God's providence

I am thinking about the providence of God today for a couple of reasons.  Prior to telling you why, let me quote from the Heidleberg Catechism, one of the great summaries of the Christian faith written in the 16th century describing the biblical doctrine of the providence of God.

What do you mean by the providence of God? (Question 27)
The almighty and everywhere present power of God; whereby, as it were by his hand, he upholds and governs heaven, earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, and all things come, not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.

This past Wednesday, February 23rd, I had the 20 staples removed from my stomach where the surgeons had cut me to remove a foot of my colon.  In God's providence that day was also the 10th anniversary of my oldest son, Jared's, accident.  At about 9pm that night, 10 years ago he lost control while skiing and slammed head first into a pole, shattering his skull.  At this time 10 years ago we were basically living at UW Hospital waiting to see if Jared would live or die.  (He survived but with a profound Traumatic Brain Injury which has left him blind, mute, unable to eat by mouth, incontinent and completely unable to care for himself.  He has lived with us since April of 2003.)  It is not in significant that now, 10 years later, at the very same time I have found out that I have cancer and that I will be beginning chemotherapy.  We are spending many days in doctor's offices and hospitals much as we did a decade ago.


Many kind and well meaning people told me during those early months when they heard of our tragedy, "We don't know why God allows these sorts of things to happen."  I said to each person who said that to me, I hope in a kind way, "That is not true.  God has told us clearly in his word why he sends these troubles and this suffering to his people."  I have often praised God that he, in his great mercy, through the faithful teaching of many teachers both living and dead had enabled me to understand his purposes in the sufferings of his people prior to my son's accident.  Knowing that my son's accident and condition and that my cancer have not come by chance but from my Father's hand is a source of great comfort and courage in the midst of the trouble.  During the next several days (weeks?) I will reflect on a number of biblical texts that show us that God sends the suffering and that he does it because he loves us and aims to do good to us by it.