Providence (1)
Providence is the theological term for the idea that God not only created the world, but holds it, sustains it, looks after it and keeps it going according to His purpose and plan.In his letter to the Colossians, Paul describes Jesus as Creator and Sustainer of the world. Listen to the incredible statements he makes:
"For by Him all things were created..."
"...all things were created BY Him and FOR Him..."
"...He is before all things..."
"...in Him all things hold together"
Jesus was present, active and integral when the laws of physics were written, when the double-helix of DNA was conceived, when the fires of the sun were lit, when colour and sound were conceptualised along with eyes and ears to perceive them, and when the galaxy and its countless stars were called out by name (See Isaiah 40:12-26 (espec v.26) below).
Creation is BY Him and FOR Him. He is the source and destination of creation. Creation is a fingerprint of His majesty.
But He also HOLDS all of creation together - He is the Sustainer of all of creation. His attention holds our earth at 23.5 degrees, the moon in its orbit, the protons in the atom, and He supplies the constancies: We call them Planck's constant, Avrogado's constant, Coulomb's constant etc. but these men only discovered these constants - it is Christ who who established them keeps them constant.
Next time you think of Jesus as "gentle Jesus meek and mild" or as the "sweet baby in the manger," or as a "wise teacher" be reminded that He has creation in his CV and current job description and that all of creation will bow before Him!
| For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians1:16-17) |
ISA 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
ISA 40:13 Who has understood the mind of the LORD,
or instructed him as his counselor?
ISA 40:14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge
or showed him the path of understanding?
ISA 40:15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
ISA 40:16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
ISA 40:17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.
ISA 40:18 To whom, then, will you compare God?
What image will you compare him to?
ISA 40:19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
ISA 40:20 A man too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot.
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not topple.
ISA 40:21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
ISA 40:22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
ISA 40:23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
ISA 40:24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
ISA 40:25 "To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
ISA 40:26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
