patient in tribulation

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Beloved of the Lord, the truth of divine providence is one of the most important doctrines of all the doctrines of the Christian faith, and that is because it gives to us a proper perspective on life, a perspective that is God-centered and that is God-glorifying, for it teaches us that the world is not out of control. The world is not running itself. Fate, luck, or chance are not determining the course of history. God is ruling the world. God is the sovereign king who does, indeed, reign over all.

God's providence is divided into two elements: his government and his upholding. By "government" we mean that God directs, controls, all things. Ultimately God is the one that does all things. When we look about us and see the things that are happening, we have to say, "This is the work of the Lord," and he does that by working within. On the inside of every creature, God's power is energizing all creatures to be what they are and to do what they do, just as electricity energizes a motor and makes it run.

That God upholds all things means that he gives all things continued existence. He gives life to everything. He gives to us breath. Without God, we could be and do nothing. Without God, we could not continue to exist. This truth is important because this gets at the heart of the Reformed Faith. This is one of the great truths that was rediscovered at the time of the Reformation. This is something that we must know, something that we must understand, something that we must believe with all of our hearts.

But there is something more about this doctrine of God's providence that is important. This great truth must be something that we apply to our daily lives. If we go to the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 10, where the doctrine of providence is discussed, we see that our fathers applied this doctrine. They applied this doctrine by saying to us that one of the advantages, one of the benefits, of knowing this truth is that we have patience in adversity. And that is what has to be emphasized. That's the practical side of the doctrine of divine providence. It is only as we are patient in tribulation that we can truly say that we have applied this truth to our lives. It's easy to say, "I believe in the providence of God." We all say that. But it is quite another thing to be patient in tribulation because we truly do believe this truth and trust the God who governs all things by his fatherly hand.