Providence. The word comes from the same root as the verb ’to provide’. According to https://www.etymonline.com/word/providence, the word ‘providence’ is made up of a combination of two Latin words, ‘pro’ and ‘vider’ meaning ‘ahead’ and ‘to see’.
I have many stories from the past few weeks of being provided for by the all-seeing, all-able, unlimited Divine Being. I would love to share a few with you. But let me also begin and conclude by thinking briefly about ‘providence’ in the Bible.
‘Providence’ in the Bible
The word ‘providence’ only appears once in English translations of the Bible. It comes in a verse which sounds lovely out-of-context but was actually spoken in great anguish and bitterness. The ancient Job said, “You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit” (Job 10:12). He then went on to bemoan the fact that he’d ever been born.
In Hebrew, the word translated ‘providence’ in Job 10:12 has the sense of ‘oversight’.
And yet, despite the word ‘providence’ hardly being used in the Bible, the concept of providence is ALL through the Bible. Stories such Abraham’s servant finding a wife for the great patriarch Isaac, Joseph’s convoluted life experiences which ensured the survival of his family, Queen Esther’s crucial role in saving Israel and a fisherman catching a fish with a coin in its mouth all point to the overarching perspective and care of a God who sees.
Story one – Wisdom
In our BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) study a few weeks ago, the question was asked, “What do you need wisdom for right now?”
My response was this: “I have a crazy few weeks ahead. I don’t know how I’m going to fit everything in.” And there and then, I asked God for wisdom.
The two big jobs on my desk at the time were (1) a paper for college on the Tibetan diaspora, and (2) a b-i-g translation project. Both were due at about the same time … or so I thought. After prayer, I prioritised the Tibetan diaspora research and writing. I resolved to just do what I could with the translation project but to make it lower priority.
I learned SO much from the academic project. I was pleased with how it turned out. But I was disappointed to only get about 1/3 of the translation work done.
“I’m so sorry. I will finish the rest as a volunteer next month.” I drafted the letter to the college for which I was doing the translation. They had wanted it completed by mid-November, but I can’t burn the candle at both ends anymore. I didn’t send the email immediately because I wanted to look at the last piece I’d done with fresh eyes in the morning before sending it off.
In the meantime, the college contacted me. The email said, “We are not in a rush for the translation work. We just need an estimated word count by the middle of the month so that we can get funds released for payment.” (The college makes a donation which is credited to my support. It is much appreciated.)
What?! I was so pleased that I hadn’t cut corners with the study so as to make both deadlines. God sees and he had given wisdom when I’d asked.
Story two – A Flight Delay
“Halleljuah, hallelujah, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah!” I literally sang a well-known segment of the Hallelujah Chorus when my phone beeped at 7am that Friday morning. The message informed me that my evening flight to Sydney that day had been cancelled.
‘If only I had an extra half day to work on the computer,’ I had said, though, I confess, not prayed. My English language students had their last class that morning and I had yet to write the exam which they would sit the following week. A couple of students needed to sit the test early and so I had hoped to leave their exam paper with the office before heading north.
And now, I had that extra half day. The airline rescheduled me onto an early morning flight the following day. It didn’t impact my commitments in NSW. I set the exam paper and sent it through to the office before I left. And then enjoyed a most spectacular sunrise over Sydney as I flew in too. Bonus!
Again, the One who sees all provided for me, and I’m grateful.
Story Three: Children matter
Earlier in the year, I had expected to visit a supporting church. However, other things cropped up. The church asked if I could postpone the visit until November and I was very pleased because it suited me well too.
The rescheduled visit (and a number of other visits which I planned around it) happened two weeks ago. I had only intended to visit the ‘big people’ in the church – that’s what usually happens. However, the trip coincided perfectly with the curriculum that the ‘little people’ in the church were following.
The week before my visit, the children had learnt about Gladys Alyward, one of my personal ‘heroes of the faith’, a lady with family connections to my father and in whose footsteps I have more-or-less followed in Asia. I was asked, “Would I visit the children’s programme and answer a few questions?” Would I ever!
The children’s questions were delightful and creative. Their teacher … a dear man who was MY Sunday school teacher in that same church almost thirty years ago … eventually had to call the session to an end because of time.
Jesus referred to children as being the most important in the kingdom of God (Matthew 18). When I see how he ordered their programme and mine so that my visit was perfectly timed to enhance their learning, I am not surprised. But I am grateful. I love being useful in kingdom matters.
Job
Bad things happen to good people. I can’t assume that everything will always work out well for me because I follow God. After all, Jesus promised that ‘In this world you will have trouble.’
Centuries before Jesus said that, Job certainly experienced trouble. He complained bitterly … and understandably so. His comment that, “You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit” (Job 10:12) came in the context of confusion and complaint about what happened later.
But then God showed up (Job 38-41).
Job may not have understood why he had suffered so badly but, by the end of the book, he understood that God was much bigger than him.
Job’s words about God’s providence, though spoken from a limited perspective, are true … God watches over us in kindness. And sometimes, that includes his providence in our lives even when bad things happen to us for reasons we cannot fathom.
Encouragement
By recording these little stories of God’s kindness to me in the good times, may I be encouraged in the difficult times too. Perhaps you can take encouragement from this blog post as well.
Our God sees. He is beyond the limitations of time. And so I rest assured, working as hard as I can but not stressing about trying to do the impossible.
God sees. Hallelujah.