After the Lord created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1), he did not abandon the world to run on its own. Rather, he continues to be involved in the lives of his people and in the care of his creation. God is not like a master clock maker who fashioned the world, wound it up, and is not letting it slowly unwind on its own; instead, he is the loving Father who cares for what he has made. God’s continual care for his creation and his people is called, in doctrinal terms, his providence. Providence meaning Preservation, Provision his Government. He rules the world! God is sovereign, the events of history happen under his permissive will and oversight; at times he directly intervenes according to his redemptive purpose, but as we know God’s allowed himself to be limited in his supreme power and rule in this world.
