The Providence of God
By Pastor David Kuntz

There is no doubt in my mind that it was by the providence of God that I came to Berean.  At the age of 6 I became a casualty of a broken home. The gravitational pull of the world in my public school deceived my heart. As a result of the sin in my own life, my grades began to suffer. I somehow managed to graduate despite my bad grades. It was at this point that I came to the crossroads of life: Where am I going to go to school? After much prayer, I decided to attend Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. I had no idea what the Lord was going to do for or to me at this point. “Where sin abounded, grace abounded more” (Romans 5:20). Immediately upon arriving at BJU, the Lord led me to Christ-like men. During my first semester, the Lord called me into the ministry. Two years later I met my future wife. The Lord laid it upon our hearts to attend Trinity Bible Church in Greenville where we could sit under the preaching of Pastor Custer and Pastor Mazak. When I finished Seminary, the Lord used three different individuals who mentioned my name to Pastor Vogel. And thus the Lord began the process of bringing my family and me to Berean.

How does one explain these events? I am pretty confident that these things didn’t happen by chance or luck. The only way I can explain these supernatural workings is with a theological phrase “the providence of God.” God providentially led me to Berean and Berean to me.     

Many people use the phrase “by the providence of God,” but few understand it’s real meaning.  The etymology of providence is “to see beforehand.” This is a good start, but it is not the complete meaning of the word. The root word “provide” in providence gives us an idea of what the word means. This word describes the very nature of God. Someone who provides is naturally someone who cares. So providence does not just refer to the divine anticipation of events, but it also includes the divine orchestration of events as well. The true meaning of providence may be summarized as the foresight, provision and care of God in regards to His creation.

Romans 8:28 says "All things work together for good to them who love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." It is God who is working together behind the scenes. Take comfort in the thought of God's providence, because He knows what you are going to go through and He is somehow going to orchestrate the event for an eternal purpose. You may not know why certain things are happening to you, but you can rest in the comfort that God is in control and nothing happens by chance.