the ever adorable providence of God by Charles Spurgeon

Isaiah chapter 45 verses 6 and 7 I am the Lord and there is no other I form the light and create the darkness I bring prosperity and create calamity I the Lord do all these things

There is no truth more humbling, more stabilizing, and more deeply comforting to the believer than this. The God who chose and redeemed us also governs every detail of our lives with perfect wisdom, boundless goodness, and absolute sovereignty. Nothing stands outside His decree. Nothing escapes His notice. Nothing unfolds apart from His will.

His providence is not a cold and abstruse doctrine, but a soft pillow for the weary saint to rest his head. Scripture declares that God works all things according to the counsel of His will. Not some things, not pleasant things, but all things. He numbers the hairs of our head. He appoints our days. He feeds the ravens, clothes the lilies, and directs the steps of every man.

His wisdom in managing our affairs is perfect, because His understanding is infinite. His ways are often dark and mysterious to us, but never to Him. We only see the back side of the tapestry, and hence are often confounded. In heaven, we will understand God's wise and perfect plan.

Scripture refuses to let us speak of fate, accident, or chance. God himself asks, do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High? When pestilence devastates, when famine wastes, when earthquakes shake the nations, when sovereign storms swallow ships and cities, it is the Lord who speaks in the whirlwind. If calamity comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it?

This truth does not blunt our sorrow, but sanctifies it. We may grieve deeply, yet we refuse to rob God of His sovereignty. Behind every bitter cup stands our gracious and loving Father. Behind our every tear is divine design. The believer does not trust in blind Mother Nature, but in a personal God whose providence is always wise, always good, always purposeful.

God's people are not promised immunity from trials, but they are promised His presence in them and His purpose through them. Afflictions do not arise from the dust. Sorrows are not random. The valley we walk was chosen for us, measured for us, timed for us, and filled with grace sufficient for us.

Every trial is appointed. Every burden is weighed. Every step is ordered. Our lives are not ruled by cruel chance, but by covenant love. Therefore, rest your trembling heart in this. The same God who decreed your salvation also decreed every circumstance that shapes you for glory.

The sovereign decrees and allotments of His infinite wisdom are never arbitrary. For the redeemed, they are always for our good and God's glory. Trust God's loving heart, even when you cannot trace His providential hand. You may stand bewildered before His providence, but you will never stand outside His loving care.

In the darkest hours, when His ways seem inscrutable, anchor your soul in this unshakable certainty as for God His way is perfect. What He ordains is right, and what He withholds is merciful. The cross of Christ is the eternal proof that God's deepest purposes often appear darkest before they shine.

Believer, your times are in His hands. Your sorrows are not wasted. Your future is secure. And His providence, though mysterious now, will be eternally adorable when faith becomes sight.

We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.