Austin's Blog

Providence is God’s work of working out His plan. Jerry Bridges writes, “We may say that providence is God’s orchestrating all events and circumstances in the universe for His glory and the good of His people.” We are in the book of Proverbs at Church and that book has quite a lot to say about God’s sovereignty over all things.

“The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” Prov 16:1

“The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.” Prov 16:4

“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Prov 16:9

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” Prov 16:33

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Prov 19:21

“A man’s steps are from the Lord; how then can man understand his way?” Prov 20:24

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” Prov 21:1

“The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.” Prov 21:31

What does this all mean in light of our agonizing grief of losing our precious son? I think three things. First, God did not cease to be on His throne in the events of January 17^th-21^st. How could He? In some sense, this “fits” within the plan. Of course, there’s a sense in which death was not God’s intention but we are talking here about the divine plan unfolding in human history. Somehow, even this is an encouragement to me. This means that this suffering is doing something. It isn’t wasted. It was not for nothing that it was permitted, allowed, appointed, or ordained. John Newton, the great hymn writer who penned “Amazing Grace” said, “Everything is needful [necessary] that he sends, nothing can be needful [necessary] that he withholds.” This trying set of circumstances is in some sense a necessary link in the chain of providence. The chain hasn’t been broken by this event.

Second, confessing God’s sovereignty over this event does not mean I’m privy to the details of what He is up to through it. I’m aware of a few things God is doing through all of this, but I’m certainly not aware of the full unfolding of all of this. I was at the park the other day and I was marveling over a leaf that had fallen on the ground. When you turn it over, you see some very clear lines—one down the middle and a few extending to each side. But, if you really pull it close and look over it as intently as possible, you’ll notice a thousand lines that all connect. There’s more lines than meet the eye and they all somehow and someway connect. This is a picture of what God is doing through this unspeakably weighty event. I’m very aware of distinct lines. Yet, I know there are thousands of others I will see in the end when God makes it known in heaven.

Third, whatever this means, it cannot mean God has stopped loving us. If the cross says anything, it says God loves us. C.J. Mahaney writes in Living The Cross-Centered Life, “When you’re tempted to doubt God’s love for you, stand before the cross and look at the wounded, dying, disfigured Savior, and realize why He is there. I believe His Father would whisper to us, ‘Isn’t this sufficient? I haven’t spared My own Son; I deformed and disfigured and crushed Him — for you. What more could I do to persuade you that I love you?” The cross also demonstrates that great good can come from great evil. Tim Keller writes, “Sometimes we may wish that God would send us our book—a full explanation! But even though we cannot know all the particular reasons for our crosses, we can look at the cross and know God is working things out.”

Our job now is to worship, to accept, to lament, to trust, and to obey. Though this is a bitter providence, we are to leave the details of the plan with Him. Grant Colfax Tullar writes in his hymn “the Weaver”:

“My life is but a weaving

Between my God and me.

I cannot choose the colors

He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;

And I in foolish pride

Forget He sees the upper

And I the underside.

Not ’til the loom is silent

And the shuttles cease to fly

Will God unroll the canvas

And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful

In the weaver’s skillful hand

As the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned

He knows, He loves, He cares;

Nothing this truth can dim.

He gives the very best to those

Who leave the choice to Him.”

What appears to be a mess of lines, frayed knots, and loose ends will all be tied together in the end. We simply are called to trust and take God at His Word.