new church life: november/december 2014
state of life we go through. The best indications of providence, therefore, are
not in what happens to us outwardly, but in how we respond inwardly to the
things that befall us.
Whether the things we experience are happy or sad in themselves, their
significance as far as providence is concerned is whether we come away from
them having made some progress along the path toward heaven. This is not
something we can judge for ourselves, though; for one thing, the good that
comes out of an experience may not be realized until years later, upon further
reflection.
It is not that the Lord doesn’t care about the things that happen to us in this
world; of course He does. Not even the fall of a sparrow is outside the Lord’s
providence. “Fear not therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.”
(Matthew 10.31)
And He certainly never wills that anyone should suffer any harm. Worldly
setbacks and painful experiences are permitted only because the spiritual
consequences of not permitting them would be even more harmful. The
doctrine of “permissions,” an aspect of providence, explains \˂