Simply put, it is when God provides.

The fact of God’s provision is written into the first verse of the Bible when Genesis says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”. He provided for our physical needs before he made the first man and woman. More importantly, the balance of the book is the story of how God provided his own Son for our spiritual needs.

God’s providence is abundantly highlighted throughout the record of history.

He provided clothes of animal skins for Adam and Eve. Noah was provided instructions on how to survive the coming flood. If you keep your eye open as you read, you will find the providence of God on nearly every page of the Bible.

Most notable to me is when Abraham was ascending Mount Moriah intending to offer up his son, Isaac, as God had told him. When Isaac asked where the lamb was for the sacrifice, Abraham replied, “God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8). When God did exactly that, Abraham named the place “The Lord Provides”.

Jesus openly preached God’s providence. He said if we prayed, made offerings and fasted all in secret, that he would provide rewards (Matthew 7). If we would ask, he would make sure that we received, if we would seek we would find and if we would knock he would open. His promise was that if we sought the kingdom first and his righteousness, all other needs would be provided (all from Matthew 6).

Sometimes providence is more subtle, as when James admonishes his readers to say, “If the Lord wills” when making their plans. He did not write, “If you are lucky”, or “If you are fortunate”, but rather honored God’s sovereignty by saying, “If the Lord wills,” which is just another way to say that our plans are dependent upon what God provides.

There is no greater comfort than knowing you can trust God’s will. It is always enough. It is made of his love, soaked in his grace and drips of his mercy. He even makes all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. If that is not providence, well, what else could it be?

So trust God to provide your needs. Trust him in everything.