Providence ultimately exists for the “praise of the glory of God’s wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness and mercy.” (1689 Confession, 5. 1)
Providence Defined
Bavinck defines God’s providence this way:
“According to Scripture, providence is that act of God, by which, from moment to moment, he preserves and governs all things.”
(Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 2, p. 596)
Calvin on Providence
Providence is God’s ever-present hand. Beautiful!
(Institutes 1.16.2)
The Knowledge of Providence
Calvin points out in his Institutes that “if you pay attention you will easily perceive that ignorance of providence is the ultimate of all miseries; the highest blessedness lies in the knowledge of it.” (Institutes, I. 17. 11)
Augustine’s Principle of Providence
Augustine lays down a simple principle for providence. He says, “nothing is more absurd than that anything should happen without God’s ordaining it because it would then happen without a cause.” In other words, God is the cause alone of all things and he maintains all things.