Peeling Back the Onion of Divine Providence
written by: Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.”
I understand how a person can get so frustrated with the Christian faith. It can feel like peeling an onion, worrying that there will be nothing in the center by the time you get to the middle. Learning about faith with integrity is complex. Because of the immensity of God, the faithful will spend their entire lives peeling the theological onion, and our lives on this earth will end before we come close to the onion's center. Faith affirms God, knowing we will never get to the center.
The profound theologian N.T. Wright, In his book Jesus and The Powers, speaks of "God's providence." Divine providence affirms that God controls all things, including the earth and the rest of the universe. According to Biblical examples, God's providence digs into aspects of our human existence, from governmental politics to individual human lives. We interact with God and God's activity in our world through prayer. Through prayer, the Holy Spirit includes us in fulfilling God's purposes.
God's providence does not occur in a vacuum, but with human assistance, the Holy Spirit guides us to make a meaningful difference. The miraculous occurs when our Triune God inspires a portion of humanity to care beyond themselves and work to restore God's creation. God's covenant is a legally binding commitment to be responsible for the other. We are accountable to God, but shockingly, God commits to being responsible to us. God's providence occurs in the uncomfortable and challenging partnership between an Almighty God and wildly sinful and selfish humanity.
The ever-peeling onion doesn't need to create frustration and doubt. Instead, the more we interact with God in the work of salvation through loving care and justice, the more we recognize the peeling process as acquiring never-ending wisdom and guidance. God's creating power never ends but continues to provide avenues to a more profound relationship with our Triune God and new ways to provide for God's children and all creation. We become workers in God's rebuilding of creation. Being a builder is a vocation worthy of our life's work.
