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The Primacy of Providence in Paternal Parenting
March 1, 2003
Michael Evans
 
Quick. What does the word providence mean? Ask your children. Ask your wife. Ask your pastor. But mostly ask yourself.
Eighty years ago more public school students in Dallas, Texas knew the answer to this question than most twenty-first century church-dabblers.
Each of the students was required to read and understand a concise, but thorough body of biblical/theological content as part of the curriculum. I’ve seen the book and it is impressive indeed.
Students were required to memorize texts like John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God….”
Does your Christian home-school have as rigid of expectations as this public school system had?
I believe that Biblical and theological/doctrinal literacy is at an all-time low in this country.
If you don’t believe me then let me ask you one question: What is the substitutionary atonement of Christ.
If you cannot give a working definition of this utterly crucial doctrine, then you have proven the point.
My purpose is not merely to make spiritually lazy fathers feel guilty, although they should. More importantly, however, it is to highlight the positive dimensions of teaching truth to our children.
There is something terribly wrong with a Christian ethos where more children can recite the entire cast of Veggie Tales than can name the Ten Commandments…don’t you think?
There is something terribly wrong when more churchgoing adults can recite the last five Tim LaHaye apocalyptic adventure books than can give a working definition of the doctrine of justification by faith.
Thank you for listening. I will now step down from the soap box and enter into the subject at hand: Providence.
A good working definition of Providence is found in the New Bible Dictionary: “The unceasing activity of the Creator whereby, in overflowing bounty and goodwill he upholds his creatures in ordered existence…”
“…guides and governs all events, circumstances and free acts of angels and men; and directs everything to its appointed goal, for his own glory.”
God’s providence is the working out of his sovereignty in this world. Matthew 6:25-30 has a thing or two to say about this doctrine.
John Calvin was fond of saying, “God’s hand is at the helm.” That is what this doctrine teaches.
Do we know anything of this doctrine? If so, do we believe it? And if we do, do we teach it and model it to our children?
Do we truly believe that God actually directs “all things to its appointed goal, for his own glory?” I certainly do.
This in no way negates the absolute necessity of responsible living, but how big is God? How involved is He?
Do we see the pleasant and unpleasant events of our days from a self-centered perspective or from a God-centered perspective?
Consider the following illustration of God’s providence and note the place of this man’s personal holiness as well.
The Scotsworthies is a biographical book that highlights the lives of more than 60 Scottish men from the 16th and early 17th centuries who carried on the work of the Reformation of the Church in Scotland.
John Knox and Robert Bruce (of Braveheart renown) are just two examples. Thousands suffered death or extreme hardships. Some were banished to northern islands. Others were imprisoned. Still others were executed in vigilante style justice.
One of the sketches in this book, regarding the life of John Welch, struck me. Welch was a pastor who pursued God with amazing vigor.
He said that he felt that his day was ill spent if he had not spent at least seven or eight hours in prayer. No comprende.
He couldn’t comprehend that not all believers were regularly stirred in the middle of the night to arise and pray.
He had a reputation in the town he served as a holy and righteous man who commanded much respect.
One incident proved the practical nature of Welch’s holiness. In the late 1590’s the plague was moving through Scotland.
The city leaders of Ayr, where Welch lived, posted guards and barricades at every entrance to the city to prevent anyone from bringing the plague into the city.
One day two travelling merchants, each with a pack of cloth upon a horse, came to the town desiring entrance, that they might sell their goods.
They produced a pass from the leaders of the town they had come from, which at the time was free and clear of the plague.
The guards were uncertain as to whether or not they should let these two men into the city, so they called the magistrates.
But they would do nothing without the advice of their minister. So, John Welch was called and apprised of the situation.
Welch took off his hat, looked toward heaven for some time, then told the magistrates that they would do well to send these two travelers on their way, affirming that the plague was indeed in the cloths they carried on their horses.
So the magistrates told them to get lost and the two men went on to the next city, a place called Cumnock, twenty miles away where the men entered, sold their goods and unwittingly brought the plague to this poor city.
In just a short time the plague raged through that city to such a degree that it is said the living were hardly able to keep up with burying the dead (The Scotwsorthies, John Howie, pp.124-125).
How was this plague averted in the town of Ayr? What else can we say but the Providence of God.
John Welch walked with God and because of his close walk with God it was revealed to him that the plague was indeed in the travelers’ cloths.
This proved to be a smiling Providence of God for the residents of Ayr, who were spared the desolation of the plague.
But what was good for Ayr was not good for Cumnock. The smiling providence for Ayr was a frowning providence for the residents of Cumnock.
A friend of mine was transporting a distraught passenger this week when the man suddenly let out a string of curses, opened the door, stood on the ledge and jumped out of the car traveling 60 miles an hour.
Amazingly he wasn’t seriously injured. The question we should always and forever be asking ourselves is this: What is God saying through this situation?
You lose your job but your friend didn’t. Perhaps your child has serious health concerns and another’s does not.
Are we practical atheists? Or, do we seek to honor God even through difficulties… with a faith that clings even when it feels like it may crumble.
Brothers, let’s know this doctrine of God’s providence, not only from Scripture, but from all of the experiences of our lives.
Then, let’s pass it on to the next generation and perhaps this article won’t be necessary one hundred years from now.
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On a lighter note…..
One of these months I’m going to do a “day in the life of…” stories right here in this space.
Real life is stranger and more interesting than the most colorful fiction. For example:
In Jauary four out of six in our family had the flu at one time. To a man (and a little girl) we like the flu because it means we get to drink 7-up. No flu. No Seven-Up Weird huh?
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My eight-year-old Benjamin just interrupted me to inform me that when medieval workers were building castles and cathedrals and had to stop for the winter months they would cover the structures in dung mixed with hay. I didn’t know that.
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As baby Gabbie begins her cheerful little chatterings my mind is again blown away by phonemes. These critters are the smallest identifiable patterns of speech in human beings.
They are the most basic and simple sounds which form the foundations of language development. The words “dada” and “mama” and “mine” are phonemes. In our family phonemes are words like “cou-pon” and “bar-gain.”
Bye-Bye until May!
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