9 Notable Quotes from Providence
This article is part of the Notable Quotes series.
God’s Plan Carried Forth
The providence of God is his purposeful sovereignty by which he will be completely successful in the achievement of his ultimate goal for the universe. God’s providence carries his plans into action, guides all things toward his ultimate goal, and leads to the final consummation. Meditate on the all-encompassing reality of God’s purposeful sovereignty over all of creation and all of history with these quotations from Providence by John Piper.
“God has revealed the goal and nature and extent of his providence. He has not been silent. He has shown us these things in the Bible.”
“God does not intend for us to see ourselves, or any part of the world, as cogs in the wheels of an impersonal mechanism. The world is not a machine that God made to run on its own. It is a painting, or a sculpture, or a drama. The Son of God holds it in being by the word of his power (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3).”
“God does not intend for us to look at the world he has made and feel nothing.”
“God’s self-exaltation is different from human self-exaltation in that, by exalting himself, he is not distracting us from what is ultimately satisfying, but displaying it and inviting us into the enjoyment of it.”
Providence
John Piper
John Piper brings a lifetime of theology, Bible meditation, and pastoral ministry to bear on the doctrine of God’s providence, showing how God’s all-pervasive governing of all things glorifies Christ, and is spectacularly good news for those who trust him.
“A nail sinks into a board because God planned for a hammer to hit it. A student makes an A on a test because God planned for the student to study. A jet flies from New York to Los Angeles because God planned for fuel to be available, wings to stay put, engines to thrust, and a pilot to know what he is doing. In none of these cases do we say that the cause was pointless—the hammer, the studying, the fuel, the wing, the engine, the pilot. Neither is prayer pointless. It is part of the plan.”
“God’s goal in the new covenant through the death of Jesus is the beautification of a bride in whom the Son could rejoice forever. When Paul says that Christ died “that he might present the church to himself in splendor,” he did not mean that Christ would be bored by his blood-beautified bride. No, he meant that Christ would be thrilled with his bride. That is why he died—to make her thrilling.”
“Every day for all eternity—without pause or end—the riches of the glory of God’s grace in Christ will become increasingly great and beautiful in our perception of them. We are finite. They are “immeasurable”—infinite. Therefore, we cannot ever take them in fully. Let that sink in. There will always be more. Gloriously more. Forever.”
“Divine providence is never frustrated by Satan in its plan for this world—for the everlasting good of God’s people in the all-satisfying praise of the glory of his grace.”
“God is sovereign over. . .suffering, which means it is not meaningless. It is not wrath. It is not ultimately destructive. It is not wanton or heedless. It is purposeful. It is measured, wise, and loving.”
This article is adapted from Providence by John Piper.
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