content/02/11.md
---
pagetitle: What are God's works of providence?
date: February 19, 2020
prev_url: /westminster-daily/02/10/
prev_date: Feb 10
this_url: /westminster-daily/02/11/
short_date: "0211"
this_date: Feb 11
next_url: /westminster-daily/02/12/
next_date: Feb 12
---
#### Shorter Catechism
<span class="q">Q 11.</span> What are God's works of providence?
<span class="q">A.</span> God's works of providence are, his most holy,[^fnref:wsc1] wise,[^fnref:wsc2] and powerful[^fnref:wsc3] preserving[^fnref:wsc4] and governing[^fnref:wsc5] all his creatures, and all their actions.[^fnref:wsc6]
[^fnref:wsc1]: <div class="esv"><h5>Psalm 145:17</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p19145017.01-1">The <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> is righteous in all his ways<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and kind in all his works. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div> </div>
[^fnref:wsc2]: <div class="esv"><h5>Psalm 104:24</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p19104024.01-1">O <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>, how manifold are your works!<br /> <span class="indent"></span>In wisdom have you made them all;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>the earth is full of your creatures. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div> </div>
[^fnref:wsc3]: <div class="esv"><h5>Hebrews 1:3</h5> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p58001003.01-1">He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div>
[^fnref:wsc4]: <div class="esv"><h5>Nehemiah 9:6</h5> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p16009006.01-1"> “You are the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div>
[^fnref:wsc5]: <div class="esv"><h5>Ephesians 1:19-22</h5> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p49001019.01-1">and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div>
[^fnref:wsc6]: <div class="esv"><h5>Psalm 36:6</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p19036006.01-1">Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>your judgments are like the great deep;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>man and beast you save, O <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>.</p> </div> </div><h5>Proverbs 16:33</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p20016033.01-2">The lot is cast into the lap,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>but its every decision is from the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>.<br /> </p> </div> </div><h5>Matthew 10:30</h5> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p40010030.01-3"><span class="woc">But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.</span> (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div>
#### Larger Catechism
<span class="q">Q 18.</span> What are God's works of providence?
<span class="q">A.</span> God's works of providence are his most holy,[^fnref:wlc1] wise,[^fnref:wlc2] and powerful preserving[^fnref:wlc3] and governing[^fnref:wlc4] all his creatures; ordering them, and all their actions,[^fnref:wlc5] to his own glory.[^fnref:wlc6]
[^fnref:wlc1]: <div class="esv"><h5>Psalm 145:17</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p19145017.01-1">The <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> is righteous in all his ways<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and kind in all his works.</p> </div> </div><h5>Leviticus 21:8</h5> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p03021008.01-2">You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>, who sanctify you, am holy. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div>
[^fnref:wlc2]: <div class="esv"><h5>Psalm 104:24</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p19104024.01-1">O <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>, how manifold are your works!<br /> <span class="indent"></span>In wisdom have you made them all;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>the earth is full of your creatures.</p> </div> </div><h5>Isaiah 28:29</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p23028029.01-2">This also comes from the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> of hosts;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he is wonderful in counsel<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and excellent in wisdom. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div> </div>
[^fnref:wlc3]: <div class="esv"><h5>Hebrews 1:3</h5> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p58001003.01-1">He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,</p> </div><h5>Psalm 36:6</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p19036006.01-2">Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>your judgments are like the great deep;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>man and beast you save, O <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>.</p> </div> </div><h5>Nehemiah 9:6</h5> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p16009006.01-3"> “You are the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span>, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div>
[^fnref:wlc4]: <div class="esv"><h5>Psalm 103:19</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p19103019.01-1">The <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> has established his throne in the heavens,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and his kingdom rules over all.</p> </div> </div><h5>Job 38-41</h5> <div class="esv-text"> <p id="p18038001.05-2"><span class="chapter-num" id="v18038001-2">38:1 </span>Then the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:</p> <div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p18038002.01-2">“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?<br /> Dress for action like a man;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>I will question you, and you make it known to me.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038004.01-2">“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Tell me, if you have understanding.<br /> Who determined its measurements—surely you know!<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Or who stretched the line upon it?<br /> On what were its bases sunk,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or who laid its cornerstone,<br /> when the morning stars sang together<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and all the sons of God shouted for joy?</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038008.01-2">“Or who shut in the sea with doors<br /> <span class="indent"></span>when it burst out from the womb,<br /> when I made clouds its garment<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and thick darkness its swaddling band,<br /> and prescribed limits for it<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and set bars and doors,<br /> and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038012.01-2">“Have you commanded the morning since your days began,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and caused the dawn to know its place,<br /> that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and the wicked be shaken out of it?<br /> It is changed like clay under the seal,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and its features stand out like a garment.<br /> From the wicked their light is withheld,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and their uplifted arm is broken.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038016.01-2">“Have you entered into the springs of the sea,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or walked in the recesses of the deep?<br /> Have the gates of death been revealed to you,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?<br /> Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Declare, if you know all this.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038019.01-2">“Where is the way to the dwelling of light,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and where is the place of darkness,<br /> that you may take it to its territory<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and that you may discern the paths to its home?<br /> You know, for you were born then,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and the number of your days is great!</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038022.01-2">“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,<br /> which I have reserved for the time of trouble,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>for the day of battle and war?<br /> What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038025.01-2">“Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and a way for the thunderbolt,<br /> to bring rain on a land where no man is,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>on the desert in which there is no man,<br /> to satisfy the waste and desolate land,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and to make the ground sprout with grass?</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038028.01-2">“Has the rain a father,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or who has begotten the drops of dew?<br /> From whose womb did the ice come forth,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?<br /> The waters become hard like stone,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and the face of the deep is frozen.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038031.01-2">“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or loose the cords of Orion?<br /> Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or can you guide the Bear with its children?<br /> Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Can you establish their rule on the earth?</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038034.01-2">“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>that a flood of waters may cover you?<br /> Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and say to you, ‘Here we are’?<br /> Who has put wisdom in the inward parts<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or given understanding to the mind?<br /> Who can number the clouds by wisdom?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,<br /> when the dust runs into a mass<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and the clods stick fast together?</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18038039.01-2">“Can you hunt the prey for the lion,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,<br /> when they crouch in their dens<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or lie in wait in their thicket?<br /> Who provides for the raven its prey,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>when its young ones cry to God for help,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and wander about for lack of food?</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18039001.01-2"><span class="chapter-num" id="v18039001-2">39:1 </span>“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Do you observe the calving of the does?<br /> Can you number the months that they fulfill,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and do you know the time when they give birth,<br /> when they crouch, bring forth their offspring,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and are delivered of their young?<br /> Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>they go out and do not return to them.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18039005.01-2">“Who has let the wild donkey go free?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,<br /> to whom I have given the arid plain for his home<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and the salt land for his dwelling place?<br /> He scorns the tumult of the city;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he hears not the shouts of the driver.<br /> He ranges the mountains as his pasture,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and he searches after every green thing.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18039009.01-2">“Is the wild ox willing to serve you?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Will he spend the night at your manger?<br /> Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or will he harrow the valleys after you?<br /> Will you depend on him because his strength is great,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and will you leave to him your labor?<br /> Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and gather it to your threshing floor?</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18039013.01-2">“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>but are they the pinions and plumage of love?<br /> For she leaves her eggs to the earth<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and lets them be warmed on the ground,<br /> forgetting that a foot may crush them<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and that the wild beast may trample them.<br /> She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,<br /> because God has made her forget wisdom<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and given her no share in understanding.<br /> When she rouses herself to flee,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>she laughs at the horse and his rider.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18039019.01-2">“Do you give the horse his might?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Do you clothe his neck with a mane?<br /> Do you make him leap like the locust?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>His majestic snorting is terrifying.<br /> He paws in the valley and exults in his strength;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he goes out to meet the weapons.<br /> He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he does not turn back from the sword.<br /> Upon him rattle the quiver,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>the flashing spear, and the javelin.<br /> With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.<br /> When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’<br /> <span class="indent"></span>He smells the battle from afar,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18039026.01-2">“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and spreads his wings toward the south?<br /> Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and makes his nest on high?<br /> On the rock he dwells and makes his home,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>on the rocky crag and stronghold.<br /> From there he spies out the prey;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>his eyes behold it from far away.<br /> His young ones suck up blood,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and where the slain are, there is he.”</p> </div> <p id="p18040001.01-2"><span class="chapter-num" id="v18040001-2">40:1 </span>And the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> said to Job:</p> <div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p18040002.01-2">“Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>He who argues with God, let him answer it.”</p> </div> <p id="p18040003.04-2">Then Job answered the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> and said:</p> <div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p18040004.01-2">“Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>I lay my hand on my mouth.<br /> I have spoken once, and I will not answer;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>twice, but I will proceed no further.”</p> </div> <p id="p18040006.05-2">Then the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:</p> <div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p18040007.01-2">“Dress for action like a man;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>I will question you, and you make it known to me.<br /> Will you even put me in the wrong?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?<br /> Have you an arm like God,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and can you thunder with a voice like his?</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18040010.01-2">“Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>clothe yourself with glory and splendor.<br /> Pour out the overflowings of your anger,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and look on everyone who is proud and abase him.<br /> Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and tread down the wicked where they stand.<br /> Hide them all in the dust together;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>bind their faces in the world below.<br /> Then will I also acknowledge to you<br /> <span class="indent"></span>that your own right hand can save you.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18040015.01-2">“Behold, Behemoth,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>which I made as I made you;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he eats grass like an ox.<br /> Behold, his strength in his loins,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and his power in the muscles of his belly.<br /> He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>the sinews of his thighs are knit together.<br /> His bones are tubes of bronze,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>his limbs like bars of iron.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18040019.01-2">“He is the first of the works of God;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>let him who made him bring near his sword!<br /> For the mountains yield food for him<br /> <span class="indent"></span>where all the wild beasts play.<br /> Under the lotus plants he lies,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh.<br /> For his shade the lotus trees cover him;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>the willows of the brook surround him.<br /> Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.<br /> Can one take him by his eyes,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or pierce his nose with a snare?</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18041001.01-2"><span class="chapter-num" id="v18041001-2">41:1 </span> “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or press down his tongue with a cord?<br /> Can you put a rope in his nose<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or pierce his jaw with a hook?<br /> Will he make many pleas to you?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Will he speak to you soft words?<br /> Will he make a covenant with you<br /> <span class="indent"></span>to take him for your servant forever?<br /> Will you play with him as with a bird,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or will you put him on a leash for your girls?<br /> Will traders bargain over him?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Will they divide him up among the merchants?<br /> Can you fill his skin with harpoons<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or his head with fishing spears?<br /> Lay your hands on him;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>remember the battle—you will not do it again!<br /> Behold, the hope of a man is false;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he is laid low even at the sight of him.<br /> No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up.<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Who then is he who can stand before me?<br /> Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.</p> <p class="line-group" id="p18041012.01-2">“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame.<br /> Who can strip off his outer garment?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Who would come near him with a bridle?<br /> Who can open the doors of his face?<br /> <span class="indent"></span>Around his teeth is terror.<br /> His back is made of rows of shields,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>shut up closely as with a seal.<br /> One is so near to another<br /> <span class="indent"></span>that no air can come between them.<br /> They are joined one to another;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>they clasp each other and cannot be separated.<br /> His sneezings flash forth light,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.<br /> Out of his mouth go flaming torches;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>sparks of fire leap forth.<br /> Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.<br /> His breath kindles coals,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and a flame comes forth from his mouth.<br /> In his neck abides strength,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and terror dances before him.<br /> The folds of his flesh stick together,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>firmly cast on him and immovable.<br /> His heart is hard as a stone,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>hard as the lower millstone.<br /> When he raises himself up the mighty are afraid;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>at the crashing they are beside themselves.<br /> Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin.<br /> He counts iron as straw,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and bronze as rotten wood.<br /> The arrow cannot make him flee;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>for him sling stones are turned to stubble.<br /> Clubs are counted as stubble;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he laughs at the rattle of javelins.<br /> His underparts are like sharp potsherds;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire.<br /> He makes the deep boil like a pot;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.<br /> Behind him he leaves a shining wake;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>one would think the deep to be white-haired.<br /> On earth there is not his like,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>a creature without fear.<br /> He sees everything that is high;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>he is king over all the sons of pride.”</p> </div> </div><h5>Psalm 145:14-16</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p19145014.01-3">The <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> upholds all who are falling<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and raises up all who are bowed down.<br /> The eyes of all look to you,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>and you give them their food in due season.<br /> You open your hand;<br /> <span class="indent"></span>you satisfy the desire of every living thing. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div> </div>
[^fnref:wlc5]: <div class="esv"><h5>Matthew 10:29-31</h5> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p40010029.01-1"><span class="woc">Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.</span> <span class="woc">But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.</span> <span class="woc">Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.</span></p> </div><h5>Genesis 45:7</h5> <div class="esv-text"><p id="p01045007.01-2">And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.</p> </div><h5>Psalm 135:6</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p19135006.01-3">Whatever the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> pleases, he does,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>in heaven and on earth,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>in the seas and all deeps. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div> </div>
[^fnref:wlc6]: <div class="esv"><h5>Romans 11:36</h5> <div class="esv-text"><p class="same-paragraph" id="p45011036.01-1">For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.</p> </div><h5>Isaiah 63:14</h5> <div class="esv-text"><div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p23063014.01-2">Like livestock that go down into the valley,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>the Spirit of the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span> gave them rest.<br /> So you led your people,<br /> <span class="indent"></span>to make for yourself a glorious name. (<a href="http://www.esv.org" class="copyright">ESV</a>)</p> </div> </div> </div>