Do You Believe in the Providence of God?
The law of non-contradiction states that something cannot be simultaneously true and not true at the same time and in the same way. This rule works in logic but most of us don’t move through life with the law of non-contradiction on our mind. Even the people of God fall prey to this logical fallacy at times.
When God rescued His people out of Egypt he gave them assurance of his presence wherever they would go. Even though God’s people regularly rebelled against Him and failed to obey Him, He still graciously guided them. It seems that God watched over even the finest details of their lives. Numbers describes God’s leadership of the people in this way: “At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.” Numbers 9:23. The Lord directed every step of their journey.
At the same time the Lord so clearly directed their steps, the people had a different understanding of their experiences: “And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes...” (Numbers 11:1) Enter the law of non-contradiction. If God directs the steps of His people, it cannot be true at the same time that they are experiencing misfortunes. For the believer, the concept of a misfortune is a contradiction in terms. Of course life is filled with disagreeable experiences and unfortunate events. Trials and tribulations. Jesus told us that we would experience troubles in this world (John 16:33). We even have an enemy, Satan who aggressively attacks the people of God. I’m not saying at all that believers are exempt from those sorrows. None of those things, however, constitute genuine misfortunes because not for one moment do any of those things happen outside of God’s control or God’s leadership.
When the people of God experienced difficulties, they complained. They presumed that what they were experiencing was a result of a lack of care or intervention on God’s part. They complained because they thought they deserved a different outcome than they were getting. When God is directing your steps, there isn’t misfortune, only God’s purposes. God is doing something in and through all of the experiences of our lives that is actually good and for our greatest good!
This verse isn’t a slogan, it’s how God works in the lives of believers: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).