“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:11-12).
There are multitudes of enduring proofs of God’s providence in nature and history. Rain from heaven, fruitful harvests, the life stories of Joseph, Esther, and many others—each testifies of God’s inexhaustible ability to work all things together for good.
The greatest demonstration of God’s providence is the church which Jesus bought and built. The coming of Jesus in the fullness of the times, the rejection of Jesus by the Jews according to God’s determined purpose and foreknowledge, the treachery of Judas, the cowardice of Pilate, and every other essential detail—all things worked according to the counsel of God’s eternal purpose and will.
Thus, when Jesus’ hour had come, the Lamb of God was sacrificed at Calvary on humanity’s Day of Atonement and the Jews’ Passover. Being both the scapegoat abandoned while alive in the wilderness of divine desertion and the sin offering whose blood would be taken into heaven’s Most Holy Place to make atonement for all who have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, all things essential to God’s predestined purpose worked out according to the counsel of God’s will.
Because of this, the dispensation of the fullness of the times—God’s final (i.e., “last days”) covenant with humanity on earth—could be and was rightfully inaugurated. Sinners could become God’s sons and heirs. Those who trusted and obeyed the gospel are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Those who are washed, sanctified, and justified are added to the church, Jesus’ glorious temple and God’s eternal monument to His amazing providence.
How fitting is the praise of God’s providence and Christ’s glory!
Indeed, we serve a God who cares for our needs; both physical and spiritual.
Thanks bro!