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The Providence of God in the Christian’s Suffering
By Joshua Mills
It was C. H. Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, who once said that “the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace.”1 To know that God is completely in control of all things is a great comfort for the Christian.
This article seeks to answer an important pastoral question: What practical applications does the providence of God have in the life of the Christian believer? More specifically, how does the sovereignty of God comfort believers who are experiencing suffering and hardship?
The Providence of God in the Christian’s Suffering
The Lord Jesus warned His church that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Likewise, the apostle Paul reminds believers that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12).
Without a biblical understanding of the providence of God, every trial can appear to be a random and meaningless event that catches us off guard. Yet Scripture teaches that the Christian pilgrimage to glory includes suffering. At times, these hardships may appear wasted or purposeless. However, when we understand the sovereignty of God, we find comfort in the One who governs and sustains all things according to His wise and holy purposes.
Whatever trial a believer faces, he can be assured that it has come from the loving hand of his heavenly Father. God is not distant from our suffering, nor is He reacting to circumstances outside His control. Rather, He is actively governing all things according to His divine plan for the glory of His name and the ultimate good of His people.
The doctrine of God’s providence has long been a source of comfort for Christians throughout church history. The promise of Romans 8:28 assures believers that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
What a terrifying thought it would be if our circumstances were truly outside of God’s sovereign hand. Imagine if God were to say, “I didn’t intend for that to happen to you.” There would be little comfort in such a statement. Instead, Scripture teaches that God reigns actively over His creation—even amid suffering.
Yes, suffering exists in this fallen world, and believers will face hardship. Yet Scripture assures us that God is working through every circumstance for His glory and for the eternal good of His children.
The Puritan pastor Thomas Watson wrote, “All the various dealings of God with his children do by a special providence turn to their good.”2
Likewise, another Puritan writer observed, “No good man ever lacked anything that was good for him. I may lack a thing which is good, but not which is good for me.”3
These reflections remind us that God’s providence offers profound comfort to His covenant people. Whatever the circumstances may be, believers can trust that God is accomplishing His purposes through every trial.
The doctrine of providence should also humble us and lead us to submission before our sovereign God. Thomas Boston wrote, “Whatever is crooked in life was made so by God and therefore must be received in submission to Him… There is not anything whatsoever that befalls us without His overruling hand.”4
Scripture affirms God’s sovereign rule over every aspect of life. The Lord declares that He makes the blind and the deaf (Ex. 4:11). He raises up the poor and brings low the mighty (1 Sam. 2:7). Even in suffering, God’s purposes are unfolding according to His perfect wisdom (John 9:1–3).
From our limited human perspective, the events of life may appear chaotic and disconnected. One Puritan writer compared our experience to seeing only the “disjointed wheels and scattered pins of a watch.”5 Yet in eternity the full beauty of God’s wise and perfect plan will be revealed.
The providence of God remains a profound mystery that we cannot fully comprehend in this life. Nevertheless, Scripture assures us that God is working all things for our eternal good (Rom. 8:28). Because of this truth, believers can cling to what God has revealed in His Word.
Understanding God’s providence in suffering enables Christians to thank Him even in trials, knowing that He uses affliction to conform His people to the image of Christ.
Consider the example of Job. After experiencing immense suffering, Job recognized God’s sovereign hand and responded in worship, declaring, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
The proper response to the providence of God in suffering, therefore, is humble worship and trust. As one writer noted, believers must recognize that God is sovereign over both “the prosperous results of our labors and the painful troubles brought by men and devils. All things are in God’s hand, whose hand is in all our sorrows.”6
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Sources
1 David Qaoud, “Charles Spurgeon on the Sweet Sovereignty of God,” Gospel Relevance, 2015.
2 Joel R. Beeke and Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life, 173.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid., 172.
5 Ibid., 165.
6 Ibid., 172–173.
Joshua J. Mills is married to his beloved Kyla and they have two children: Isaac and Lydia. Outside of the home, Joshua has the privilege of serving as pastor at Trinity Baptist Church (Burlington, Ontario) and as a guest lecturer through Carey International University of Theology.
