This week I found myself with first-world problems: a Monday evening flight was cancelled on account of snow. All the Tuesday flights were cancelled as well.
The mercy of a gate agent led to a discount voucher for two nights at a hotel. Two nights and one full day cooped up in a hotel.
Did I mention that we were traveling with a two year old and a four year old? Remarkably fine kids but still, no snow pants, no boots, and an environment designed for the business traveler.
And when the cancelled flight would have been landing the snow had not even started.
Small stuff in the grand scheme of things. Snow didn’t count as a natural disaster. There was no war anywhere near us. Nobody was starving — though we would have gone hungry if we had insisted on meals within our budget. Clearly a couple billion people have more to complain about. Inconveniences really. But even if these were little trials, they were my very own trials for a couple of days.
And then a recent tweet from @Dawn_Morris1 came to mind. She asked about “God’s sovereignty.” Specifically she was asking how sovereignty seems to be in tension with human accountability. I’m pondering the issue in conversation with the Heidelberg Catechism, which is much on my mind for several reasons: 2013 is the 450th anniversary of the much-loved Catechism, my denomination is considering adopting a new translation, and I wrote a little book on it recently.
Heidelberg does not address Dawn’s question directly, but it has a lot to say about some of the relevant issues.
Question 26 is the start of a short section on “providence”, which often comes under the category of God’s sovereignty: God, the ruler of all, does not stand back from the affairs of the world or our lives, but plays an active role governing and guiding. This is the doctrine that, in its stronger forms, seems to conflict with any human responsibility: if God is calling all the shots, why am I to blame for my bad choices?
Heidelberg’s take on providence, like on most things, is very personal. It focuses not on philosophical puzzles but on how Christians find help and hope in biblical teachings. Just after it first mentions providence, Q26 says
“I trust God so much that I do not doubt
he will provide
whatever I need,
for body and soul,
and will turn to my good
whatever adversity he sends upon me
in this sad world.”
- Today we hear “providence” and we jump to the problems: “Does that mean God is responsible for atrocities and natural disasters?”
- Heidelberg hears “providence” and turns instead to comfort: assurance that God cares for my well-being and will bring good even from problems.
Atrocities and natural disasters aside (and setting the entire question aside if you are in the midst of grief or loss) Heidelberg rings true for a lot of Christians in this. Many people who look hard at their lives will say that from the very worst they faced God brought good.
I’m thinking of members of 12 step groups I’ve known, people whose addictions led to destruction of relationships, careers and health; to long seasons of poverty and homelessness. I’ve heard them thank God for their addictions — because only through addiction did they find God and the process of God’s healing.
My situation was mild stuff by comparison, but Heidelberg’s treatment of providence pretty much sums it up. God provided for me and my family in surprising ways. We kept warm and were fed all through the storm. People showed us kindness. And I learned some valuable lessons about how kids can have a great time and get a lot of exercise doing scavenger hunts in a hotel with no pool. We didn’t even turn on the T.V.
I pray all who read these words find the same thing to be true. God works behind the scenes and under the circumstances to lovingly, generously provide. That’s the providence of the sovereign God. As Heidelberg puts it
“God is able to do this because he is almighty God
and desires to do this because he is a faithful Father.”
- When have you seen God at work providing for you in a challenging time?
- Where does this idea of providence bring you more problems than help?
This tension is one I struggle with most in faith. I’ve had to land on “we just don’t know” how this all works together, and for a type-A “I want an answer to everything” person, that is a tough landing. 🙂 I think the problem in looking at it this way is exactly what you said about jumping to the problems. I think you HAVE to jump to the “problems”. I can’t feel I’ve theologically resolved the meaning of this tension if there are clear problems with the side I come out on. I guess that’s why I had to land on “we just don’t know” on this issue. I’ve never found a resolution that works if you assume sovereignty means meticulous sovereignty – that God is involved in every small thing. This has led me to a much looser definition of God’s sovereignty – He oversees the world to achieve his overarching plan but isn’t involved in the details. That is the only way I can make sense of the world. (Not that truth has to make sense to my human mind – I could well be wrong. I’m glad that my salvation rests on Jesus and not my possibly errant view of sovereignty!)
Hey, Natasha, thanks for sharing your thoughts– and sorry it took so long to reply. I’m still catching up after the travel adventures.
I see your point that it is sometimes easier to give God credit for big picture stuff than personal daily stuff.
I wonder if it makes a different to approach the question considering God’s love rather than God’s sovereignty. The two are closely tied together, since what God does in the world as sovereign God does guided by the love which is his nature.
For the writers of the Heidelberg Catechism this question expresses not something they “think” their way into on their own (that way lies paradox and frustration) but something they saw Scripture teaching and which they therefore trusted as God’s promise. In the footnotes they cited Romans 8:28, which from memory runs “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.”
Still another route to a sense of God’s activity in the everyday without getting stuck in paradoxes is the Ignatian tradition in Roman Catholicism. St. Ignatius was determined to discover God in all things, and developed some amazing prayerful practices that nurture the awareness. (Check out the chapter on Ignatius in my book “Kneeling with Giants: Learning to Pray with History’s Best Teachers.”)
Thanks Gary – I will definitely go check out your book. I am intrigued by what you said about God’s love and sovereignty being tied together. That’s one I will have to ponder. Romans 8:28 has always been an interesting one to me. It’s a full acknowledgment that bad things will happen, but that God works to bring good from it for those who love Him. It’s that last part that intrigues me and people often ignore – “for those who love him.” It doesn’t mean something good comes of every bad thing, and I think that’s where many people go wrong theologically (basically saying that God is causing every little bad thing and every little good thing to happen). Thanks for your additional thoughts! I’m enjoying your blog.
Natasha, if my chapter on Ignatius (especially the section on the “Examen”) proves interesting, Margaret Silf’s writings take Ignatius’ teachings into present day practice much more thoroughly. Her book “Landmarks” is a great place to start, though she has many others.
Amen! Loved this post. Glad you all are safely wherever you were going…
Sent from my iPhone
Thanks Jill! Yes, safe and sound in Dubuque.
I find God’s sovereignty or providence to be incredibly comforting. Even in times of intense grief I know that I know that I know God has a plan for my life, that He loves me and that ultimately it all will turn out to benefit me by making me more Christlike and bringing God all the glory. Easy – no. Trust and joy filled? Yes
Thanks smhoney. Glad to hear that you find such comfort in these things! Me too.
I think that if you learn to trust this way when things are going well that when you face grief you have some good resources. On the other hand, if you find someone in the midst of grief and tell them for the first time the good news about God’s loving providence it can sound not so good… It takes discernment.
Gary – I agree that talking to anyone in the midst of trials takes great discernment. I am working my way through Calvin’s institutes and Although I generally agree with him I prefer your reply to see sovereignty through the lens of God’s love rather than justice. For who can know the mind of God? I think this attribute is one where I see His hand in my life actively only in the rear view mirror. Loved the posting & conversations. Am also glad you did get back home safely. .
Smhoney, it is GREAT that you are reading through the Institutes! Lots of riches there — and many surprises for people who have fixed ideas about what Calvin will be like.
I agree that God’s hand is seen most clearly in “the rear view mirror.” Nicely put. Kind of like Moses, who was hidden in the cleft of the rock while God’s glory passed by — he could only come and look afterwards and see that God’s glory had been there.
Today we hear “providence” and we jump to the problems…Heidelberg hears “providence” and turns instead to comfort. Love this.
Hey, that’s great Matt. Glad to have you here in the conversation.
Hi Gary,
I also view God as a living presence that has brought good out of even the worst situations in my life.
I do, however, question the Heidelberg phrase quoted below: “whatever adversity he sends upon me…” Is that phrase/theodicy addressed in your book? I do not believe that God visits difficulty and evil upon us; rather, that sin and evil are pervasive because our relationship with God has been broken since Adam and Eve, and humanity/creation will not be fully restored until Christ comes again. I know this always becomes a huge issue at times of natural disasters, etc.
Blessings, Ruth
Hi Ruth! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for the question. I’m pretty sure that this did not get covered in the book — it is a really short book, written under the very tight guidelines of the series.
It is a good question and I find it a tough issue too. It is much more prominent in other 16th and 17th century Reformed theological texts, like Calvin’s Institutes and the Westminster standards. They had far less hesitation than we do today to credit God with what we might call a consistent providence — bringing both good and ill, all beyond our understanding but worked out in God’s good plans. They were not only logically consistent in this. They could also draw on passages like Amos 3:6, “Does disaster befall a city unless the Lord has done it?” (Other translations will say “evil” instead of “disaster”) Clearly a rhetorical question in the prophet’s mind.
In terms of both Scripture and theology is a many sided issue, with no easy satisfying answer.
Gary,
Why is it that our travel woes always seem to converge upon O’Hare? I remember many a voucher, but I must confess I seldom considered God’s providence in the midst of my troubles. You bring on an excellent point. Could it be that we’ve become obsessed with avoiding pain, suffering, and woes at all costs? I wonder if our anxiety about decisions and behavior has become less about following the Lord and more about our plan for gain without consequence?
One verse that comes to mind is James 1:2, where we are given the difficult task to “consider it pure joy” in our trials. I recall the prophet Jonah as well. Jonah refuses to go to Nineveh and its not until he finds himself in the chaos of a storm that he re-encounters God’s call for his life. And then there is Peter, who found himself in a direct encounter with Jesus while walking on water in the raging waves around him. (Side note, Jesus saw him through the ordeal, while teaching him to dig deeper in his faith). This week I have been looking back on my own pilgrimage, and I’ve realized that its in the midst of trails that God’s providence has been hard at work bringing me closer to Him. Despite living in a broken world with fallen consequences, I’m with Heidelberg on this one as well. For me, God’s providence means that God is restoring all things for good. Great stuff.
Thanks Ryan! Great to here from you here.
I think you are right in tune with Heidelberg when you look for ways “providence has been hard at work bringing me closer to Him.” Even in the famous Q1 of the Catechism this is precisely the point: God is not just working to make our lives easy or pleasant. God’s work is about bringing us to salvation.
Dr. Hansen, as I was reading this blog Matthew 6:25-34 (one of my favorite verses) kept coming to mind. I have found God present when I truly seem to give it all to God. This could be at work with a difficult matter, or in life with a big problem. It’s like this I had a good friend that had lost his job, and while out of work, he stressed and looked, stressed and looked for other work, but to no avail, finally when he was at his wit’s end, he said, that is when I finally just gave it over to God. He continued to search but in a different kind of way, and today, he is at a new job, (one that he says is way more fulfilling than his last, even at a lot less pay).