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LESSONS ON PROVIDENCE (2)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
Daniel 4:34-37

Genesis 50:15-21

 

“…he doeth according to his will…

none can stay his hand…”

 

LESSONS ON PROVIDENCE (2)
 
According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 8, the question posed is: “How doth God execute his decrees? Ans: God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.” Providence does not only present God as having a purpose and a plan, but also as One who cannot fail or be defeated in accomplishing His will and plans. God carries out His decrees is the answer given in the catechism. He does what He pleases and none can stop Him.
 
“…none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Dan 4:35). The life of Nebuchadnezzar panned out exactly as God had revealed in the dream. Even in giving his advice to the King, Daniel was careful to make sure that his words did not challenge, contradict or go against the sovereignty of God. Daniel had beseeched the king to change his ways without promising an averting of God’s decree. He said, “if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity” (Dan 4:27) for a surety, the king would need to and must know “that the heavens do rule” (Dan 4:26), for the thing was “the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king” (4:24), and as such could not be averted.
 
“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good…” (Gen 50:20). The attempts by the brothers of Joseph to undermine and challenge his dreams ended up with them selling him to the Midianites. This did not work against the dreams, but for the dreams. Their initial thought was: “come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit…and we shall see what will become of his dreams” (Gen 37:20). This did not stop God’s plans or work. Their jealousy was used by God to accomplish His plans, and Joseph affirmed that to them after the death of their father and comforted them by showing them how the past was still within God’s plan and, therefore, he had no intent of causing them any harm.
 
THOUGHT: Even when hard to see or believe, God is still working out His decrees.

PRAYER: (Read Psalm 73:25-26.)

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