Providential Afflictions
By Breck Wheelock, April 7, 2020
Hello out there. My name is Breck Wheelock and I would like to warmly welcome you to today's podcast episode in which I will be discussing the doctrine of God's Providence, and we will be taking a particularly close look at providential afflictions. I think that this is a timely thing to study given that the entire globe right now is undergoing affliction with COVID-19. Why would God decree this global affliction? Why does God decree afflictions at all? How are we to respond to the afflictions that He has decreed for our own lives? These are the types of questions that we will consider in today's episode.
Let's begin our study of God's Providence by looking to the Heidelberg catechism. Question 27 of the Heidelberg catechism asks, “What do you understand by the Providence of God?” And the answer that it provides is as follows: “Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which He upholds as with His hand, heaven and earth and all creatures and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty, all things in fact come to us not by chance but from His Fatherly hand.
Following this, question 28 asks, “How does the knowledge of God's creation and Providence help us?” And again, the answer that it provides: “We can be patient when things go against us; we can be thankful when things go well; and for the future, we can have good confidence in our faithful God and father that nothing will separate us from His love. All creatures are so completely in His hand that without His will, they can neither move nor be moved.”
The answer to that first question (question 27 of the Heidelberg catechism) provides a fairly extensive and comprehensive definition of Providence, and it's really quite excellent. And then, the answer that is given in question 28 is meant to answer how this doctrine of Providence can be helpful to us, and it provides three reasons. It says: (1) We can be patient when things go against us; (2) We can be thankful when things are going well; and (3) for the future, we can have confidence in our faithful God, knowing that nothing can ever ultimately separate us from His love.
Kevin DeYoung, in his book, The Good News We Almost Forgot, provides some commentary on these questions and answers that we just looked at in the Heidelberg catechism. I'd like to read, just briefly, some of the comments that he makes. DeYoung writes:
For many Christians, coming to grips with God's all-encompassing providence requires a massive shift in how they look at the world. It requires changing our vantage point from seeing the cosmos as a place where man rules and God responds, to beholding a universe where God creates and constantly controls with sovereign love and providential power. We can look at providence through the lens of human autonomy and our idolatrous notions of freedom, and see a mean God moving tsunamis and Kings like chess pieces in some kind of perverse divine playtime. Or we can look at providence through the lens of scripture, and we can see a loving God counting the hairs on our heads and directing the sparrows in the sky so that we might live life unafraid. “What else can we wish for ourselves,” Calvin wrote, “if not even one hair can fall from our head without God's will?”
There are no accidents in your life. Every economic downturn, every phone call in the middle of the night, every oncology report, has been sent to us from the God who sees all things, decrees all things, and loves us more than we know. Whether it means the end of suffering or the extension of our suffering, God in His providence is for us and never against us.
Providence is for our comfort. (1) Providence is for our comfort because we can be patient when things go against us. Joseph's imprisonment seems pointless, but it all makes sense now. Slavery in Egypt, makes perfect sense now. Even killing the Messiah makes sense now. So maybe God knows what He's doing with the pain and suffering and afflictions in our lives. (2) Providence is for our comfort because we can be thankful when things go well. How often do we pray for safe travel, or for healing, or for a spouse, or for a job, and then we never get around to thanking God on the other side of that blessing? If we truly believe in providence, we will view success and prosperity not as products of a good upbringing, or of good looks, or of good intelligence, but ultimately as the unmerited favor of a good God. (3) Providence is for our comfort because we can have confidence for the future. The fact is, all your worries – they may come true! But God will never be untrue to you. He will always lead you and listen to you.
God does often work in mysterious ways. We may not always understand why life is what it is, but God’s providence helps us face the future unafraid, to know that nothing moves - however mysterious - except by the hand of that great Unmoved Mover, who is our Father in heaven.
Amen.
Kevin Young is exactly right, as are the answers provided by the Heidelberg catechism. The doctrine of Providence should provide us with tremendous comfort. What if the world was being governed by chance? (And yes, I know that this is a contradiction in terms. How can chance be governed? But just stick with me for a moment.) Things look bad enough now. We often look at the events in our own lives, or the events of the world, and we wonder what is the reason for this? What is going on right now? Indeed, is that not what many of us are thinking as we look out upon the world and see this global pandemic of COVID-19? What is the reason for this? But at least as Christians, we know that there is in fact a reason! Can you imagine a world in which there was no reason? A world that is governed by chance? (Again, a contradiction in terms.) This is the world of the evolutionary naturalist. And it's a hopeless world because there is no rhyme or reason as to why human beings go through suffering. In fact, there's not even a reason as to why there are human beings at all. But because of the doctrine of providence, as Christians, we know and take comfort in the fact that God is working all things according to the counsel of his own will. (Ephesians 1:11) Indeed, we know that for those who love God, all things are working together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) And again, if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
These promises and blessings that we take comfort in are a result of God's Providence. And in light of these great promises and blessings, we are to own the truth of God's Providence, not merely to acknowledge it. To quote Charles Spurgeon:
“Blessed is that man who is done with chance, who never speaks of luck, but believes that from the least, even to the greatest, all things are ordained by the Lord. We dare not leave out the least event. The creeping of an aphid upon a rosebud is as surely arranged by the decree of Providence as is the March of a pestilence through a nation. Believe this. For if the least thing is omitted from the Supreme government, so may the next be, and the next, until nothing is left in the divine hands. There is no place for chance, since God fills all things. When we own the truth of God's Providence, we are able to say with Job – the Lord providentially gives, and the Lord providentially takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
A very timely quote.
Now, since all things have been ordained by God, we are not to murmur or complain against His Providence. If God is in control of all the things that happen in the world and that happen to us, then to complain or murmur about our circumstances is really to complain or murmur against God. Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying here. I'm not saying that when we're going through an affliction that we can't cry out to God and even at times say, “How long, Oh Lord, shall I have to endure this? When will you deliver me?” We see ample examples of that in the Psalms. What I am saying, is that we need to follow the example of our Lord in the garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will, but Your will be done.” That is to be our mentality as Christians. We are not to be constantly ranting and raving about this, that, and the other thing. We should not be characterized as one who is always bitter, or angry, or grumbling, or discontent about our lot in life, and/or discontent about what's going on in the world around us. As ambassadors of the King. We don't want to give the impression that our King is impotent, or incompetent, or even aloof. This would be to misrepresent our sovereign Lord. We don't want to give the impression to others that our God lacks power, or lacks wisdom, or just doesn't care when it comes to His people or when it comes to the events that are taking place in the world around us. Again, that would be to misrepresent our sovereign Lord.
We are not to murmur or complain against God's Providence; indeed, we are to trust in God's Providence. To quote Thomas Watson:
“God is to be trusted when His Providences seem to run contrary to His promises. God promised David to give him the crown, to make him King, but then Providence turns contrary to that promise. David was pursued by Saul. He was in danger of his life, but all this, while it was David's duty to trust God. The Lord will oftentimes bring to pass His promise by what would seem to be a contradictory providence. Consider acts chapter 27, in which Paul was thrust into a violent storm at sea while being transported, along with many others, to Rome under a Roman guard. God promised Paul the lives of all that were with him in that ship, but now the Providence of God seems to run quite contrary to what He promised. The winds continue to blow, the storm continues to rage, the ship splits and breaks apart. But it was through this that God fulfilled His promise upon the broken pieces of the ship. They all came safely to shore. Therefore, trust God when Providence seems to run quite contrary to His promises.”
A great quote by Thomas Watson.
Not only are we to trust in God's providence, but we are actually told to rest in God's providence. We're not to be of the mindset that thinks, “Oh yeah, I know that God's in control. I get it. But I don't like this, and I'm going to stomp my feet and throw a spiritual temper tantrum. I'm going to kick against the goads.” No, that is not to be our mindset. Again, I'm not saying that we can't be frustrated when we're going through some kind of affliction, and I'm not saying that we can't bring those frustrations boldly before the throne of grace and ask that we would be delivered, and ask that He might give us a reprieve from our afflictions. Of course that's okay. We are free to vent our frustrations before the Lord, but we are always to lay them at His feet and say, “Not my will, but Your will be done.” That is resting in His providence. We are to cultivate a calm and resting temperament, a calm and resting disposition.
No matter what befalls us, our default mentality should be to accept whatever happens to us as the absolute best thing for us. Whatever God has planned for my life, it is good. Every single detail of it is good. In fact, it's not only good, it is the best plan. There could be no better plan for my life because God is the one who planned it. We are to implicitly assume that God is working all things to the maximum display of His glory, which is our chief end. This is the heart of Psalm 46 whatever our present providential circumstances might be, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. [Though the whole world is having to endure the plague of COVID-19.] Be still and know that I am God. [Rest in me, be still and know that I am God.] I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:1-3, 10)
And so we are to trust in God's providence, we are to rest in God's providence, but more than this, we are to improve upon His providences by remembering His faithfulness in the past. Often, we are so anxious about the future that we neglect to remember past providences when He has delivered us from affliction, time and time again. We want to hit the fast-forward button, when the doctrine of Providence would have us hit the rewind button. We would all like to hit the fast-forward button right now when it comes to this COVID-19 pandemic. When is it going to end? How much damage is it ultimately going to do? How many people is it going to kill? How much destruction is it going to wreak upon our economy, and upon the economy of the world? On and on the questions go. We find ourselves wanting to press the fast-forward button, but we should instead be pressing the rewind button. What do I mean by that? Look back upon your life and see how the Lord has delivered you over and over again when you were going through a trial or tribulation or an affliction. When you look to your past, you see that He has been faithful. He has been exactly what He says He is – faithful to His people. Thus, if we press the rewind button and we see nothing but faithfulness, why would we think that the future is going to hold anything different?
God has given each of us a memory – which is a tremendous grace – and He expects us to use it. How many times are we exhorted in the Psalms to remember what He has done in the past? Considered Psalm 77, a Psalm of Asaph. Asaph begins this Psalm very downtrodden and dejected, but then there's a shift in which he reminds himself to remember how the Lord has delivered him in past afflictions. He says,
“I cry aloud to God and He will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said, ‘let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.’ Then my spirit made a diligent search: [See, he's searching his memory to remember those times when the Lord was faithful and he continues.] ‘Will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable? Has His steadfast love forever ceased? Are His promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His compassion?’ Then I said, ‘I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.’ I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will ponder all Your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds. Your way, Oh God, is Holy. What God is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph.” (Ps. 77:1-15)
Asaph began the Psalm downcast, but once he remembered the faithfulness of God in his own life, and the faithfulness of God to His people throughout history, it lifted his spirit and he was no longer downcast. He was comforted, and we are expected to do the same [to find solace in remembering past providential deliverances].
But let us also consider the flip side of this. What happens when we neglect to remember the past providences of God, the ways in which He has delivered us from past afflictions? David speaks of this in Psalm 106. Beginning at verse 7, David says,
Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider Your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of Your steadfast love, but they rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Yet He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make known His mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and He led them through the deep as through a desert. So He saved them from the hand of the foe, and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. And the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed His words; they sang His praise. But they soon forgot His works, and they did not wait for His counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and they put God to the test in the desert; He gave them what they asked for, but He sent a wasting disease among them…They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. Therefore, He said He would destroy them – had not Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them. (Ps. 106:7-15, 19-23)
Clearly, we see that when God delivers us in times of trouble, in times of tribulation, in times of affliction, He expects us to remember when He does these things and even to teach them to our children, and to our children's children! But He expects us to remember so that we can improve upon these providences; so that when the next affliction comes, we're not taken aback. We've “been there and done that,” and we’re ready to put our trust in the Lord once again.
Moving on, let us now observe that providential affliction is one of the most efficient ways of producing the fruits of righteousness in the Christian. Psalm 119 verses 67 and 71 says, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes.” Here David admits that it was good that the Lord afflicted him because otherwise he would have continued to go astray. But because he was afflicted, it caused David to stop wandering, to go back to the word of God and to learn His statutes. David was sanctified and made righteous through his affliction. Trials and tribulations, persecutions and provocations – these things are essential for producing the fruit of the Spirit. For instance, how is the Spirit to produce in us the fruit of longsuffering if we never experienced any suffering? How is the Spirit to produce perseverance, hope, patience, meekness, self-control, etc., apart from the means of conflict, apart from the irritating frictions of the world, apart from affliction? This is why James 1:2-4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Again, Romans 5:3-4, “But we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
The Lord uses abrasive experiences as a means of exfoliating the Christian’s flesh (his remaining sin) so that the radiance of the new man might be increasingly brought to the surface. As a skillful sculptor, God uses the chisel of trial to chip away at the Christian’s exterior so that the interior image of Christ progressively takes shape and comes into form. As the master potter, God uses the hands of affliction to press against the Christian’s clay body for the purpose of preparing him for glory as a vessel of mercy.
Furthermore, providential afflictions provide a healthy litmus test for the Christian who can easily become complacent, unsuspecting of the gaping holes that exist in his faith. To quote William Jay, “Afflictions are to the soul, like the rains to the house; we suspected no apertures [no holes in the roof] until the droppings through told the tale.” What William Jay is saying here is that if we were to imagine our faith as a house, we often think, “Oh yeah, the roof is sound, it's good.” But then an affliction comes our way and it starts pouring down upon us and suddenly we see how many leaking holes there are in the roof of our faith.
Peter remarks that the authenticity of our faith is like gold and it must be tested in the fires of affliction if the impurities are to rise to the surface and the dross is to be removed.
First Peter 1:6-7: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Trials have a unique way of revealing to us what is truly in our heart, who we really are, and what we really believe. Trials slap our faith in the face to see if our faith will turn the other cheek. Again, to quote William Jay, “I little thought that I was so proud, until I was required to stoop. I little thought I was so impatient, until I was required to wait. I little thought I was so easily provoked, until I met with such an offense. I little thought I was so rooted to earth, until so much force was exerted to detach me from it.”
Being confronted by affliction exposes our weaknesses so that we might grow in the faith and become more useful. Knowledgeable Christians are valuable, but Christians who have had their faith tried and purified are invaluable. Think of Job, or David, or Daniel, or Paul, how useful these men were precisely because they had their faith so severely tested. As David writes in Psalm 40:1-3, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and He heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth – praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.” Here David is saying that he was delivered from a horrible pit, a miry clay. He had been providentially afflicted, but the Lord delivered him. And what was the result of having gone through this affliction? He was now more useful to the Lord. A new song had been put into his mouth. He was praising his God in a new way so that others would see it and fear the Lord, and they too would put their trust in Him.
Consider also 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 where Paul writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” By enduring affliction, we become more useful. God comforts us in our tribulation and it then prepares us to do the same for others who go through similar tribulations. Consider someone who has been diagnosed with cancer and has to go through extensive cancer treatment, yet the Lord delivers him through it. This person is now uniquely equipped to help his brethren who might undergo similar trials and testing. This cancer survivor has become more useful because he was afflicted, and the Lord delivered him through that affliction.
Undergoing distressing and trying experiences is a remarkably effective means of the Spirit for working out our sanctification. By faithfully enduring hardship, our usefulness is increased exponentially during times of affliction. As we exercise our faith (and I'm going to play on that word exercise here) during times of affliction, as we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, our spiritual muscles are built up through the repetition of putting them to work against an opposing resistance. Being thus spiritually stout and able bodied, we become veteran Christian soldiers who are now well-equipped to share in carrying the load of others to assist in bearing the heavy burdens of our brethren.
Let's observe one last quote from William Jay, and this is one of my favorite quotes of all time when it comes to providential afflictions. William Jay writes,
“The oak that has been scathed with lightning attracts the notice of passengers more than all the other trees of the forest. [Let's just pause for a moment because I love the imagery here. He's saying, imagine you're walking through a forest and you see an oak tree that was struck by lightning – that's going to cause you to stop and take a closer look, isn't it?] Trouble awakens the attention and draws forth inquiry. [When people see someone who is troubled, it causes them to stop and take notice, just as in the case of the lightning-struck oak tree] The Christian is never so well circumstanced to glorify the Lord as when he is in the fires of affliction. There he can display the tenderness of God's care, the truth of His promises, the excellencies of the gospel, the support of divine grace. In the review of my own varied intercourse with society, I confess nothing so vividly and powerfully affects me as what I recollect to have met with from pious individuals exemplifying the spirit and resources of Christianity under bodily disease and the losses, bereavements, and disappointments of life. [What William Jay is saying here is that as a pastor, when he has had to go and visit people in his congregation who are suffering from disease, or they've suffered some tremendous loss, or they're undergoing bereavement or some disappointment in life, when he sees them being faithfully content, nothing so impacts him as when he encounters such faith.] Oh, when I have visited such a martyr, such a witness for God; when I have found him standing in the evil day like a rock in a raging current with sunshine on its brow; when I have observed him full of tribulation in the world and having peace in Christ; mourning more for his sins than his sorrows, afraid of dishonoring his profession by impatience and unbelief; more concerned to have his crosses sanctified than to have them removed; turning a tearful eye toward the Inflictor and saying, ‘I know Lord, that your judgments are right, and that You in faithfulness have afflicted me; just and true are all Your ways, oh You, King of saints; You have done all things well.’ When I have witnessed religion – and I have witnessed it – accomplishing achievements like these, I have said to it, as I withdrew, ‘I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.’ As the sky is only decked with stars in the night; so the Christian shines most in the darkness of affliction.
Powerful, powerful quote.
Finally, consider how the good shepherd uses the prod of pain and the goad of suffering to drive His sheep toward the heavenly pastures of the new Jerusalem; to remind His people that they are exiles, aliens, foreigners, sojourners; to avoid loitering on their pilgrimage to the Celestial City.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Trials and tribulations and suffering taught Paul to have an eternal perspective. He understood the importance of disciplining his body and bringing it into subjection lest he be disqualified from obtaining an imperishable crown.
Philippians 4:11-13, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Paul had learned to be content in all things; to rely on Christ’s strength to fight the good fight and press on to glory. And this is the example that every Christian is to emulate.
Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
In summary, we are to find comfort in God's providence; we are to own the truth of God's providence, the good, the bad, and the ugly; we are not to complain or murmur against His providences, rather, we are to trust and even to rest in His providence; we are to improve upon His providences by remembering His faithfulness in the past. Providential afflictions are a means of producing the fruit of the Spirit; testing the genuineness and the strength of our faith; sanctifying us and making us more useful; and keeping our eyes on heavenly eternal things, rather than on earthly temporal things.
Brethren, during this time of pandemic there has been much discussion over what constitutes an “essential business” – what should remain open and what should be closed for the time being. Well, I would submit to you that spiritually speaking, all of us as Christians have essential business that needs to continue. We are to be faithful to Christ, no matter what our circumstances might be.
I'll leave you with this. Even if our blood should be contaminated by disease and pestilence, the blood of Christ is perfect and pure, so as to conquer death and hell. Thus, we as Christians can say, “Where is your sting, oh COVID-19?
For this perishable body must put on the imperishable and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (I Corinthians 15:53-58).
Amen.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. Thank you for listening. I hope this has been profitable for your soul.