Giving Too Much Credit To Providence

"I have lived a long time and the longer I live the more I see that God governs in the affairs of men." (Benjamin Franklin).  

We should attribute everything that happens in the world to Providence; however, this is to say that God is always completely sovereign.  He rules the nations, which are but a drop in the bucket and is in control over every last atom in the cosmos--there are no rebellious, maverick molecules!  God is in control of all things small and great and His sovereignty isn't limited by our freedom!  But technically speaking, Providence refers not only to the guidance of the believer's life but the governing, concurrence, and sustaining of creation, election refers to his sovereign salvation and predestination refers to the way God manipulates his salvation to bring him to faith and repentance.

The unbeliever cannot claim God's blessings is guiding him to victory.  God does indeed step into history and intervene; He's not just a spectator or onlooker either!  He is actively involved and nothing is too small to overlook or too great to overpower Him.  To be sovereign you have to be almighty and omniscient.  It would be pathetic if God were all-wise and had not the power to bring about His purposes, and it would be horrific if He were all-powerful and not wise enough to implement it according to a good end.  But we can be assured that God is good and will accomplish His purposes in the end.  It's just like Aslan the lion, in The Chronicles of Narnia (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis), (a type of Christ) who said, "'Course, [He] isn't safe," said, Mr. Beaver.  "But [H]e's good...."

The danger we face today is some religious zealots are about to claim that our president was elected by a special act of blessing or Providence!  Would they go so far as to say that Clinton was also elected by Providence, even Obama?  As a matter of fact, God does raise men up: to punish as well as to bless!  But no, they want to single out one president and make him the object of special anointing to save our nation as God's man for president, not king.

I do believe God put President Trump in office for a purpose and according to God's wisdom, but that doesn't mean he's a messiah figure or on a special mission from God! In his case, we should concur that the jury is still out and history will judge: we cannot know whether he's on the right side of it or not!  People who make claims like this don't see the big picture and don't realize that a complete reversal could happen next election and that history may judge our president in a different light that we don't see now.

In the final analysis, Providence is God's answer to happenstance and we must realize that everything from the tossing of the die to the king's heart is in God's control and we must deny the possibility of blind fate, dumb luck, and blind fortune!  There are no impersonal forces at play!  Yes, we can say with faith that we will let the chips fall where they may and that God is in control!   Nothing can happen without God's permission and we have peace when the chips are down and through thick and thin!  What we see taking place is that God clearly orchestrates all history and it will be culminated in a conclusion according to His design, plan, and intentions.    NB:  Wycliffe's tenet is a word to the wise:  "All things come to pass by necessity."    Soli Deo Gloria!