Lord's Day 10 — Wednesday: Nothing by Chance
Lord's Day 10: Divine Providence
Wednesday — Nothing by Chance
The Catechism
Q27. What do you understand by the providence of God?
The almighty and ever present power of God by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty—all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.
Q28. How does the knowledge of God's creation and providence help us?
We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing in creation will separate us from his love. For all creatures are so completely in God's hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.
Today's Emphasis
The Catechism declares that all things come to us 'not by chance but by his fatherly hand.' There is no such thing as luck, fate, or random fortune. Every event, great and small, is ordained by God's wise counsel.
Scripture Readings
Proverbs 16:33
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Ephesians 1:11
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.
Lamentations 3:37-38
Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?
From the Reformers
Belgic Confession (Article 13: The Doctrine of God's Providence)
"Nothing happens in this world without God's orderly arrangement, yet God is not the author of, nor can he be charged with, the sin that occurs. For his power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible that he arranges and does his works very well and justly even when the devils and wicked men act unjustly."
Reflection Questions
• What events in your life have you attributed to 'chance' or 'bad luck' that you now recognize as coming from God's hand?
• How does rejecting the concept of randomness reshape your understanding of both blessings and hardships?
Growing in grace through the Catechism — The Hearthside Team 🔥