| “PROVIDENCE: FATHER KNOWS BEST” Matthew 28:16-20; John 14:15-31 Olivet Covenant Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA © Rev. Linda Jaymes, 2/22/2009 FOURTH IN A SERIES ON REFORMED DOCTRINE |
Some of you may find this series of sermons on Reformed doctrines rather heavy and last week’s discussion of the Trinity
was especially complicated and hard to comprehend. But I’m hoping that today’s doctrine, the Providence of God, will be
easier to connect with and understand. At least, I think it’s something that we all deal with every day and its relevance is
certainly more familiar to most of us.
The word “providence” comes from the Latin providentia, meaning foresight or prudence, from pro- "ahead" + videre "to
see.” From that literal meaning of providere, “to see ahead,” has come the understanding that providence has to do with
provision, providing for or taking precautionary measures. In religious terms, the concept of Divine Providence comes from
the belief that God is able to “see ahead.” God knows the future, what lies ahead; He is omniscient, knowing all things. As
Christians, I think we could say that He has taken “precautionary measures,” so to speak, on our behalf.
The concept of Divine Providence is an integral part of John Calvin’s theology and thus all of Reformed theology and
doctrine ever since. Calvin used it to refer to God's plan for the world and the idea that all of creation is guided by God’s will,
or “providence,” and thus Calvin asserts that the doctrines of creation and providence go hand in hand. According to Calvin, if
we acknowledge that God is the Creator of all there is, we must also realize that God continues to govern and guide what He
has created. In Calvin’s own words, “providence means not that…God idly observes from heaven what takes place on earth,
but that…as keeper of the keys, he governs all events.” (Institutes 1.XVI.4) 1 Calvin goes on to say that we must
“…conclude [that God] is also everlasting Governor and Preserver—not only in that he drives the celestial frame as
well as its several parts by a universal motion, but also in that he sustains, nourishes, and cares for, everything he has made,
even to the last sparrow.” (Institutes 1.XVI.1) 2
Or if we come at the idea from the opposition direction, Calvin says that
“…it would not be believable that human affairs are cared for by God unless he were the Maker of the universe, and
nobody seriously believes the universe was made by God without being persuaded that he takes care of his works…” 3
In other words, if we believe that God is the Creator of the universe, we must also believe He is still sustaining it, caring for it,
involved with it and at work in it. By the same token, the God who sustains, cares for and is involved and at work in the
Creation must also be the One who created it.
Similarly, the Heidelberg Catechism, one of the Confessions of our Reformed faith, defines providence as
“…the almighty and ever-present power of God whereby he still upholds, as it were by his own hand, heaven and earth
together with all creatures, and rules in such a way that leaves and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and unfruitful years,
food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, and everything else, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly
hand…” (Question 27)
That statement implies a number things about God, some of which we humans often do not like or understand. It
tells us, for example, that God allows things that we consider bad or even evil to come our way—yet at the same time it calls us
to trust that God is still in control and has his reasons for allowing things to happen as they do. It also reminds us that like a
good father, God loves us; he has our best interests in mind and heart and in his hands, and will work all things together for the
good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) So like it or not—since what I’m about
to say is not politically correct—Divine Providence means that “Father Knows Best.”
How many of you remember that TV show from the ‘50’s? Those were the days when the fathers in sitcoms were not
portrayed as total idiots. The show started out on radio in 1949 and came to TV in 1954 where it ran for ten years. In the
show the Father, Jim Anderson, was a wise family man, and his common-sense wife Margaret was a perfect match. In fact,
the show should really have been called “Father and Mother Know Best, since the mom was just as wise in her own way as the
dad. But since it was the 50’s and gender roles were very clearly defined in those days, whenever their kids Betty, Bud and
Kathy needed advice on anything at all, they went first to their father, because they had been taught that “father knows best.”
In this day and age, most people squirm when they hear that phrase. For one thing, non-traditional families abound
nowadays and many people either don’t connect with the model of the traditional family or feel it’s discriminatory. Others have
experienced physical or emotional abuse at the hands of their fathers—which is nothing new, by the way—it’s just that it was
taboo to talk about it back in the ‘50’s. In any case, given all these factors, maybe we can understand why so many people
today want nothing to do with God’s providence or the idea that “Father knows best.”
But as Christians we don’t really have a choice—nor should we want it any other way! God the Father, transcendent as
one of the persons of the Trinity yet immanent as our Heavenly Father, offers us a relationship that is intended to be a
wonderful blessing. If our earthly fathers were abusive or in any way did not live up to the role that God intended for them,
that doesn’t mean that God the Father is anything like them. In fact, for those who have had to deal with or perhaps are still
recovering from negative or hurtful experiences with our biological fathers or other men in our lives, God the Father is the one
father we can trust to love and care for us perfectly. The challenge for us Christians, however, is the trust part, especially
when things don’t happen the way we think they should. That’s when we need to remember that our human perspective is
limited and incomplete, and our thinking has been adversely affected ever since the fall from Grace. Our thought processes are
flawed, just like everything else. So when things happen to us that we cannot understand, that’s when we really need to trust
that God, our Heavenly Father, really does know best.
But learning to trust like that usually does not come easily. It takes time, as well as an accumulation of life experiences in
which God has proved Himself to be trustworthy. And even then, there is no guarantee that we will understand what God is
doing or why He is doing it. Take Job, for example. I think everyone has heard of the sufferings of Job, how in a single day
this very wealthy and righteous man lost all of his livestock and his ten children. And if that were not enough, a short time later
his body was afflicted by painful sores from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. Yet in all this, Job did not curse God.
His response, repeatedly, was to acknowledge that the God who had blessed him in so many ways had every right to remove
his blessings.
Yet at the same time, just as you and I are wont to do, Job longed to know why these things had happened. What was the
point of being born if only to endure suffering? Why love and trust God if this is how things are going to turn out? For that
matter, how good and powerful can this God even be to allow such things to happen to those who trust Him? Or to use the
title of one of our generation’s well-known books, why do bad things happen to good people?
We heard a portion of the book of Job this morning, and the reality—which may seem unkind and unfair—is that God
doesn’t answer Job’s questions. In fact, rarely in the Bible or in our own lives does God ever answer the “why” questions—
which perhaps is a clue that maybe we are asking Him the wrong questions! In Job’s case, God never explained why Job’s
children died or why Job lost all his wealth or why he was tormented in his body. But what God did do is reveal Himself to
Job. God reminded Job—and reminds us—that none of us humans were there when the universe was created; we can’t begin
to plumb the depths of God’s power and purposes and ways. But nevertheless, in Job’s story we see that this God who
created all things also desires to be and in fact is involved with his creation. God is willing to lower Himself and speak to Job,
and God’s words are a reminder that God is still in control. He is still governing, providing and caring for and about this world
and all its creatures. And finally, Job gets it. Or maybe I should say that at least, he understands that many things in life will
never be understood. It’s not that anything happens randomly or by chance, but the intricacies and fullness of God’s plans and
purposes are not for us to know. Yet all that being said, some things are obvious and sure: God cares for us. God has not
forgotten us. God is still at work in and on the creation (which includes us) and no matter what we’re going through at any
given time, we need to remember that “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” And when it’s “over,” everything will be perfect—even better
than we can imagine.
That’s where today’s second scripture lesson comes into play. We have access to much more information and knowledge
than Job did. Job is probably the oldest book in the Bible, and so Job had no scriptures to guide or encourage him. We now
have not only the Hebrew Scriptures but also the New Testament, all of which reveal much more of God’s plans and purposes
for the creation than Job could have known. We know more about God’s character and love because it is revealed both in his
word and more literally, “in the flesh” in Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. We know what eternity holds for us because all of
God’s promises in scripture are shown to be “Yes” in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The one who conquered death once
and for all is certainly able to guarantee the rest of God’s promises.
And so we can trust God’s promise recorded in Romans 8:28, which says that in all things God is working for the good of
those who love Him and who have been called according to his purpose. This God, through whom we are fearfully and
wonderfully made, has had plans and purposes for each and every one of us from all eternity—before He knit us together in our
mother’s womb. By his Providence, He is and always has been and always will be working on our behalf. This God is “for
us;” He’s on our side, always doing what is best for us because this Father knows best—whether it seems that way to us or
not. He gave up his own Son to die for us—and that didn’t seem like a very good thing the day it happened—but it turned out
to be the best thing that ever happened—both for Jesus and for us. It means that nothing and no one can ultimately triumph
against us. If Jesus—the only one in a position to condemn us—died for us, and even now sits in Glory at the Father’s right
hand, interceding on our behalf, then our eternal destiny in Heaven is a sure thing. It’s guaranteed. And nothing can prevent
God from accomplishing it.
Time and again we see that God’s purposes—even those that seem cruel at the time—turn out to be the very best for those
who love God. That was true for Joseph, when his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, certainly a horrible thing to do. But
in God’s “providence” it saved the people of Israel from famine and starvation and extinction. Joseph’s brothers meant to do
him harm, but God worked it all out for good. That is what we have to hold on to when we can’t understand the Providence of
God. And even when we can’t understand it, we still can—and we must—trust it. We can and must trust that our Heavenly
Father knows best, and to remember that just as Job finally affirmed, no plan of God’s can be thwarted. So our future is
secure. God’s plan is to save those who love Him and who receive, by faith, his Son, Jesus, as their Savior and Lord. Those
who do that are more than conquerors through that Savior, for He will guard us and preserve us and make sure that nothing
ever separates us from God’s love. This is the part of Divine Providence that we can and must understand and in which we
can rest secure. Our Heavenly Father really does know best, and has the power to make it happen. And if that isn’t Good
News, I don’t know what is!
Let us pray.
1. Ed. John T. McNeill, Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1. The Library of Christian Classics, Volume XX. The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1960, 201-
202.
2. Ibid., 197-198
3. Ibid., 198
was especially complicated and hard to comprehend. But I’m hoping that today’s doctrine, the Providence of God, will be
easier to connect with and understand. At least, I think it’s something that we all deal with every day and its relevance is
certainly more familiar to most of us.
The word “providence” comes from the Latin providentia, meaning foresight or prudence, from pro- "ahead" + videre "to
see.” From that literal meaning of providere, “to see ahead,” has come the understanding that providence has to do with
provision, providing for or taking precautionary measures. In religious terms, the concept of Divine Providence comes from
the belief that God is able to “see ahead.” God knows the future, what lies ahead; He is omniscient, knowing all things. As
Christians, I think we could say that He has taken “precautionary measures,” so to speak, on our behalf.
The concept of Divine Providence is an integral part of John Calvin’s theology and thus all of Reformed theology and
doctrine ever since. Calvin used it to refer to God's plan for the world and the idea that all of creation is guided by God’s will,
or “providence,” and thus Calvin asserts that the doctrines of creation and providence go hand in hand. According to Calvin, if
we acknowledge that God is the Creator of all there is, we must also realize that God continues to govern and guide what He
has created. In Calvin’s own words, “providence means not that…God idly observes from heaven what takes place on earth,
but that…as keeper of the keys, he governs all events.” (Institutes 1.XVI.4) 1 Calvin goes on to say that we must
“…conclude [that God] is also everlasting Governor and Preserver—not only in that he drives the celestial frame as
well as its several parts by a universal motion, but also in that he sustains, nourishes, and cares for, everything he has made,
even to the last sparrow.” (Institutes 1.XVI.1) 2
Or if we come at the idea from the opposition direction, Calvin says that
“…it would not be believable that human affairs are cared for by God unless he were the Maker of the universe, and
nobody seriously believes the universe was made by God without being persuaded that he takes care of his works…” 3
In other words, if we believe that God is the Creator of the universe, we must also believe He is still sustaining it, caring for it,
involved with it and at work in it. By the same token, the God who sustains, cares for and is involved and at work in the
Creation must also be the One who created it.
Similarly, the Heidelberg Catechism, one of the Confessions of our Reformed faith, defines providence as
“…the almighty and ever-present power of God whereby he still upholds, as it were by his own hand, heaven and earth
together with all creatures, and rules in such a way that leaves and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and unfruitful years,
food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, and everything else, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly
hand…” (Question 27)
That statement implies a number things about God, some of which we humans often do not like or understand. It
tells us, for example, that God allows things that we consider bad or even evil to come our way—yet at the same time it calls us
to trust that God is still in control and has his reasons for allowing things to happen as they do. It also reminds us that like a
good father, God loves us; he has our best interests in mind and heart and in his hands, and will work all things together for the
good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) So like it or not—since what I’m about
to say is not politically correct—Divine Providence means that “Father Knows Best.”
How many of you remember that TV show from the ‘50’s? Those were the days when the fathers in sitcoms were not
portrayed as total idiots. The show started out on radio in 1949 and came to TV in 1954 where it ran for ten years. In the
show the Father, Jim Anderson, was a wise family man, and his common-sense wife Margaret was a perfect match. In fact,
the show should really have been called “Father and Mother Know Best, since the mom was just as wise in her own way as the
dad. But since it was the 50’s and gender roles were very clearly defined in those days, whenever their kids Betty, Bud and
Kathy needed advice on anything at all, they went first to their father, because they had been taught that “father knows best.”
In this day and age, most people squirm when they hear that phrase. For one thing, non-traditional families abound
nowadays and many people either don’t connect with the model of the traditional family or feel it’s discriminatory. Others have
experienced physical or emotional abuse at the hands of their fathers—which is nothing new, by the way—it’s just that it was
taboo to talk about it back in the ‘50’s. In any case, given all these factors, maybe we can understand why so many people
today want nothing to do with God’s providence or the idea that “Father knows best.”
But as Christians we don’t really have a choice—nor should we want it any other way! God the Father, transcendent as
one of the persons of the Trinity yet immanent as our Heavenly Father, offers us a relationship that is intended to be a
wonderful blessing. If our earthly fathers were abusive or in any way did not live up to the role that God intended for them,
that doesn’t mean that God the Father is anything like them. In fact, for those who have had to deal with or perhaps are still
recovering from negative or hurtful experiences with our biological fathers or other men in our lives, God the Father is the one
father we can trust to love and care for us perfectly. The challenge for us Christians, however, is the trust part, especially
when things don’t happen the way we think they should. That’s when we need to remember that our human perspective is
limited and incomplete, and our thinking has been adversely affected ever since the fall from Grace. Our thought processes are
flawed, just like everything else. So when things happen to us that we cannot understand, that’s when we really need to trust
that God, our Heavenly Father, really does know best.
But learning to trust like that usually does not come easily. It takes time, as well as an accumulation of life experiences in
which God has proved Himself to be trustworthy. And even then, there is no guarantee that we will understand what God is
doing or why He is doing it. Take Job, for example. I think everyone has heard of the sufferings of Job, how in a single day
this very wealthy and righteous man lost all of his livestock and his ten children. And if that were not enough, a short time later
his body was afflicted by painful sores from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. Yet in all this, Job did not curse God.
His response, repeatedly, was to acknowledge that the God who had blessed him in so many ways had every right to remove
his blessings.
Yet at the same time, just as you and I are wont to do, Job longed to know why these things had happened. What was the
point of being born if only to endure suffering? Why love and trust God if this is how things are going to turn out? For that
matter, how good and powerful can this God even be to allow such things to happen to those who trust Him? Or to use the
title of one of our generation’s well-known books, why do bad things happen to good people?
We heard a portion of the book of Job this morning, and the reality—which may seem unkind and unfair—is that God
doesn’t answer Job’s questions. In fact, rarely in the Bible or in our own lives does God ever answer the “why” questions—
which perhaps is a clue that maybe we are asking Him the wrong questions! In Job’s case, God never explained why Job’s
children died or why Job lost all his wealth or why he was tormented in his body. But what God did do is reveal Himself to
Job. God reminded Job—and reminds us—that none of us humans were there when the universe was created; we can’t begin
to plumb the depths of God’s power and purposes and ways. But nevertheless, in Job’s story we see that this God who
created all things also desires to be and in fact is involved with his creation. God is willing to lower Himself and speak to Job,
and God’s words are a reminder that God is still in control. He is still governing, providing and caring for and about this world
and all its creatures. And finally, Job gets it. Or maybe I should say that at least, he understands that many things in life will
never be understood. It’s not that anything happens randomly or by chance, but the intricacies and fullness of God’s plans and
purposes are not for us to know. Yet all that being said, some things are obvious and sure: God cares for us. God has not
forgotten us. God is still at work in and on the creation (which includes us) and no matter what we’re going through at any
given time, we need to remember that “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” And when it’s “over,” everything will be perfect—even better
than we can imagine.
That’s where today’s second scripture lesson comes into play. We have access to much more information and knowledge
than Job did. Job is probably the oldest book in the Bible, and so Job had no scriptures to guide or encourage him. We now
have not only the Hebrew Scriptures but also the New Testament, all of which reveal much more of God’s plans and purposes
for the creation than Job could have known. We know more about God’s character and love because it is revealed both in his
word and more literally, “in the flesh” in Jesus, God’s only begotten Son. We know what eternity holds for us because all of
God’s promises in scripture are shown to be “Yes” in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The one who conquered death once
and for all is certainly able to guarantee the rest of God’s promises.
And so we can trust God’s promise recorded in Romans 8:28, which says that in all things God is working for the good of
those who love Him and who have been called according to his purpose. This God, through whom we are fearfully and
wonderfully made, has had plans and purposes for each and every one of us from all eternity—before He knit us together in our
mother’s womb. By his Providence, He is and always has been and always will be working on our behalf. This God is “for
us;” He’s on our side, always doing what is best for us because this Father knows best—whether it seems that way to us or
not. He gave up his own Son to die for us—and that didn’t seem like a very good thing the day it happened—but it turned out
to be the best thing that ever happened—both for Jesus and for us. It means that nothing and no one can ultimately triumph
against us. If Jesus—the only one in a position to condemn us—died for us, and even now sits in Glory at the Father’s right
hand, interceding on our behalf, then our eternal destiny in Heaven is a sure thing. It’s guaranteed. And nothing can prevent
God from accomplishing it.
Time and again we see that God’s purposes—even those that seem cruel at the time—turn out to be the very best for those
who love God. That was true for Joseph, when his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, certainly a horrible thing to do. But
in God’s “providence” it saved the people of Israel from famine and starvation and extinction. Joseph’s brothers meant to do
him harm, but God worked it all out for good. That is what we have to hold on to when we can’t understand the Providence of
God. And even when we can’t understand it, we still can—and we must—trust it. We can and must trust that our Heavenly
Father knows best, and to remember that just as Job finally affirmed, no plan of God’s can be thwarted. So our future is
secure. God’s plan is to save those who love Him and who receive, by faith, his Son, Jesus, as their Savior and Lord. Those
who do that are more than conquerors through that Savior, for He will guard us and preserve us and make sure that nothing
ever separates us from God’s love. This is the part of Divine Providence that we can and must understand and in which we
can rest secure. Our Heavenly Father really does know best, and has the power to make it happen. And if that isn’t Good
News, I don’t know what is!
Let us pray.
1. Ed. John T. McNeill, Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1. The Library of Christian Classics, Volume XX. The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1960, 201-
202.
2. Ibid., 197-198
3. Ibid., 198
