Psalms 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
God’s providences usually consist of three things: [1] The instructions which He has provided to us in His written word.
[2] His still small voice spoken to us through His Holy Spirit in our consciences.
[3] The situational evidences which are to help in guiding our decision-making processes.
All three of these providences are to be given due consideration whenever we have major decisions to make, especially those choices that can have a long- lasting impact on our lives. The Bible cautions us to acknowledge God in all our ways, and therefore, any and everything we do should be consulted first by His written word.
Not everyone has the ability, or has developed their spiritual discernment powers to the extent where they can accurately hear God’s still, small voice, and not all are able to correctly read and understand His providences. Yet, He has given us the assurance that someway, somehow, He will get through to us, if we are willing to be led by Him in all things.
When young Samuel was being called by God to the prophetic ministry he was not at that level where he could distinguish God’s voice from the other voices in the world, hence the reason why he kept going to his mentor, Eli, every time God would try to reach him.
The reason for this is that in many instances, it takes time for the mind to learn to identify, recognize and understand the still small voice of God. Satan often tries to take advantage of our inexperience in these matters, and will try to muddy the waters as far as God’s voice is concerned.
But none of us need to fear, because greater is He Who is in us, than he that is in the world. However, in our first passage we are instructed not to be ever so stubborn like the mule or the horse, so that God is not able to reach us through His providences.
In other words, an attitude of humility on our part, and a willingness to be led by God are indispensable factors when trying to understand God’s providence for if persons are proud and stiff-necked, they would run the risk of being misled by discordant voices in their minds, which they might erroneously conclude is the voice of God.
Samuel was willing to be led, for he manifested true humility after Eli instructed him do such and such, if and when he should hear the voice again. This is of critical importance, for if persons are not willing to listen to God’s ordained prophets, they most likely will experience great difficulty in understanding and discerning the voice of God in their minds.
The reason for this is that God speaks to us through His ordained prophets, but if we reject His voice on one level, it becomes all the more difficult for us to proceed to the next level, of hearing from God in a direct manner, for the rejection of His voice at lower levels, paves the way for the rejection of His voice at higher levels. Let’s read:
2nd Chronicles 20: 20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
[Last Day Events pp 178] It is Satan's plan to weaken the faith of God's people in the Testimonies. Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of our faith, the pillars of our position, then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures, and then the downward march to perdition.
When the Testimonies, which were once believed, are doubted and given up Satan knows the deceived ones will not stop at this; and he redoubles his efforts till he launches them into open rebellion, which becomes incurable and ends in destruction.
An example of stubbornness after God has given the clearest providences, is the situation which occurred with Balaam, when he supposedly asked God for His guidance on the matter of cursing God’s people. The disposition to pray and ask God for His guidance on matters that we already know what is the right thing to do, is a form of presumption.
For instance, Christians who know about tithing are not to ask God whether they should return tithes, for He has already stated so in His word. Therefore, to inquire of Him about that which He has already made plain, is to set up oneself for defeat, because God is not to be trifled with.
Believe it or not, there is something such as a stupid question, for if the enemy of God comes with such a request as to curse God’s own people in return for a lumpsum of cash, there isn’t a justifiable reason to take such a matter to God in prayer, for the answer is obvious.
Again, if a Christian who has read, and understood God’s will on marriage, were to ask God’s guidance on a matter pertaining to uniting with an unbeliever, it would set the stage for a confusion in the mind of the person who is making the request.
That’s because God has already stated clearly in His word that we should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, and therefore, for us to ask of Him the question when we already know the answer is to ask for trouble.
In the episode between Balak and Balaam, if anyone is to be cursed it would be Balak and his messengers for they were trying to do harm to God’s people. Yet God, who is merciful and longsuffering condescends to answer Balaam directly, even though the prophet knew up-front what was the right thing to do. Let’s read:
Numbers 22: 7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spoke unto him the words of Balak.
8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.
9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?
10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,
11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which cover the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.
That’s as plain as you can get, for here we have God speaking with His own voice directly to Balaam even though the prophet already knows what ought to be done, yet, to make His will as clear as crystal He says explicitly “Do not go”.
Such a direct and plain answer should be sufficient to preclude any more prayers on the same matter, but Balaam is one who has to be held with bit and bridle like the mule and the horse spoken of in our first passage.
In other words, he is not willing to be led by God in this matter, and for this reason, his relationship with The Most-High will turn sour if he persists. When a person complains of not being able to discern God’s voice after praying for guidance the problem is sometimes the disposition to have one’s own way regardless of any answer God might give.
If persons know in their hearts that they will force through their own agenda, regardless of what God may say, then it becomes futile to ask God to guide. God isn’t to be viewed as One who will rubberstamp every wish and fancy that we may ask of Him, for He only does what is best for His people. Let’s read:
Psalms 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in thee.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 440] There are thousands at the present day who … would have no difficulty in understanding their duty if it were in harmony with their inclinations. It is plainly set before them in the Bible or is clearly indicated by circumstances and reason.
But because these evidences are contrary to their desires and inclinations they frequently set them aside and presume to go to God to learn their duty. With great apparent conscientiousness they pray long and earnestly for light. But God will not be trifled with.
He often permits such persons to follow their own desires and to suffer the result. When one clearly sees a duty, let him not presume to go to God with the prayer that he may be excused from performing it. He should rather, with a humble, submissive spirit, ask for divine strength and wisdom to meet its claims.
An example of what is being referred to took place with Ahab, who had hired a posse of yes-men who were paid to tell him only what he wanted to hear. That’s why when it came time to decide whether to go to war against Syria, his 400 prophets were first informed of his desires, and then they prophesied along those lines.
If we know, and if we have previously determined in our hearts that we will only accept one answer from God, which is in harmony with what we want, then God can do very little for us, because God respects the freedom of choice He has given to all.
With king Ahab, he had already determined that he was going to war, and thus his request for guidance was just a charade of formality, and a thinly veiled attempt to ask The Lord to sign at the bottom of the page, for all of the above. Let’s read:
1st Kings 22: 4 And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Will you go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.
6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
Thus, when the king sent for the prophet of God in response to Jehoshaphat’s request, his perfidy was exposed. In fact, Ahab could have sent for Micaiah up front, but he strategically avoided doing so, for he knew that God’s prophet would not candy coat the truth in the matter. Let’s read:
1st Kings 22:7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him?
8 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat there is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
Therefore, because Ahab has already determined to do what he wanted to do, when he asks of Micaiah the very same question the prophet responds in the positive, and tells him to go, because that’s what he wanted to hear. Let’s read:
1st Kings 22:15 So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth- Gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
Thus, there are times when God would say yes, and there are times when He will say no, and there are times when He would say wait. The person who is truly humble will understand any of these answers as being in his/her best interest, and thus would be willing to follow wherever God leads the way.
Not so much with Balaam, who was determined to go with Balak’s request. And thus, he presumes to go to God in prayer for a second time, concerning the matter that God has already made plain. Thus, because of this, the second time around God would grant him leave, for he insists on forcing through his agenda. Let’s read:
Numbers 22:16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me.
17 For I will promote thee unto very great honor, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.
18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.
19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more.
20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
There are times in our experiences when we might feel very strongly about a particular course of action that we have prayed to God for. At times, God might reveal His will plainly to us, but it may be difficult to swallow, especially if it goes against our grain.
There are times in our experience when we might feel very strongly about a particular course of action that we have prayed to God for. At times, God might reveal His will plainly to us, but it may be difficult to swallow, especially if it goes against our grain.
At such times, we should humbly defer to God’s will even though it may be contrary to our own desires. To persist in banging on the gates of heaven to have our own way is neither advised nor is it encouraged anywhere in the scriptures.
When Jesus encourages us to knock, and it shall be opened, it means to continue knocking until we get the answer from God, that is according to His will. But after He has been pleased to answer, there is no need to continue knocking because God has already made His will plain. This humble attitude would set the stage in many instances for persons to correctly understand God’s providences. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 12: 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Again, Moses petitioned God on a particular matter on more than one occasion. On account of the fits of anger manifested when he struck the rock twice, God had told him that he would not be permitted to go over to Canaan. This request came after Moses had led the Hebrews for forty years, and therefore, in his finite mind, he thought that God should change course this once.
But in this instance, it wasn’t the will of God for him to go over into Canaan, for God was preparing one of the most devastating assaults on satan’s kingdom and Moses was to be an integral part of the plan. In His wisdom therefore, the request of Moses would not be granted, and Moses was instructed not to continue seeking his preference in the matter. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 3: 23 And I besought the Lord at that time, saying,
25 I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.
26 But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.
Not so with Balaam who continued to force his way through, and therefore, his attitude of stubbornness effectively prevented him from understanding God’s providences. Understanding God’s providences has more to do with a humble attitude, than the ability to read God’s moves correctly.
Several abnormal occurrences were then sent his way but in every instance the prophet was blinded and he seemed to be bereft of reason, even as the providences of God were escalating to the level of the supernatural. Let’s read:
Numbers 22:22 And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
23 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
24 But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
25 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
26 And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever accustomed to doing so unto thee? and he said, No.
There are times when after persons have prayed for a particular answer, that a multitude of foreboding circumstances ensue, and in such instances, we may be prone to blame the devil wrongfully, when it may actually be God, standing in the way, to prevent us from making some fatal mistake.
We have to be very, very careful of making satan the default setting for blame, when things to not go the way we expected or desired. The fact of the matter is that if God’s answer to us is a “Yes” on a particular matter, there is really very little satan could do to prevent the answer from coming true.
When David was first anointed king, and Saul got wind of it he went after David and hunted him down like a wild beast, but at every turn the efforts of Saul only deepened the confirmation of the blessing, and it reached a climax where Saul himself was moved to confess that there is nothing he could do to stop the blessing. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 26:17 And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.
21 Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.
25 Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So, David went on his way and Saul returned to his place.
Again, when Joseph’s brothers got wind of the huge blessing God was going to bestow upon him, both men and demons tried desperately to prevent what God intended, but lo and behold all of their efforts backfired for their own good and the good of Egypt. Let’s read:
Genesis 45:3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
The devil cannot stop a blessing coming from God to His people for in many instances the blessing comes in commandment form, meaning, that not all of the powers of earth or hell can stop it in its tracks. This is important for us to know so that we may have the confidence we need whenever we pray, and that we may better understand God’s providence. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 28:7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
What satan often does in such situations, as a last, desperate resort, is to tempt us to walk contrary to some instruction God has given, for he knows that if he can succeed in causing us to disobey, that is the only way that the blessing of God promised could be forfeited.
Therefore, satan goes to work in a frenzy to try and take down Joseph through the sin of adultery. Poor Mrs. Potiphar probably never knew, and probably could never explain why it is she has such a crush on Joseph. All she knew is that whenever Joseph would pass by, she would start feeling the feelings, just like Shadow, the Calypsonian. Let’s read:
Genesis 39:10 And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph, day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
Thus, after staying the course with God, and being faithful to truth and duty, Joseph is being prepared to accurately read and understand God’s providence in matters big and small. Thus, it will be with all of us if we were to tow the line of faithfulness to God with a humble spirit that is willing to be led by Him.
So now, we turn to the crux of our study for today: “How To Understand God’s providences”. Our case studies will involve two providences that occurred after the day of Pentecost, when the Early Rain of The Holy Ghost was poured out upon the believers who were then entrusted with taking the gospel to the then known world.
Peter is incarcerated for preaching the gospel, and prayer is made for him by the church. That same night in answer to those prayers, an angel is sent to him in the cell where he was held, he being bound between two soldiers. The angel opens the gates, passes the guarding soldiers and delivers Peter from the shackles wherewith he was bound.
Thus, for all intents and purposes, it seems as if, in response to Peter’s arrest, God’s providence shows that when His people are incarcerated for preaching the gospel, He will respond appropriately, by freeing them from their enemies, as took place with Peter. Let’s read:
Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
9 And he went out, and followed him; and knew not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
However, in a similar scenario Paul and Silas are also jailed for preaching the gospel, and they also pray to God and sing praises. And like clockwork God shows up. The gates of the prison are flung wide open, and the shackles miraculously fall from off of the hands of every prisoner.
Thus, it seems as if God’s providence in this instance is similar to what took place with Peter, for there are similarities that can’t be ignored. In both instances, God’s people are arrested for preaching the gospel, and in both situations, prayer ascends to God, and He responds by removing their shackles and opens the doors of the prison.
Yet for some strange reason, Paul and Silas do not jump at the opportunity to escape, for they stay put with the shackles off of their hands and feet and the doors of the prison flung wide open.
It may seem, for all intents and purposes that God had made the way of escape clear for them, so the question is: Why wouldn’t Paul and Silas just grab the opportunity, and do the seemingly obvious? Let’s read:
Acts 16: 23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely.
24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
Question: If we were in their shoes, how would we have read and understood that providence coming from God? Would we have understood it to mean a way of escape? Or would we have interpreted it to mean a golden opportunity for witnessing. It all has to do with “Understanding God’s Providences”.
The providences of God are not monolithic in nature by which we mean that just because one situation is similar to another, the purpose, and outcome might not necessarily be the same. It could be on a case by case basis, and as such, we would have to rehearse, and understand the three main ways His providence usually comes down to us. Here they are again:
[1] The instructions which He has provided to us in His written word.
[2] His still small voice spoken to us through His Holy Spirit in our consciences.
[3] The situational evidences which are to help in guiding our decision-making processes.
When we read in the scripture that God did such and such for one person, with the accompanying outcome, it doesn’t necessarily mean that in every such situation, God’s will for us would be uniform, because His providences and outcomes are often different from person to person, even if there might be stark situational similarities.
In the situation with Peter, the angel gave to him a direct command to follow where he would lead the way, and so said so done. But, in the situation with Paul and Silas, no such command came from God to them, even though the instances were similar, and because of this, they were to stay put until any such order may or may not come from God.
In our own experiences, incorporating that which is written, and that which is spoken, together with the situational evidences would go a long way in helping us to correctly read or understand God’s providence in various situations.
Apart from that which is written to guide our feet in right paths, the experiences of one saint might not mean an exact duplicate for another saint, and thus, we are to wait and listen for God’s direction in every situation. This will be of critical importance for us to understand as folks move forward into unchartered territory, in the history of our world.
For instance, even though we have been instructed over and over again, to move out into the country we would still need to study God’s providences on an individual basis, lest because of some situational similarities, persons make a move that may not have been ordained by God. Let’s read:
[Last Day Events pp 99] Again, and again the Lord has instructed that our people are to take their families away from the cities, into the country, where they can raise their own provisions; for in the future the problem of buying and selling will be a very serious one.
We should now begin to heed the instruction given us over and over again: Get out of the cities into rural districts, where the houses are not crowded closely together, and where you will be free from the interference of enemies.
Indeed, if we were to consider the matter carefully, it could not be God’s will for every saint to move out into the country at this time, because if this were to be the case all of the ongoing ministries in your local neighborhoods would collapse, and church as we’ve known it will come to a screeching halt prematurely.
As our faces differ so do our needs and in God’s own time and way, God will let us know what is the right time and place to make our move.
In order for us to understand God’s providences we will have to study His written word, we will need to observe all of the situational evidences He provides, and most of all, we would need to listen, hear, and obey when the still small voice of God speaks to us in our consciences.
Quality time will have to be spent in the audience chamber of The Most-High on a regular basis, for just as it is with human relationships, quality time spent with someone greatly increases a familiarity with that person’s voice.
The Holy Spirit only leads persons who are willing to be led and therefore, a humble and teachable spirit, coupled together with the three ways mentioned earlier, in which God’s providences come down to us, would greatly help us in reading what God does more accurately.
And it will make our spiritual discernment so much clearer, that we would not keep on going back to Eli, when God is trying to reach us. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which promises us God’s continual guidance, when the stated prerequisites are fulfilled. Let’s read:
Proverbs 3: 4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
God Bless!