He sustains “all things by the Word of His power” (Heb. 1:3). The one we confess as Savior and Lord is providentially governing all things.

Unlike the cosmic truant god of deism, who winds up the world like a clock and then walks away, the triune God of the Bible engages with His world. Besides being powerfully active, God’s intimate involvement displays His benevolent character. Scripture discloses God’s good character through His unseen activity in providence.

Psalm 145:17 tells us, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works,” indicating that everything God does is just and merciful in His providential rule. Flavel remarked, “Providence is but God’s perfect holiness acting towards His creatures.” And while God’s fingerprints are discernible, fallen humanity does much to ignore the evidence. As John Calvin writes, “God’s providence, indeed, so shines in every part of the world that none but the willfully blind can hold its truth in doubt.”

Observing God’s hidden hand in life’s circumstances helps us interpret those events from God’s perspective. Providence lets us look back and understand His intent and purpose. Joseph accurately saw his trials as from God, as evidenced in his words to his brothers: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as is this day” (Gen. 50:20). Flavel wrote, “Search backwards into all the performances of Providence throughout your lives…recover and revive the ancient providences of God’s mercies many years past and suck a fresh sweetness out of them by new reviews of them.”

Providence lets us look at the present with confidence in every circumstance, even in adversity. John Owen beautifully expresses this truth: “The faith of the saints is often exercised in dependence on the wisdom, power, and goodness of God’s providence.”

Providence also lets us look at the future with expectation. Because God is good, holy, and wise, all His purposes are and can only be good, holy, and wise. The child of God can trust the character of God even with all of the uncertainties tomorrow brings. As Herman Bavinck said, “He who observes providence will have providence observe him.”

Believing in divine providence has profound implications for the believer’s everyday life. It assures us that our circumstances, no matter how seemingly chaotic or arbitrary, are in God’s control (Ps. 103:19). This confidence extends to every Christian. As Jesus states in Matthew 10:29–31, not a single sparrow falls apart from the Father’s will, and believers are valued far more than sparrows.

Comforting as those promises are, we are often challenged because we cannot see the whole picture of God’s predetermined plan. Again, as Flavel wrote, “Providence is like a curious piece of tapestry made of a thousand shreds, which, single, we know not what to make of, but, being sewed together, make a beautiful picture.” Challenging as it can be, one day we may see deeper to the bottom of providence, and then when faith has become sight, we will confess, “He has done all things well.”