by Jonathan Bennett
When thinking of everything that happens in life, how often do we stop and think about how
certain things were made possible? As one reads through the Bible it is noted that the Lord causes
the rain to fall on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). We know that water is the sustenance of
life and without it life would cease to exist, but what about the person who overcame an illness or
received a better job? How did that come about? Was it because God miraculously inserted this
into the person’s life? The answer to these very valid questions are the exposure to modern
medicine is open to everyone and better employment opportunities are always available to those
who seek them also.
There are likely questions now racing through your mind about how God’s providence
comes into play in these situations. There is general providence that allows the rain to fall on
everyone, the opportunity for all to have a job, though some may be more lucrative than others.
When a Christian is living faithfully and is in a right relationship with God, they are able to
approach the heavenly Father with their petitions (Hebrews 4:16) for the knowledge, wisdom and
ability to seek out employment that will maintain stability in their life and allow them to
concentrate on serving the Lord instead of having the burden of where the next meal will come
from or even where they and family will sleep the next night.
Now, on the issue of illness the Christian has the Father to go to to help them spiritually,
mentally and physically through whatever it is they may be facing. This is not to say that God is
going to prevent them from being ill or stepping from time to eternity (Hebrews 9:27). Yet, there
is comfort that is afforded to them by means of faithful Christian brethren being there to assist in
any way needed physically and emotionally (1 Corinthians 12:26; James 5:16). The ability to find
the proper medical care is also attained due to having a spiritual family that encompasses the world
and allows fellow Christians to reach out and assist in finding how an illness is treated.
Okay, we have examined the things that are observable but what about the person who is
searching for spiritual/eternal truth(s)? Does God providentially provide for them? Well, in
Mathew 7:7 Jesus is quoted as saying, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you” and a similar record is found in Luke 11:9. It should be noted
that anyone who is earnestly seeking out the Lord and His will is going to have it revealed. Again,
this is not to infer nor imply that the Lord is working in miraculous ways in our modern world.
It does not matter whether Christian or non-Christian, when a soul is open to receiving the
true, inerrant word of God, the means of obtaining it are opened. The means are not necessarily
laid out in plain sight as the learning process takes one’s entire life but with continued diligent
searching the Way will be revealed.
This leads to one last point and that is how often do Christians thank God for His providential
care and guidance? We need to be praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and always
acknowledging the Lord as the author, creator and giver of both physical and spiritual life
(Hebrews 12:1-2). We know this by studying the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and seeing the
creation of everything in Genesis and then how spiritual life is attained once a study of the New
Testament is complete. Let us always remember, God works in mysterious ways (Ecclesiastes
11:5), not miraculous ways. May the God of Heaven continue to bless us richly.
