“It is impossible to please God apart from faith because faith is the hallmark of providence.”- Dr. Tony Evans
Dr. Tony Evans concludes Chapter 10 of Detours as he compares sovereignty and providence. Dr. Evans explains:
“Providence . . . expresses one of the key ways God demonstrates His sovereignty in connection with His intentional arrangement of people, circumstances, and events to achieve His sovereign purposes. Sovereignty is God’s rule. Providence is how God uses that rule to integrate, connect, attach, detach, arrange, and hook things up to facilitate His purposes.”
Therefore, sovereignty and luck cannot simultaneously exist. As a result, one excludes the other. If we opted to use the concept of luck to describe Joseph’s life, we’d say he rode a roller coaster of great and bad luck. However, understanding the concept of providence assures us God put all things in place to work together for good in Joseph’s life.
Thus, when you attain understanding of providence- the subset of sovereignty- you begin to view life in a new way. Dr. Evans writes:
“You . . . begin to rest when you used to fret . . . breathe easily when you used to worry . . . give thanks when you used to be filled with bitterness and regret. To fully live out the victorious Christian life and experience the abundance Jesus Christ died to provide, you must live and look at the events of your life through the lens of providence.”
In conclusion, these specific aspects of God’s character provide a solid foundation. With it, you can properly solve the complexities you encounter in life. Furthermore, what shocks you never shocks God. Finally, don’t express surprise when God doesn’t make sense. He’s not supposed to. That’s why we need faith as we follow God.
Today’s question: How does your faith serve as a hallmark of providence? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Using the negative to produce a positive”
