God's providence is that manifestation of the universal sovereignty of God. "He ruleth over all" even when men are not mindful of His existence nor care about His will. The Bible is abundantly clear on this point.

When Abraham told Isaac that God would provide Himself a lamb (Genesis 22:8) his heart of faith was looking to the One who rules over all the earth. If that providence is not so clear to us at all times perhaps the reason is that our eyes are not anointed with faith, as was Abraham's.

When Samuel spoke to Saul saying that God had sent him to anoint Saul to be king over Israel I expect Saul knew it was true, (1 Samuel 15:1). For a time he was willing to be used to deal with Israel's enemies, but there was not in Saul's heart the faith which was needed for all pf God's purpose to be fulfilled in him, so God rejected him from being king and provided Himself a king from among the sons of Jesse (1 Samuel 16:1). Most of those sons were utterly unqualified, so they were passed over, but one was "provided" so he qualified and ultimately became king over Israel. His name was David.

If you read these circumstances as coincidental and only as reflecting human Opinions and feelings you are missing one of the greatest lessons in the Bible. God provides what, is needful to accomplish His purposes. He is the universal ruler of all the earth, including men who do not believe in Him nor trust Him. God has provided better things for us, things not yet revealed to our eyes, but which will come in due course. This is not merely God's foreknowledge. of what is going to happen; it is His hand performing His will, even when He must use unwilling men. However, He delights to find willing men to carry out His purposes.

God's ruling over all (Psalm 103:19) is a statement of the Great First Cause, but It does not Ignore many second causes. David prayed that God would let his enemies know that God "ruleth in Jacob" (Psalm 59:13). Jacob (the nation of Israel) was for a time God's chosen instrument to show the world His power and glory. It was their Jacobean ways which brought them down and they were cut off from such ruling. The failure or rebellion of men do not prevent God's "(ruling) by his power forever" (Psalm 66:7).

God explained this in a vision to Daniel concerning Nebuchadnezzar: "The matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men" (Daniel 4:17). in order to convince Nebuchadnezzar of this he was caused to live in the field, eating grass like an ox for seven years until he learned it (Daniel 4:25, 32). The words of Nebuchadnezzar after his recovery from this difficult lesson reflect accurately that God is God whether men believe or act like it or not (Daniel 4:33-37).

Second Causes Do Not Impair God
God made men able to choose and they usually choose contrary to His will, but He is able to overrule those choices to bring His own purposes to pass. We see it in Joseph's life (Genesis 50:20). He employs the forces of nature and the will of wicked men in ways that bring His will to pass. They are free to do as they please, choosing their own destiny, but ultimately God may turn their choices against them or even change their choices in order to have His own way. This is seen in the Pharaoh in Egypt who did not want to let Israel go.

God's choices seem special toward His people. He tells us that "all things work together for good to them who love God who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" (Psalm 37:23), even though the man makes his own choices and hardly sees how God could be involved in it. Even when God's people undergo great trials and afflictions he may rest assured that God is in it (Philippians 1:28; Matthew 6:23). The book of Job is built around this theme.

Men are free to make their own choices, yet we recognize our choices are within the realm of God's overall choice. This first choice is to be looked on as natural, for God has created the universe with a pattern of events which we have come to expect. But for His own people God assures that there may be a supernatural intervention in the course of nature, though this is not often seen today. Only at special times is this demonstrated, though it doubtless occurs more often than most men are aware. These interventions do not dismiss the second causes (men's choices) but they are an important part of God's providences.

Miracles are not often seen, and none today are designed as during the change of dispensations when Jesus was on earth. Those miracles were for signs and they confirmed God's words in special ways. Individuals are aware even today that things baffle the wisdom of scientists. Healings and extraordinary events take place. As long as we are trusting Him and know that He may thus intervene in accord with His purposes it is good that we praise Him for such. In the life of this writer and his family there have come just enough of such intervention to assure us and encourage our hearts.

A Wider Expression Of Providence
The miracles which touch one or a few of God's people or those close to Him may not be very impressive. Yet there are wider manifestations of His providences of which we ought to be aware.

Then comes the Fall. It was shocking. It was so shocking until even the news media who pounced on Jim Bakker have done no more than announce the facts, and even these are very limited. Yes, it is shameful too, but who will learn from this circumstance? Most of us Baptists tend to be a little glad, maybe not that he fell, but that he was not a Baptist. Yet all of us feel the hurt of it. It makes a cynical world even more cynical and hard hearts are even harder.

Now comes the word that the ruling element of the Assemblies of God with which he was affiliated have decided to forbid his preaching or appearing on radio and TV for a year and must remain under discipline and supervision for a second year. Perhaps it is a noble decision. A lot of froth regarding forgiveness has been heard since the man openly wept and said he was guilty. Only God knows the heart, but, this age of "easy believe-ism" and soft peddling of discipline even among Baptists has set us up for such a circumstance. The leadership of the denomination were in a hard spot. They did not dare let the man off lightly, for this would reflect on their own integrity in the minds of those who have paid the bills but who have stopped that and are no longer paying. It is far more difficult to restore one's fidelity than it was to present it before.

It is my understanding that the decision is very unpopular with many, specially those close to the ministry of Swaggart, and that he will likely leave the denomination and start his own movement. Well, it has been done before. That is the way the Reformation got its impetus. When a man, or a people, has forsaken the Word of God as to the identity of His people it is not difficult for him, or them, to make such a move. Men have through the ages managed to justify their sins, or at least to minimize their heinousness. I expect it again. This time it will be on the grounds that the punishment is too harsh. Yes, God has put into man's hands many elements of His will. He delights to have His way in others and to do His will through willing instruments.

Today His churches are the place where this is to be carried out. The Jimmy Swaggart Ministries had gone beyond that sphere long ago. It was largely independent of the denomination, though it preserved the connection for the dignity it lent to his ministry. And the ministry paid for that connection, reportedly a million dollars a month. I suppose a ministry taking in a quarter million a day could afford this. No, there is no way to price the value of a soul, yet most of those souls are forever lost to God's purpose to raise up a people for His name (Acts 15:14).

Protestantism, following Catholicism, is one of Satan's best schemes for deceiving and blinding men to the Truth regarding His church. Even most Baptists today are but Protestants. It all contributes to a denominational spirit which is entirely apart from God's true ministry through local congregations in which Christ is truly manifested to the world.

Men can talk about Christ, and this is good, as far as it goes. They can print tracts and sermons and mail them to millions or they can send it out by radio and TV, but there is no substitute for the presenting of Christ in the life. A local congregation allows for Christ to live in flesh on earth and show the fullness of God to the eyes of men. Yes, they can still reject Him; they crucified Him when He was here. But many will see and say, "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54) as the Centurion did who saw the earthquake and those things which were done at the crucifixion and feared.

The fullness of God seen by men in the Lord Jesus while He lived and when He died are the same elements of Godhood which should be seen in God's people, but which can only be seen in them when they are joined together as members of His body. Maybe we do not think of the church as a manifestation of God's providences, but that is exactly what the true church is. Satan would like to destroy that pure and complete testimony from before the eyes of men.

In Conclusion
The creation not only provided the world and all that is in it. it is so designed as to give a repeated testimony of Him Who made it all.. The ordinary factors of creation do this. The special elements of provision for a special or elect people are even more forceful in testifying to the clear and continuing witness of God to His own.

The Scriptures give us much of this special provision. The prophetic portions loudly proclaim: "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world"(Acts 15:18). From the beginning "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Genesis1:2). He did not wind up the creation like a clock and set it in motion to operate by itself. "The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, His eyelids try the children of men" (Psalm 11:4).

The context shows that this is an ongoing matter because God loves righteousness and hates wickedness. The whole earth is His (Deuteronomy 10:14) and He appoints the portion for men as He pleases (Deuteronomy 32:8). Man's crossing these bounds has gotten him into great difficulty among themselves and with God. After all, God is upholding the universe by His powerful Word (Hebrews 1:3). He controls the sun and the rain (Matthew 5:45 ; Psalm 68:9). His hand is over the moral order of the world, effectually enforcing the law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7, 8).

We are speaking of the natural course of things, yet there may be at times a miraculous or different working of God's providences for the sake of His purposes and for the sake of His people. We must learn to see the works of God in the regular course of nature as well as in that which is miraculous. Long gaps exist in history when the miraculous is lacking or scarce, but when we see God's hand in the regular working of things it enhances the fact of His being God when the miraculous is evident.

The Signs In Nature
Jesus indicated that His return would be indicated by many visible signs which all men would be able to see if they had eyes to see.

Even before these natural signs there shall come persecutions, denial of privileges to God's people, arrests and imprisonments (v. 12). Deceptions shall be rampant, as when men practice every vile sin and do it even in the name of the Lord, defending it as right and arguing it is not sin or immoral. False messiahs shall arise, wars and rumors of wars shall abound (Matthew 24:4-8).

Then…

Such things as the signs in the heavens are not within the power of men to perform. God is on His throne and His eyes behold. His telling us is not just his foreknowledge; it is His providence. Wake up, God's people! The time is short. The distress of nations is well upon us when only the value of the dollar is way down and the deficit is getting larger. Wheat will it be like when the wars increase and the earthquakes begin to produce great eruptions of magma, heaving up rocks which fall like hail and sending up clouds of smoke and steam which will darken the sun, moon and stars!

One would think that these "signs" would prevent the falling away which is upon the world already, but. it gets worse, Almost daily we see or hear of some brother or sister who has turned his back on the church and gone the way of the world. While the men who deny the true church and her distinctive doctrines, gaining larger and larger followings, the Lord's churches seem weaker and weaker.

He will not find the faith on the earth, will He? So is the sense of this verse. The faith of Christ!