providence – Page 2

God’s Providence in the face of mega-disasters

Posted on November 14, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan decimating much of the Philippines last week, the AP has put together a list of the deadliest disasters of the last decade in which the death toll was higher than Haiyan’s.

I thought it would be interesting to look at the data regarding natural disasters in different aspects. Which are the ten worst natural disasters? Is there a particular nation that has endured the burden of more disasters than neighboring nations? In light of the fact that Jesus and the Apostles said that the times would be getting worse and worse, and the disasters that would come will be like birth pangs (which grow worse in frequency and intensity), let’s take a look.

On a personal note, each time a terrible disaster occurs and people and animals die, or horrible property destruction occurs, it is very hard to watch on the news. Knowing the destiny of those who are saved is a blessing, but alternately, knowing the destiny of those who are not saved, who die in these disasters on a mass scale, is a burden to any Christian’s soul. However, it is as Jesus says. No matter what the data shows, the times will wax worse and worse, and His hand will lift in restraint and then judgment will come.

The exercise to review the disaster data is not just a mental exercise. Each person who dies in a terrible disaster is an immortal soul. (Genesis 2:7; Matthew 10:28). As you consider the last days disasters, please allow the Spirit to increase the urgency in you to witness, live for Christ, and pray.

Comparison of natural disasters of the last decade
Typhoon Haiyan is feared to have killed more than 10,000 people in the Philippines. Here are the natural disasters in the last decade that had higher death tolls:

— March 11, 2011: A magnitude-9.0 earthquake off northeastern Japan causes a tsunami that sweeps onto the coast. About 19,000 people are killed and three nuclear reactors melt at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant.

— Jan. 12, 2010: A 7.0 earthquake devastates Haiti’s capital and surrounding cities, killing 314,000 people.

— May 12, 2008: A 7.9 temblor in China’s Sichuan province kills 87,000 people. A disproportionate number of them were children killed when their shoddily built schools collapsed.

— May 2, 2008: The storm surge from Cyclone Nargis washes up densely populated areas around the Irrawaddy River delta in Myanmar, washing away whole farming villages. Around 138,000 people died.

— Oct. 8, 2005: A 7.6 earthquake kills about 80,000 people in northwestern Pakistan and Kashmir.

— Dec. 26, 2004: A 9.1 earthquake off western Indonesia triggers a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

— Dec. 26, 2003: A 6.6 earthquake flattens the historic city of Bam in southeastern Iran, and some 26,000 people are killed.

Victims of the flooding in August 1931, Wikipedia

Wikipedia has lists of the worst natural disasters. In the first set, they list the worst ever disasters over all recorded time. I had not known that in 1931, 1 million to 4 million people died in China during floods. As a matter of fact, five of the ten listed worst disasters ever occurred in China. More here.

Of the ten worst disasters since 1900, again, half of those occurred in China, with only two overlapping from the above list. The top one is that aforementioned flood that killed -4 million people. The second worst disaster since 1900 was an earthquake, again in China, that killed 650,000–779,000 people. It was in 1976 in Tangshan.

Did you know that 4,000 people died in 1972 in Iran from the world’s deadliest blizzard? I didn’t either. Of the ten worst blizzards, 50% have occurred in the United States.

Galveston 1900 hurricane aftermath, Wikipedia

Of the worst tropical cyclone, which Typhoon Haiyan doesn’t even come close, half a million people died in 1970 in Bhola, India. As a matter of fact, 60% of the worst cyclones with high death tolls have occurred in India. A majority of these disasters occurred prior to 1900, which it stands to reason because the more primitive weather prediction services and technology didn’t afford much time to evacuate.

The 1900 Galveston Hurricane in Texas USA caused the deaths of about 8,000 and birthed the modern Weather Service. The book Isaac’s Storm was a tremendous non-fiction book covering both the storm and the men who valiantly tracked the storm and the aftermath of the impact on the then-nascent weather service. Many people say it was that storm which lurched the Weather Service into modern times.

Avalanches are a danger and a hazard, too. The 1970 Huascarán avalanche; triggered by the 1970 Ancash earthquake, killed 20,000 people. In 1950-51 The Swiss were held hostage to terror, a winter they still call the “Winter of Terror“.

“The Winter of Terror was the three-month period during the winter of 1950-1951 when a previously unrecorded number of avalanches took place in the Alps. The series of 649 avalanches killed over 265 people and caused large amounts of damage to residential and other human-made structures.”

That is an average of 216 avalanches per month, or an average of 7 per day. Can you imagine living with that much terror and uncertainty? A terror where a mountain full of snow may come sweeping down into your house as you sleep, burying you alive?

Nothing gets people looking for the meaning of life like an earthquake. The hits on my blog rise dramatically when a large earthquake occurs. Maybe it is that primal terror of even the seemingly solid ground under your feet swaying and opening its chasm like hell enlarging its mouth that strikes such fear. (Isaiah 5:14). People go looking for answers in large numbers when an earthquake hits.

source

In any case, here China is the beleaguered recipient of a major disaster, three-times over. Holding the place for location of the top three worst earthquakes ever is China once again. 830,000 people died in the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake in 1556, 650,000–779,000 died in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, and 273,400 died in 1920 in the Haiyuan earthquake.

You can go on and look at the Wikipedia page for lists and explanations of the other worst disasters, like floods/landslides (China holds the top 4 places); deadliest heat waves (the top two occurred after 2000); lightning strikes, storms and the like.

I enjoy learning about the Providence of God. I am fascinated with that doctrine. It relates to His sovereignty and how God orders, ordains, or allows everything that occurs to occur, for His plan and His glory. It is a hard concept, especially when you think of all the terrible storms and disasters that occur. It is also hard when you think about evil. Why is there evil? Why do these things happen? Phil Johnson speaks of Providence a lot. He preached about it recently at the Strange Fire conference, but prior to that, he preached on the doctrine of God’s providence the week before the conference as he was preparing. The conference sermon was terrific, I recommend it. I also recommend the sermon he preached to his Sunday School group the week prior. In that sermon, Pastor Johnson specifically addresses questions like the ones I’ve raised today, about evil, and how evil fits into God’s plan, and about all the things that happen, from mega-disasters to the hairs on your head (and when God allows each one to fall out.) God is in the little things as much as He is in the disasters.

His sermon at the conference is called Providence IS Remarkable. There is a transcript available in case you can’t listen or watch video. The sermon that relates more closely with the issues in this essay today is “The Master of My Fate.” Again, there is a transcript.

God is in control. When you see a disaster occur, remember God and obey Him. Also when you don’t see a disaster happen, remember God and obey Him. When a hair falls out of your head, or when your car starts in the morning, or when you eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, remember God and obey Him. Most importantly, remember the lost people who do not have the privilege and comfort of knowing that a loving God hods them in the palm of His hand.

Everyday Providence should make us urgent to witness, but sometimes we grow lax. I know I do. When we see a disaster like Tropical Typhoon Haiyan, it jogs us again. When they occur, floods of souls arrive in hell. Keep that visual in your mind. The ones who arrive in hell during a disaster outnumber greatly the ones who arrive in heaven. Hell must enlarge its mouth to receive them. Therefore, disasters are as much God speaking to Christians as it is to the lost.

marian apparition, providence

More Mary Mischief: image of Mary on cross atop Providence church?

Posted on August 11, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I was born in Providence RI and grew up in the suburbs outside the city. Providence is a wonderful state, quirky, beautiful, and small. It is populated by Italians, Portuguese, and Irish, most of whom are Catholic. (demographic: 64%). Wikipedia further explains, “Rhode Island has one of the highest percentage of Roman Catholics in the nation mainly due to large Irish, Italian, and French Canadian immigration in the past; recently, significant Portuguese and various Hispanic communities have also been established in the state. … Additionally, Rhode Island and Utah are the only two states in which a majority of the population are members of a single religious body.”

I still occasionally read the Providence Journal, nowadays more often to see who died. I guess that is part of the human life cycle as you get older, interest in obits. One of the headlines on Saturday was the following:

Faithful see image of Virgin Mary on cross atop North Providence church
NORTH PROVIDENCE — A steady stream of people gathered Friday in the rain at the Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to witness what some believe is an image of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. “It’s her. It’s amazing,” said Zumma Canedo, of North Providence.

Canedo, a native of Bolivia, said she had prayed the rosary while standing in the rain outside the church on Mineral Spring Avenue. “She’s saying something,” Canedo said. A darker profile, interpreted by believers as that of the Virgin Mary, can be seen against the gray copper cross atop the church. Bystanders remarked that the profile did not fade despite the pouring rain.

Traffic backed up on the busy road, disrupting a funeral procession that was leaving the church at 11:30 a.m. Carolyn Andreozzi, also of North Providence, said she was having her nails done around the corner when she heard of the sighting on the church steeple and decided to walk over. Asked if she believed it was Mary as she headed to the church, Andreozzi said: “We need a miracle the way this country is going, the turmoil that we are in. Absolutely, I believe.”

“On her return, through the Walgreens parking lot a block up across the street, Andreozzi said: “I would have liked a more definite (sign), but I believe she is there.” Shortly after noon, a crowd lined up by a Channel 12 cameraman, waiting to look through the camera after he finished his report.”

“Brian Dowling, associate director at The Steel Yard, a nonprofit community arts program in Providence, said the discoloration is probably a chemical reaction.” “Like patina,” Dowling said referring to the tarnish that forms on copper from oxidation and other chemical reactions. Copper, Dowling said, yields a wide spectrum of colors, from greens to browns to reds. Parish officials had no immediate comment.”

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There are so many things to comment on…and I’m so sad over the whole thing. First, the comment from the lady who said, “We need a miracle the way this country is going, the turmoil that we are in. Absolutely, I believe.” Catholics who adhere to the false doctrines of the Catholic Church are not saved. They are believing the doctrines of demons, not the Gospel as delivered by Jesus Christ. For those who are not saved, they yearn for something to believe in, and they long to fill the spiritual ache in their hearts. Yet they believe in idols. (Isaiah 40:19). They want to and need to believe, but their faith is misplaced.

Then this same lady who had moments before stated, “absolutely, I believe,” then said, “I would have liked a more definite (sign)”…

Let Us Reason Ministries says, “Scripture and history prove that signs and wonders do not instill faith, just the opposite, lack of faith prompts ones desire to see signs and wonders. John 12:37 But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him. John 4:48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” Jesus was disappointed that it took the miraculous for people to listen to his teachings or follow.” (source)

Third, look up at the photo of the man looking through the camera lens, then to the lady holding the striped umbrella behind him. Look at her face. It is the face of someone in spiritual ecstasy. It is the face of spiritual tragedy.

I’d like to remind everyone that Jesus grew up. “Mary” isn’t holding “baby Jesus”. Jesus is not a baby any more and He hasn’t been for a long, long time. He appeared post-Resurrection in the flesh to many hundreds, and He was fully grown. (And no need to remind everyone that Mary hasn’t been a virgin for a long, long time, either (Matthew 12:46, Luke 8:19, Mark 3:31, Matthew 13:55, Matthew 13:56).

The photo of the long line of people stopping to get a glimpse, walking over to check it out, the seekers of and believers in false signs, is just heart-breakingly painful to see!

And … has anyone thought of what a blasphemous thing it is for “Mary” to be “appearing” on the cross, the place where Jesus was nailed in agony and pain so as to receive the wrath of God for all mankind’s sins?

On the same page as the news story about the alleged Marian Apparition are these headlines:

–Haitian Catholic charismatics gather in Providence for three-day event
–Pastor Fired for Attending Rick Ross Concert
–Top Grossing Bars and Nightclubs of 2013

Rhode Island is a very dark place, spiritually.

Here is an anecdote from my life. I am of Italian descent. Attracted to all things Italian, I traveled to Italy several times in the 1990s. One of those times a friend and I rented a car and meandered around Tuscany. We always took the small roads and the out of the way places. One day we were headed to the Tuscan coast and we saw a sign for a small town called “Prata.” Of course we immediately swerved onto that road and explored! I had no idea that town with my surname even existed.

It was siesta time and being a very small village, and raining, we found no people about, except an dapper old man walking up a hill with his cane hooked over his wrist. The church door was open so I peeked in and saw several wizened old ladies wearing black dresses and clomping black shoes, busily polishing the altar and dusting the ceramic statues of Mary they had around. There were a lot of Mary statues.

I bought a postcard from the tiny church gift shop, and here it is:

Apparently the ‘patron saint’ of Prata is “Madonna Del Canale.” Mary of the Canal. Here is the story:

The patron saint of Prata is Our Lady of the Assumption, but the protective figure invoked by the entire population is Our Lady of Graces, known as the ‘Madonna del Canale’ and venerated in the oratory located near the Fonte Vecchia, in the Valley of the Carse, approximately half a mile outside the town.

According to legend, the Madonna appeared to shepherds centuries ago, outside the town walls near a canal where water drained off from an old mine, where Fonte Vecchia is now. To mark this miraculous apparition, a shrine was constructed on the spot, hence the strange name of ‘Canale’ (‘canal’) used by Prata’s residents to invoke their Madonna.

Inside the shrine, a fresco depicting the Virgin Mary was painted, which faded over time. It was therefore decided to reproduce the image on a canvas placed on the high altar of the Church of Prata. The name of the artist who painted the canvas in 1680 is unknown to us. However the painting seems to have disappeared from the church twice and miraculously reappeared near Fonte Vecchia, almost as if the Madonna were indicating her preference for being venerated there instead. So the people of Prata built the Oratory near Fonte Vecchia so that the painting of the Virgin Mary could be kept there forever and promised to take her back every three years, in a solemn procession.

The Catholics say that they don’t worship Mary, they venerate her. The parsing is silly, of course, because venerate and worship mean the same thing. And in this iconic photo of the fresco at Prata, Jesus is wearing a crown, and Mary is wearing a crown. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s a duck.

Matthew 24:24 says “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.“

divine will, God, providence

More on God’s Providence

Posted on May 19, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

This past Thursday, I wrote a bit about the providence of God. I am still studying this great doctrine. I love it when the Holy Spirit grabs me by the heart and keeps me wrestling with a topic for a little while. Not that anyone can ever exhaust the great riches of studying the Providence of God…but I enjoy both kinds of study- minutely examining one verse for a while, and also studying the entire biblical expanse of a topic. It’s good to study doctrines as well as verses, and I hope you think so too.

Like the word “Trinity”, the word “Providence” is not in the bible. As it is clear that the LORD our God is one God in three persons (Trinity), it is also true that His Providence also extends throughout the universe, throughout creation, and throughout the affairs of men, even if the word itself is not explicitly stated.

After I studied the bible for passages that exhibit the fact of His of providence, I studied several books which demonstrate it. Providence cannot really be completely demonstrated in one verse, like God’s love is (1 John 4:16), or Jesus’s compassion, (John 11:35). We know that God is holy, (Isaiah 6:3), and He is eternal, (Psalm 90:2, Deuteronomy 32:40). God’s Providence is expansive, for example, providence is shown as what God did throughout the entirety of Joseph’s life.

Did you ever stop to think of how He sustains His divine will throughout each and every event that occurs on earth at each and every moment? For example, Mary was chosen as the biological vessel to conceive, carry, and birth the savior. She was a virgin, and God kept her so. Not that she would have sinned in that way, but she wasn’t waylaid by bandits and raped either. And He brought her mother and father together, they of the exact lineage He wanted, and kept them alive and betrothed them and saw them married and the father not died in war and the mother not dead in childbirth before Mary could be born. And Mary’s grandparents, born of the right tribe, and lived to bring their children into the world not having died of infection from a cut or food poisoning or falling down a cliff or eaten by a bear or lion, and so on back and back all the way to Adam and Eve. God ordered those circumstances so that His chosen vessel would emerge on the world stage at exactly the time and place He ordained. And so He does this for each person on earth.

However, one cannot read one verse and see His providence, because it is not one event. Providence is a series of events which you may not understand at the time but in looking back it all connects together. As I said in the other blog essay, it takes time to see His providence emerge. “Looking forward what we have is trust, and looking back we can see the results of that trust- His divine will accomplished providentially.”

The books that demonstrate His providence that come to mind are Esther, Ruth, and of course Joseph. Each of those books are examples of how God manages all affairs, large and small, to perform His divine will. Charles Spurgeon says, “Just look at the case of Joseph. God has it in his mind that Joseph shall be governor over all the land of Egypt: how is that to be done? The first thing to be done is that Joseph’s brethren must hate him. O, say you, that is a step backward. Next, Joseph’s brethren must put him in the pit. That is another step backward, say you. No, it is not: wait a little. Joseph’s brethren must sell him; that is another step backward, is it not? Providence is one, and you must not look at its separate parts. He is sold; he becomes a favorite: so far, so good. That is a step onward. Anon, he is put in a dungeon. Wait and see the end; all the different parts of the machinery are one. They appear to clash; but they never do. Put them all together. If Joseph had not been put in the pit, he never would have been the servant of Potiphar: if he never had been put in the round-house, he never would have interpreted the jailer’s dream; and if the king had never dreamed, he would not have been sent for. There were a thousand chances, as the world has it, working together to produce the exaltation of Joseph. Providence is one: it never clashes.”

I was reading Ecclesiastes the other day, the entire book, and it occurred to me that Ecclesiastes is also a book which speaks of God’s Providence without using the word. In Ecclesiastes 3:10, Solomon says, “I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.” Barnes Notes explains,

“To bring ourselves to our state in life, is our duty and wisdom in this world. God’s whole plan for the government of the world will be found altogether wise, just, and good. Then let us seize the favourable opportunity for every good purpose and work.”

Every good purpose and work is God’s providence because it brings about His will, which of course, is good!

Charles Spurgeon preached on the doctrine of Providence in a most interesting way. He begins his sermon practically enough,

“While reading the scriptures, we tried to hint at the practical benefits of the doctrine of Providence. We attempted to explain that portion of Scripture which teaches us to “take no thought for the morrow, for the morrow will take thought for the things of itself.” Our blessed Lord had there uttered very precious words to drive away our fears, to keep us from distrust and from distress, and to enable us so to rely upon Providence that we may say, he that feeds the ravens, and clothes the lilies, will never suffer me to famish nor to be naked. Having shown you from our Lord’s own words the practical benefits of the doctrine of Providence, I thought I would endeavor to explain that doctrine more fully this morning. I am constantly talking about providence in my preaching, and I thought it quite as well to devote a whole sermon to explain what I believe are God’s great wonder-working processes which we call Providence.”

Spurgeon then goes on brilliantly to propose his interpretation of Ezekiel’s wheels within wheels (Ezekiel 1:15-19) as a visual representation of God’s providence. Wow!

Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them. As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. When they went, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went. And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose.

He makes his outline of points this way and then goes on to explain each one.

Providence is Here Compared To A “Wheel.”
The Providence Of God is in some Mysterious Way Connected With Angels.
Providence is Universal.
Providence is Uniform.
Providence is Compared to the Sea.
God’s Providence is Intricate.
Providence is Always Correct.
Providence is Amazing.
Providence is Full Of Wisdom.

I recommend reading the entire sermon, it’s great. Whether you agree or disagree with all his points, Spurgeon certainly was excited about the doctrine of God’s Providence!!

If you want some further concrete examples of God’s providence in the bible, look up in context:
–Genesis 45:8, He shows that all was done by God’s providence.
–Exodus 1:12, The providence of God toward the Jews in captivity under Pharaoh
–Psalm 8:1
–Psalm 33:1 urges the righteous to praise Him because of His providence
–Psalm 40:1-3, David sings of His providence

It is good to think on these things. In Psalm 107, David sings of the amazing things the LORD has done all over the earth. He concludes in verse 43, saying:

“Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;

let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”

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The providence of God

Posted on May 16, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I’ve been praising God a lot lately for His Providence. I am studying the biblical doctrine of Providence. Funny, I was born in Providence, lol. God’s Providence is neat.

One of the mysterious things to me about Providence is that when you look back you can see it clearly. Looking forward what we have is trust, and looking back we can see the results of that trust- His divine will accomplished providentially.

Here are two ways God intervenes in the world, and one of them is providence. It is from a sermon titled “Secrets of Contentment“.

“There are two ways God can act in the world: by miracle and by providence. A miracle has no natural explanation. In the flow of normal life, God suddenly stems the tide and injects a miracle. Then He sets the flow back in motion, just like parting the Red Sea until His people could walk across and closing it up again. Do you think it would be easier to do that—to say, “Hold it, I want to do this miracle” and do it—or to say, “Let’s see, I’ve got 50 billion circumstances to orchestrate to accomplish this one thing”? The latter is providence. Think, for example, of how God providentially ordered the lives of Joseph, Ruth, and Esther. Today He does the same for us.”

I find it incredibly restful to dwell in the knowledge of His sovereignty and His providence. It doesn’t mean I kick back and drift like a twig down a river, doing nothing. I still pray, study, and diligently perform all the things the bible says we are to do. But I know that He is directing my steps. His providential care of me is in the best hands. What a great and glorious God we serve who providentially orders all events simultaneously to come together at every given moment to ensure His works come to pass!! How can I NOT worship a God who, from the moment He breathed life into Adam, has superintended every event at every moment to accomplish His divine will?

More importantly in terms of our worship, no one is self-sufficient, and everyone is answerable to God. Nebuchadnezzar praised God, saying,

“all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth;” (Daniel 4:35)

The sermon I linked to above concludes,

Contentment comes from learning that God is sovereign not only by supernatural intervention, but also by natural orchestration. And what an incredible orchestra it is! Appreciate the complexity of what God is doing every moment just to keep us alive. When we look at things from that perspective, we see what folly it is to think we can control our lives. When we give up that vain pursuit, we give up a major source of anxiety.

In your gratitude and prayers and praise, consider the providence of God. He preserves His own, down to the minutest detail.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.” (Matthew 10:29)

His care extends to the grand plan and the smallest detail. He is benevolent and all things will work to the good of those who love him and are called to His purpose. (Romans 8:28).

I think if we were allowed to see God’s providence in real form and in real time, how He connects everything to be consistent with His will and His glory, it might look like this photo by Steve Irvine for NatGeo, called Moth Trails at Night

Puritan Thomas Manton wrote of providences as one portion of our heritage. Here again we shout in gratitude-

“It is a full heritage, and nothing can be added to the completeness of our portion; for in the promises here is God, heaven, earth, providences, ordinances, all made ours, and all inward comforts and graces they are a part of our portion; and what can a soul desire more? Here is God made over to us; the great blessing of the covenant is, I am thy God. Other men say (and they will think it a great matter when they can say), This kingdom is mine, this lordship is mine, this house, these fields are mine; but a believer can say, this God, this Christ, this Holy Spirit is mine.”

God is great.