The above quotation is
actually the last sentence of that great old hymn entitled “The Providence Of
God” written by W.E. Brightwell. I’m using it as a lead-in to a little
lesson on one of my favorite subjects to talk about – the “Providence of God.”
In fact, we had a Wednesday evening class not too long ago on it. And, I
truly believe that I’m not the only one who likes this subject. I think
that most of us like to hear or read about events of a “providential” nature so I’m
going to use one of them to illustrate our lesson today.
One day a Scottish farmer by the name of
Fleming was working in his field when he heard some cries for help coming from
a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran over to see what was
happening. He found a terrified boy trapped to his waist in the black
muck and sinking. The farmer was able to pull him from the bog and save
him from what would have been a slow and terrible death.
The
next day a fancy carriage arrived at the farmer’s house and a very elegantly
dressed nobleman stepped out. He introduced himself as the father of the
boy who farmer Fleming had saved the day before. He wanted to repay the
farmer for saving his son’s life, however the farmer refused to accept any
payment for what he had done.
At about
that moment, a young boy came out of the door and the nobleman asked if he was
the farmer’s son. The farmer said that it was, whereupon the nobleman
said, “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll provide your son with the same level of
education my son will enjoy and if he’s anything like his father, he’ll turn
out to be a man we’ll both be proud of.”
Farmer Fleming agreed to the nobleman’s “deal” and his son attended the very
best schools available and eventually graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital
Medical School in London. He became known throughout the world as Sir
Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.
Think about it a
moment. How blessed has the world been due to a farmer “providentially” being in a
certain place at a certain time? But, the “Providence of God” did not stop there.
There’s another paragraph to that story. The world was not only blessed
by the work of Sir Alexander Fleming. Let me tell you the rest of the
blessing.
Years later, the same nobleman’s son who
was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life
this time? Penicillin. And, I haven’t told you the name of the
nobleman. He was Lord Randolph Churchill. The world knows his son
as Sir Winston Churchill.
Now, let’s talk a bit
about “providence.”
The word itself, by definition, means “a foreseeing care” or the “divine care
of God.” It’s a word that is closely allied with the word
“preservation.” And, interestingly, “providence”
is found used only once in the Bible, in Acts 24:2 where it’s referring to
Governor Felix of Judea.
I find it interesting
that, even though only used once in the Bible, it was used, in a sense, in
relation to government. Why I say that is, from the beginning of our
country, “God’s Providence”
was recognized. During the struggle for independence and the forming of
our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, our forefathers daily
prayed for the “guidance of
the Providence of God.” Our first President, George
Washington, once said in a speech that “the
Providence of God saw our country victorious through the revolution.”
Don’t you wish our
current governments had that attitude? That governments all over the
world prayed for the “Providence
of God” to guide them. Not just through difficult times, but
through all times.
And, when you think
about it, maybe, just maybe, it’s during the proverbial “times of plenty” that
we need the most “providential
” guidance. The reason I say that is because it seems that
man has the propensity to forget God when things are going good. Or, that
we don’t need Him unless times are bad or stressful.
Some of the things about
“providence” that
I’ve noted are that we always speak of “providence”
as being a good occurrence. You just don’t think of “providential” as being
negative, do you? And also, that we only seem to recognize it after the
fact. It’s something that we sort of look back on and realize the “providential” nature of the
event.
Further, I think that
all people of faith believe in the “Providence
of God.” In support of that statement, let me offer this, if
we don’t believe in “divine
care” or “God’s Providence” why do we pray for guidance? For
the sick or those traveling or any of the things that we pray to God for?
I offer this thought, that we must believe in God’s Providence because in many
of our prayers don’t we ask Him to “keep
us in His care?”
In closing my thoughts
today I’m going to return to the forefathers of our nation for some final
words. I sincerely believe that we should follow their example as we live
our lives here on this earth that God has provided for us. How much did
they believe in and rely on the “Providence
of God?” Let me cite to you the closing line of the
Declaration of Independence for an answer to that question.
“And for the support of this
declaration, with a firm reliance on
the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each
other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred honor.”
And, something we should
never forget is the “divine
care” of God in that He sacrificed His Son on the cross of Calvary
for man’s salvation. To me, that is the ultimate example of the “Providence of God.”
Respectfully submitted,
Ron Covey
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