Joshua 10:8
In 1636, a minister named Roger Williams and many of his supporters were banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony over their views of religious liberty. They fled into the wilderness and settled on Narragansett Bay, where they purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and established a new colony governed by the principles of religious liberty and separation of church and state. He named the area in honor of “God’s merciful Providence” which he believed was responsible for revealing such a haven for him and his followers. That’s how Providence, Rhode Island, got its name. It was there that Roger Williams founded the very first Baptist church in America.
One of the most wonderful truths about God is His divine providence. It means that God is always working out the details of His plan even when we can’t see it. According to His providence, God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. In Joshua 10, we catch a glimpse of this truth as God gives Joshua victory over five kings. Even though they had not sought His counsel and made a covenant with the Gibeonites, God worked behind the scenes to accomplish His own purposes. Instead of having to defeat these five city-states one by one, He would help Joshua conquer them all at once. God used Joshua’s mistake with the Gibeonites to protect Gibeon and speed up the conquest of the land.
God’s gracious providence means that He can and does redeem our mistakes for His glory and our good. The greatest crime man has ever committed was the crucifixion of Jesus. Yet as His providence would have it, this was the very means of man’s salvation. This is a truth that ought to bring you great confidence. Though we always experience the consequences of our choices in life, God’s providence is always working in our favor. You don’t have to live in regret, my friend. Look to Him and be encouraged today. Who knows what He is up to in your life?
For more, read Joshua 10:1-27; Genesis 50:20
