From the Pen of Paul

God Still Governs in the Affairs of Men

We read and hear a lot about God's providence. I firmly believe in the providence of God; I believe that God is in control of the events of our lives and of the world we live in. I also believe that God controls and guides the events of our world in such a way that His children are blessed. This is what I mean when I say that I believe in divine providence. Benjamin Franklin, the noted statesman from our early history, expressed this idea many years ago in the Constitutional Congress of our country when he addressed General George Washington who was presiding, saying, "I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. . .If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground unseen by Him, was it possible that an empire could arise without His aid?" (Catherine D. Bowen, Miracle at Philadelphia, p. 126). I believe Franklin was saying what many of us believe, that God governs in the affairs of men.

Isn't it reasonable to believe this? We live in a world which was primarily created for man. On the sixth day of creation God formed man as His crowning work, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. The animal, plant, and material world were placed under the dominion of man. Since God created this world to meet the needs of man, it is not reasonable to believe that the God who created such a marvelous creature as man, and formed such a wonderful world for man to live in, would then go off and just forget about man's needs. Human fathers are mindful of the needs of their children; we labor and toil to provide them with the things they need to sustain their lives and give them a happy life. Is it not much more likely that God who brought this world into existence would continue to be concerned with those who are His children? One of the greatest blessings available to man in this world is the privilege of being a member of God's family—we can actually be His children! "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (I John 3:1). "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:16-17).

So, it is logical and sensible to believe that God still cares and works for the good of His children. But there are other reasons also. The second reason that I believe that God governs in the affairs of my life is because the Bible says so. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Notice, according to the inspired apostle, this is a known fact; there is neither hesitancy nor uncertainty in his statement. It is absolute knowledge as far as he is concerned. Another thing which stands out in this promise is that all things, not just a few of the events of our lives, but all of them are included. In the context of Romans 8:28, Paul names a number of these things which work together for our good; he mentions God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the hope of the Christian.

The third thing that is noticeable in this verse is that all things work together for good.This is not a promise for smooth sailing, but, in spite of all the trials, tribulations and afflictions that may come our way, God will manage them so that they will work for our good. Of course, there will be valleys along the road of life but ultimately there will be a mountain peak. The ultimate and final good of the one who is "walking in the light" is announced in this great promise.

The fourth thing I notice about this marvelous promise is that the promise is ONLY for those who are God's children. It is limited to those who love God; and the Holy Spirit defines this love for us in John 14:15, 21, 23, 24 and I John 5:3. There is absolutely no promise in this passage to those who refuse to be conformed by the will of Almighty God. Later in this same chapter we find another assurance that the love of God will be manifested in the lives of His children. Read and study carefully Romans 8:31-35, 37-39. It seems obvious to me that Paul believed that God was working in the lives of His children taking care of them. He believed that nothing on earth could separate us from the love, concern and care of the heavenly Father. Another passage, which Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, seems to be saying the same thing (II Cor. 4:17-18). The light afflictions of our world do burden us down; but when we pause and realize where we are headed, we then take a new lease on life. We are on our way to an eternal home in heaven with God and He will certainly aid us in getting there!

One of the problems that we sometimes have, that may cause us to hesitate to believe that God governs in the affairs of our lives, is brought about when we look at the world around us and we see a righteous man (one that is genuinely devoted to God) suffering from illness, financial loss, loss of friends, trials of every kind; then we see another man, who doesn't have a righteous bone in his body, doing well and prospering. And we are prone to ask, "How can I understand that God blesses the good when there appears to be evidence that He doesn't? How can I believe in God's providence when the evidence seems to be against it?"

The answer to this problem lies in the fact that man is often deluded into thinking that this world is his home; he often believes that life consists of the material things of this world; therefore, we judge success and good on things such as riches, honors and pleasures that come our way. When we think along these lines, we have definitely chosen the wrong standard of measurement by which to measure success and good. And, when we use the wrong yardstick to measure, our measurement will always be flawed.

Man's primary purpose in this life is to honor and glorify God by becoming as near like Him and by striving to be as obedient to Him as we possibly can. When we understand this, then we can see that everything that takes us away from God is evil, and everything that brings us closer to God is good. When we adopt and accept this standard, we can see the events of our lives in a totally different light. It is quite likely that the riches, honors, and pleasures of this world are actually hindrances to our well being rather than helps. It is quite likely that poverty is better than wealth. Jesus informs us "a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). He also warned, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:24). And Paul warns of the dangers involved in riches in I Timothy 6:9-10. Many times the material things in our world blind us so that we fail to see the spiritual things, which are far more important. In this way, they become a curse instead of a blessing. Riches, honors, and pleasures are not necessarily evil; they can also be a blessing. It depends on our attitude toward them and how we use them—do they draw us closer to God or take us away from Him?

It is also quite possible that the disapproval of the world and the frowns of the world are better for us than its approval and honors. It is also quite possible that illness may at times be better than health. The man who spends some time in his bed may be able to see things in a different and clearer light than he ever did before. I am not suggesting that we should leap with joy when we become ill, but if we accept it in the proper way, it can be a blessing to us. Some, because of tragic circumstances in their lives, have been forced into thinking about what is really important; if this happens and leads one to repent and change the direction of his life, then certainly the tragic circumstance would prove to be a blessing instead of a curse.

There is a passage in Hebrews 12:6-11 in which God tells us that He allows us to suffer because of His love for us. David made a similar observation in Psalm 119:71: "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes." God does govern in the affairs of man, and when He allows something to come our way that is hard to bear, it is because He loves us, and He is, by this means, helping us to grow stronger in order that some day we might spend eternity in heaven with Him. We must never doubt the promises and providence of God just because we may not be able to always know what is best for us. God knows and God provides!
—Paul Wilmoth