Blogging The Institutes: Day 33 1.15.8 - 1.16.3

"Let him, therefore, who would beware of such unbelief, always bear in mind, that there is no random power, or agency, or motion in the creatures, who are so governed by the secret counsel of God, that nothing happens but what he has knowingly and willingly decreed."

As you can tell from the title of this blog one of the attributes I find myself most attracted to is the Providence of God, so you can imagine my joy as Calvin approaches this attribute at the start of the 16th chapter. He opens with this, "It were cold and lifeless to represent God as a momentary Creator, who completed his work once for all, and then left it." At first reading, this line made my heart sink. For the thought of that being true, that God would create this glorious work, and then leave it to run alone, is absolutely frightening and soul stealing. Lucky for us that is not the case, our Provident God continues to govern and direct His creation, leave us stress free and full of joy, for "without preceding to His Providence, we cannot understand the full force of what is meant by God being the Creator, how much soever we may seem to comprehend it with our mind, and confess it with our tongue."

Here are a few select quotes from these sections on Providence, please take a few minutes to soak these in, they have the power of changing your life:

"If one falls among robbers, or ravenous beast; if a sudden gust of wind at sea causes shipwreck; if one is struck down by the fall of a house or a tress; if another, when wandering through desert paths, meets with deliverance; or, after being tossed by the waves, arrives in port, and makes some wondrous hair-breadth escape from death--all these occurrences, prosperous as well as adverse, carnal sense will attribute to fortune. But whoso has learned from the mouth of Christ that all the hairs of his head are numbered, will look farther for the cause, and hold that all events whatsoever are governed by the secret counsel of God."

"No created object makes a more wonderful or glorious display than the sun. For, besides illuminating the whole world with it s brightness, how admirable does it foster and invigorate all animals by its heat, and fertilize the earth by its rays, warming the seeds of grain in its lap, and thereby calling forth the verdant blade! This it supports, increases, and strengthens with additional nurture, till it rises into the stalk; and sill feed it with perpetual moisture, till it comes into flower; and from flower to fruit, which it continues to ripen till it attains maturity. In like manner, by its warmth trees and vines bud, and put forth first their leaves, then their blossom, then their fruit. And the Lord, that he might claim the entire glory of these things as his own, was pleased that light should exist, and that the earth should be replenished with all kinds of herbs and fruits before he made the sun. No pious man, therefore, will make the sun either the necessary or principal cause of those things which existed before the creation of the sun, but only the instrument which God employs, because he so pleases; but these miracles God declared that the sun does not daily rise and set by a blind instinct of nature, but is governed by him in its course, that he may renew the remembrance of his paternal favor toward us."

"God is deemed omnipotent, not because he can act though he may cease or be idle, or because by a general instinct he continues the order of nature previously appointed; but because, governing heaven and earth by his providence, he so overrules all things that nothing happens without his counsel."

"Those who attribute due praise to the omnipotence of God thereby derive a double benefit. He to whom heaven and earth belong, and whose nod all creatures must obey, is fully able to reward the homage which they pay to him, and they can rest secure in the protection of him to whose control everything that could do them harm is subject, but whose authority, Satan, with all his furies and engines, is curbed as with a bridle, and on whose will everything adverse to our safety depends."

"I say superstitious fears. For such they are, as often as the dangers threatened by any created objects inspire us with such terror, that we tremble as if they had in themselves a power to hurt us, or could hurt at random or by chance; or as if we had not in God, a sufficient protection against them."

Blogging The Institutes: Day 28 1.14.6 -1.14.11

I can't honestly say that I have spent the time or effort to better understand the role of angels in our everyday life. So I felt very intrigued, encouraged, and strengthened while reading through Calvin's exhortation of angles and their purpose.

"If we consider why it is that God, instead of acting directly without their agency, is wont to employ it in manifesting his power, providing for the safety of his people, and imparting the gifts of his beneficence. This he certainly does not from necessity, as if he were unable to dispense with them. Whenever he pleases, he passes them by, and performs his own work by a single nod; so far are they from relieving him of any difficulty. Therefore, when he employs them it is as a help to our weakness, that nothing may be wanting to elevate our hopes or strengthen our confidence. It ought, indeed, to be sufficient for us that the Lord declares himself to be our protector. But when we see ourselves beset by so many perils, so many injuries, so many kinds of enemies, such is our frailty and effeminacy, that we might at times be filled with alarm, or driven to despair, did not the Lord proclaim his gracious presence by some means in accordance with our feeble capacities. For this reason, he not only promises to take care of us, but assures us that he has numberless attendants, to whom he has committed the charge of our safety, that whatever dangers may impend, so long as we are encircled by their protection and guardianship, we are placed beyond all hazard of evil."

How great is our God. How loving is our Father. For He foresees all in our paths and sets us up for success. He provides all the strength and support we could ever need to accomplish His mission.

At this point I am simply overwhelmed by His Love.