God’s Providence—2

Providence is the performance of God’s gracious purposes and promises to His people.  “You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done.  I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands” (Psalm 92:4).  One thing we learn from this verse is that our hearts may be refreshed and encouraged by God’s works as well as by His words.  Every instructed Christian will readily acknowledge that God’s word is a source of great joy to us.  We are to rejoice in what God has revealed to us through the Scriptures and we are to thoughtfully study them.  This is a God-ordained means of great delight.  It was something of a new idea to me when I read in John Flavel’s The Mystery of Providence, that meditating on what God does will give believers as much pleasure as meditating on what He says.  Flavel wrote: “By means of the daily observation of God’s providences you may maintain sweet and conscious communion with God day by day.  And what is there desirable in this world in comparison with that!  Your hearts may be as sweetly refreshed by the works of God’s hands as by the words of His mouth.”  Psalm 104 considers and celebrates the works of God’s providence.  Verse 34 of that psalm expresses the effects: “Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; as for me, I shall be glad in the Lord.”