“Providence” is the word that describes the care of God for his children. It was used by many in the past as a synonym for God. To believe that God will take care of you requires much faith. In dire circumstances it is hard to believe that God is in control of your life. But if not, who is in control? While God calls us to take action on our own behalf, he does so by giving us the strength and will, the courage and trust. John Donne in a sermon upon Easter Day in 1629 expressed Providence in this way:

“That the eye of God is open upon me, though I wink at his light, and watches over me, though I sleep, that God makes these returns to my soul, and so studies me in every change, this consideration, infuses a sweeter verdure, and imprints a more cheerful tincture upon my soul, than any taste of any one act, done at once can minister unto me….God has not accomplished his work upon us, in one act, though an Election; but he works in our Vocation, and he works in our Justification, and in our Sanctification he works still…Hence we banish all self-subsistence, all attributing of any power, to any faculty of our own; either by pre-operation, in any natural or moral disposing of ourselves, before God’s preventing grace disposing us, or by such a cooperation, as should put God and man in commission together, or make grace and nature colleagues in the work, or that God should do one half, and man the other; or any other such post-operation, that I should think to proceed in the ways of godliness, by virtue of God’s former grace, without imploring, and obtaining more, in a continual succession of concomitant grace for every particular action: In Christ I can do all things; I need no more but him; without Christ I can do nothing; not only not have him, but not know that I need him.”

Looking back over my life I see the truth of this more and more. It seems to me that God was accomplishing his work in me without any faculty of my own. That he led me by his grace through every situation, that his eye was open upon me, studying me, working in me and working still, causing me to implore his grace for every choice and action. It is only in Christ that I could do all things. Without Christ I could and can do nothing. Therefore, I must banish all self-subsistence. Such is the working of Providence.