We discovered some of the best books on Divine Providence. Divine Providence is the rule of God, the way in which He lovingly and wisely tends and guides everything in the universe. The theory of divine providence is that God is totally in control of everything. He rules the whole universe (Psalm 103:19), the natural world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), the destiny of man (Galatians 1:15), man’s successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the security of His people (Psalm 4:8). It is the opposite of the idea that the universe is governed by fate or by chance.
God’s providence is how He accomplishes His will. God uses the natural flow of things and human events to see that His intentions are fulfilled. The laws of nature are simply the universe created by God. The laws of nature are the rules set up by God to govern the way things usually work, but they have no power of their own. They are only “laws” because God made them that way.
What is the relation of human volition to divine providence? We know of God’s sovereignty and we know of man’s free will. The two principles may appear hard to reconcile, but Scripture provides examples of both. Saul of Tarsus, although he was willfully persecuting the church, was “kicking against the goads” of God’s providence (Acts 26:14).
God hates sin and will punish those who commit it. God is not the author of sin (James 1:13), does not tempt anyone to sin, and does not approve of sin. But it is plain that God permits some sin. There must be a reason for him to allow it for a time, even though he hates it.
One example of God’s providence is the story of Joseph in the Bible. God allowed Joseph’s brothers to kidnap him, sell him into slavery, and then lie to their father for years about what happened to him. And this was evil in the sight of the Lord. Yet all their sins were in the service of a higher good. Joseph became prime minister of Egypt. During a seven-year famine, Joseph was able to help his family and the people of a large area. Had Joseph not been in Egypt before the famine began, millions of people (including the Israelites) would have died. God brought Joseph to Egypt by having his brothers sell him into slavery in that land. He allowed his brothers to sin in a providential way. Divine Providence: This is clearly stated in Genesis 50:15–21.
Below are books on divine providence:
All Things For Good – Thomas Watson
Divine Providence (God’s Love and Human Freedom) – Bruce R. Reichenbach
Four Views on Divine Providence – William Lane Craig
God’s Providence: A Journey of Vision, Leadership and Divine Preservation – Frank D. Appiah
