Providence

 August 25, 2020

 

Providence.

 

In a selection of John Chrysostom's reflections on "providence," he says:

 

Our fathers in the Old Testament times saw events contradicting he promises of God , yet they were not shocked or worried. They trusted in a Providence beyond their understanding. Knowing the richness and skill of the divine wisdom they awaited the outcome and endured all the adversities, giving thanks to God. (from Drinking from the Hidden Fountain. reading for Oct. 13)

 

Paul Tillich, in a sermon on Providence, says:

 

Faith in divine Providence is the faith that nothing can prevent us from fulfilling the ultimate meaning of our existence. Providence does not mean a divine planning by which everything is predetermined, as is an efficient machine. Rather, Providence means that there is a creative and saving possibility implied in every situation, which cannot be destroyed by an event. (from The Shaking of the Foundations)

 

In a sermon on the last verses of Romans 8, Tillich says:

 

Faith in providence is faith altogether. It is the courage to say yes to one's own life and life in general, in spite of the driving forces of fate, in spite of the insecurities of daily existence, in spite of the catastrophes of existence and the breakdown of meaning. (from The New Being)



Wayne: To this kind of faith I subscribe.

 

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