Taylor Berghuis

Servants of Providence

For the believer, God’s providence is wondrous news. And the fact that He is purposeful in all His providence is even better news. As servants of providence, we are beneficiaries of a good, loving, faithful, just, and infinitely wise God. He alone is who we want and need as the Master of providence. Granted, His purposes are not always revealed or understood on this side of heaven.

I wonder how frequently you pose the question, “God, what are you doing in my life?” In August 2016, I incessantly wrestled with that question. A month prior my wife and I packed up our meager belongings and moved 2,260 miles to the Pacific Northwest. As we began driving on Interstate 94 for Mount Vernon, Washington, we were embarking on a new venture to a place where we had no established family, friends, or church. What brought us to the area was a missionary aviation training center in Arlington, Washington. But less than a month after arriving, I unenrolled from the program. The purpose for which we had uprooted our lives and moved across the country, from our standpoint, was now null.
Deliberate thought and prayer went into that decision, but the initial aftermath comprised of uncertainty, confusion, and doubt. As a newlywed, everything weighed heavier on my heart. Why were we there? Had I made a foolish decision? Was it a mistake? What’s next? Should we stay or move back home? How do we explain this to family and friends? What will this do to our marriage? These types of questions swirled around the bottomless pit in my head.
God, what are you doing?
A Servant of Providence
I often reflect back upon that season with fondness and gratitude. I didn’t see it at the time, but through those trying months, God was teaching me one of the sweetest lessons I’ve learned: be a servant of providence.
The fact that God’s providence affects all creation is biblically undeniable. He is providential over fish (Jon 1), worms (Jon 4), lions (Dan 6), lambs and wolves (Isa 11). He is providential over every decision, down to the casting of lots (Prov 16:33) and Satan himself (Job 1–2). Indeed, the entirety of Job 36–41 is a testimony of the power and parameter of His providence. Among all the hosts of heaven and all the inhabitants of the earth, no one can usurp His plans or strike His hand (Dan 4:35). He does whatever He pleases throughout the galaxies, upon the earth, and in the deep seas (Ps 135:6).
Proverbs 16:9 teaches us that while we plan (think upon) our course, Yahweh directs (establishes) our steps. This familiar passage must habitually humble us to be servants of providence. To acknowledge and surrender to the indisputable truth that we can’t control life. To hold our plans and dreams with open hands, submitting and surrendering our lives to the King. To approach life with a keen awareness that the Creator orchestrates every aspect of it and to trust Him in all circumstances, especially when outcomes aren’t immediately apparent.
Read More
Related Posts:

An Appeal for Silence and Solitude

The key is that when you do engage in silence and solitude, you are purposeful with that time and protect its intent. As the eighteenth-century pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards wrote, “A true Christian…delights at times to retire from all mankind, to converse with God in solitary places. And this has its peculiar advantages for fixing his heart, and engaging its affections. True religion disposes persons to be much alone in solitary places, for holy meditation and prayer.”

I daresay that one of the greatest threats to the spiritual vitality of Christians today is the absence of routine silence and solitude. In 2017, Domo Inc., a cloud-based software company, measured how much data humans across the world generate each minute. Their findings were staggering: every minute, 15,220,700 texts were sent, 103,447,520 spam emails were delivered, 527,260 photos were shared on Snapchat, 4,146,600 videos were viewed on YouTube, and Amazon made $258,751 in sales. Altogether, Americans alone used 2,657,700 gigabytes of data every 60 seconds. Without a doubt, these numbers have only gone up in the past few years. We live in an unprecedented era of noise and distraction.
A well-known Christian wrote, “I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, and crowds…Satan is quite aware of the power of silence.” After reading these words for the first time, I would have guessed they were said by a pastor or theologian of our generation. But the person who wrote them was Jim Elliot—a missionary who died in 1956. These words were penned well before computers, smartphones, texting, social media, and emails. If Christian leaders were concerned by society’s appetite for chaos over calm before the advent of these inventions, imagine the effect technology has on our lives today. To say the least, the digital age of accessibility and connectivity has wreaked havoc on our ability to uphold the sanctity of silence and solitude.
Anti-Technology?
Now, it’s worth stating that I am not anti-technology. Technology is woven into the fabric of my life, as I suspect it is with yours. Not a day passes where I don’t use it or feel its impact. We enjoy countless advantages and conveniences in life because of technology. More than that, technology has been instrumental in gospel advancement around the world.
I am not suggesting we cut ties with technology. I am, however, advocating that we regularly cut the power to it and dedicate part of each day to silence and solitude. No phones. No tablets. No computers. No ability to hear that notification alerting you of a text message or comment on your social media post. Turn technology off.
Purposeful Silence and Solitude
The silence and solitude we need are not happenstantial, where circumstances of the day coincidentally result in a quiet environment. The kind of silence and solitude I am advocating for is purposeful, whereby this act is not an end, but the means to the greatest end—worship. Time must be deliberately set aside for this endeavor. Perhaps Robert Plummer, a New Testament scholar, states it best: “Times of solitude and silence for the Christian are not for a mental or emotional boost, but acts of worship where one’s focus can be placed unwaveringly on the gracious God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The day-to-day cares and distractions of this world so easily tug our minds and hearts from the preeminence God deserves in our lives. There is nothing inherently evil about technology or social media, yet their influence can subtly impose great harm to the soul simply because they consume our attention with such ease.
Read More

Scroll to top