For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

Romans 11:36

Have you ever wondered what providence is?

If you look it up in the dictionary it simply says; the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power. In a more biblical sense then, providence is one of the ways that God protects us. I like to think of providence as God orchestrating certain circumstances in our lives to protect us and to enable His plans to come to fruition. God’s providence doesn’t always make sense to us. Actually, it rarely makes sense to us because we don’t ever get to see the whole picture or the reason behind each circumstance we go through. often times we won’t truly understand how God’s providence protects us until later down the road.

What is God’s providence to you? I know what God’s providence has been to me. God’s providence has been my move to a new place with my family. It was a move I didn’t want to take. I still am not 100% wanting to be here. But there were circumstances in my life that made staying where I was a dangerous place. To not move was to be putting myself in a position where temptation was easier to listen too. If stayed it would have been harder to distance myself from him and let God work in his life during this time apart. I didn’t seek out a way to get away, the answer was simply given to me. It was God’s providence in my life that the opportunity to move presented itself right when I needed it.

And this is what God’s providence is! It’s God aligning certain circumstances in our life that allow us to escape temptations and to find rest in God’s protection. It’s not something we look for but rather it’s something that finds us. It fills my heart with so much gratitude to know that God is looking out for me and caring for me. He is working in every circumstance in my life and directing me on the path that leads to his perfect protection. When God suddenly takes me down a new path, I can choose to see it as God’s providence for my life.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:6

So when you look at your life, where has God’s providence found you? In what ways has God lead you away or towards a certain circumstance in order to protect you? You may not see it as God’s providence just yet. It took me a while to realize that moving was God’s best way of keeping me safe during these next few months. In the moment that I made the decision to move, I simply saw it as something I needed to do, but didn’t want to do.

Just remember, God is always working for you. He makes things happen and leads us down certain paths to protect us and to make His good purposes known. You can trust him in whatever path he takes you. Hold onto God’s providence in your life and rejoice in knowing that He’s taking care of you.

And 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.

Romans 8:28