In the left American soldiers suffer deprivation at Valley Forge 1775 and on the right the NYC skyline and Statue of Liberty
In researching America's founding generation, I noted “Providence” to be a word often used as a synonym
for God or as an expression of His sovereign acts in guiding history. “Providence” expresses faith
in God as the One who is superintending the course of history and overruling,
even the actions of evil men, to bring about His plan and purpose.
A vivid Old Testament
example of Providence is the story of Joseph whose brothers turned on him and
sold him into slavery, which resulted in him being carried away to Egypt. Yet,
God worked through all these events, even the tragic ones, to bring about His
will for Joseph and fulfill the dreams He had given him as a young man.
This sort of faith in God’s
providential activity is why Roger Williams, after being banished from
Massachusetts by the Puritans in 1636, and making his way in the winter to
Rhode Island, founded a city there, which he named “Providence.” This expressed
his faith that God would overrule the wrong that had been done to him and cause
it to work toward the fulfillment of His plan for his life.
Yes, the word “Providence”
was commonly used in the 18th century as a synonym for God. It was
used by the Founders and by preachers such as George Whitefield who routinely
used the term to describe God’s active, guiding, and protecting hand in the
daily lives of believers, the fortunes of nations, and the spread of the
Gospel.
John Witherspoon, a member of the
Continental Congress and a Presbyterian minister, preached a sermon entitled
“The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men” less than two months
before signing the document along with the others.
In this sermon on Providence, Witherspoon emphasized the necessity of believing that God would bring good out of the evil situation of the day—that the ambition of mistaken princes and the cruelty of oppressive rulers would finally promote the glory of God. In other words, he encouraged the oppressed people of colonial America to believe in what the Founders called “Divine Providence.”
The final paragraph of
the Declaration of Independence shows that the Founders had put their trust in God
for His providential protection and support in their momentous act. They knew
that King George would see the Declaration as an act of treason on their part.
He already had six regiments of British soldiers occupying the city of Boston
and they knew this act would put them in George’s crosshairs.
In the Declaration they recognized God as “Creator” and source of all blessings, privileges and rights. They also appealed to God as the “Supreme Judge” for their righteous cause. In the final paragraph they used the word “Providence” to show their trust in the infinite wisdom and limitless power of Almighty God to turn even the attacks of their enemies into His will for themselves and the new nation they were forming. They wrote,
And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
Look what came forth when
a group of individuals decided to trust in God’s providential power and might! What
about you? Do you believe in “Divine Providence.” Do you believe that God in
his infinite wisdom and omnipotent power is able to take even the tragedies of
your life and cause them work toward your good?
Romans 8:28 is an expression of Providence. It reads, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. I encourage you to say “yes” to God and put your unreserved trust in Him today.
This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's latest book, America's Reawakening, which is available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.
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