Divine Providence

As I began to read the Bible, I resonated deeply with Joshua 1:9. I understood Joshua’s fear, for God had entrusted him with a daunting task: to lead His chosen people into the land of Canaan, flowing with milk and honey. After Moses’ death, Joshua became the anointed leader of God’s people. And if that wasn’t enough weight on his shoulders, there were also the kings who would not willingly surrender their land. But let’s see what the Lord said to Joshua in Joshua 1:9:

” Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Joshua was not alone in understanding the weight of the responsibility God placed upon His chosen ones. As we can read about Solomon in 1 Kings 3:5-12:

” 5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

  6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as [it is] this day.

  7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I [am but] a little child: I know not [how] to go out or come in.

  8 And thy servant [is] in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

  9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

  10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.

  11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;

  12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.”

There were also prophets of God who understood the weight of their calling, as we can read in Jeremiah 1:6-10:

” 6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I [am] a child.

  7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I [am] a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

  8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I [am] with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

  9 Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

  10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”

Indeed, God did not entrust His chosen ones with small things, and He led them all the way on the path He set them on.

Our Place in the Promised Land

What about us in the New Testament, whom our Heavenly Father has redeemed at a different price, “through the blood of Jesus Christ,” and has brought us out of the world and is also leading us into the promised land?

For me, the most illustrative words of the Father are found in Matthew 6:28-34, which say:

” 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

  29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

  30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith?

  31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

  32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

  33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

  34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof.”

And these promises are not just a superficial view of the Father about man, which we here on earth would say to a fellow human being as a generalization, because indeed our Father pays attention to each of His children as we can see in Matthew 10:29-33:

” 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

  31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

  32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

  33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”

If we look at the verses of Matthew 10:32-33, we can see that today the Heavenly Father has placed us at the edge of the promised land, just as He placed Joshua and his people at that time, to whom He said, “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

For my part, I will keep Matthew 10:32 over my life and proclaim Jesus Christ as my Savior, and I will distance myself from the denial verse 33.

In Closing

One last verse that shows the greatest gift of Divine Providence that we have received from our Heavenly Father:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.