When Providence Turns Dark

The Helm

Maybe you’ve heard rumors of the greatest story ever told.

Some of those whisperings may say that after you come to life in Christ, all will be well. You will be healthy, wealthy, and wise. Your life will be easy, and sorrow and suffering will flee.

Someone should have told that story to the prophets of old and the disciples of Christ.

Maybe they did.

True faith did not cling to the glory of life and breath when providence turned dark.

Clash of Tides

While on an unplanned trip to the grocery store due to my poor planning in the first place, I had my earbuds in listening to the Haunted Cosmos podcast. It was one of the in-between season episodes where they play Patreon first content from a series called The Dusty Tome. This particular episode was called The Lighthouse and The Sea, which for obvious reasons, appealed to me as the writer of a nautically mythical newsletter.

One of the host’s comments stopped me cold right there by the bun-length hot dogs I was planning to grill over charcoal when I got home. I shared the comment on X:

If you grew up in church, it’s likely you heard the story about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These were the three men who refused to bend their knee and bow to worship the statue of King Nebuchadnezzar. In God’s providence, they were thrown into a fiery furnace. Read the exchange between the king and the three men.

“Now if you are ready, at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, then you shall fall down and worship the image that I have made. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can save you out of my hands?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to respond to you with an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to save us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will save us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods, and we will not worship the golden image that you have set up.” ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭LSB‬‬

They had faith in the Lord regardless of the circumstances. Whichever way the Lord’s hands took them, in the fire or through it, into life or into death, they had faith they would be secure in the Lord’s hands. Whether Providence turned light or dark for them, it was better to be found in God’s Providence than to save their skin outside of it by the worship of idols who could not elicit such confidence. I’ll let you read the rest of the chapter on your own to see how their story turned out.

Let’s jump ahead a few hundred years. Have you ever read the book of Hebrews in the New Testament? Chapter 11 of Hebrews is often looked at as a half of fame of faith. We read about the heroes of faith, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Joshua. Brief snapshots of incredible lives that Yahweh worked through in the ancient cradle of civilization. These are men all people of faith would aspire to be like. After all, God worked through them in mighty ways!

If we keep reading, Providence turned dark for the unnamed. “and others experienced mockings and floggings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword. They went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, mistreated (of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in desolate places and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.” ‭‭‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11‬:‭36‬-‭38‬ ‭LSB‬‬

Maybe these hall-of-faither’s didn’t have enough faith and that’s why they met the ends that they did. According to tradition, the one who was sawn in two was the prophet Isaiah. Not gonna make a weak faith claim there. Regardless of who they were, the author of Hebrews states that the they who died in these ways were whom the world was not worthy. A claim of weak faith doesn’t have much to stand on.

Let’s jump back to the book of Job. Chronologically, Job’s story took place somewhere in the pages of Genesis. At least that’s where every chronological Bible reading plan I’ve ever done has put it. Job lost everything as God allowed the adversary to take all but Job’s life in an uncomfortable display of dark providence.

When all his health, money, estate, and children were taken away from him, what did Job say?

Jesus’ disciples apparently got this message. Aside from Judas, who sought refuge in money instead of the Lord, all the disciples met suffering. In fact, all of them except John, who self identifies as the disciple whom Jesus loved, were martyred. They lost their lives for the faith. It’s not like persecuters didn’t try to kill John, though. He was boiled alive and when he survived, was exiled to an island. Can we really say these men had weak faith? I’d say they were living their life in victory as they became men of whom the world was not worthy. It cost them their lives.

Every power of hell and scheme of man seems to have as its ultimate goal to separate a soul from the faith and worship of God.

Maybe this is why singing praises is a spiritual weapon of warfare.

The Armory

What is suffering to a righteous God? Honestly, I don’t know how to answer this question because His divine purposes seem to include it. Look no further than the ultimate suffering that defined the crux of human history, the cross of Christ.

Why does suffering exists? I can’t tell you that, but I can tell you it seems to be redemptive to God’s purposes in the life of the Christian. What is meant for evil ends up bending the knee for good. Faith in Christ whispers to us in the darkness, “Don’t lose hope. A resurrection is coming.”

The question remains: what will we do when Providence turns dark for us?

Will we lose hope? Will we harden our hearts? Will we get mad when life doesn’t go the way we expected or were falsely promised?

Who are we to be seated above Him as judge while we put Him in the dock?

Does God answer to us?

He owes us no answer.

He owes us no mercy. He owes us no grace.

When His perfect hand of Providence turns dark, and the relationship falls apart, the finances fail, the home burns down, the career tanks, the diagnosis is cancer, and any other insecurity we may have is made manifest, who are we to shake our fist at Him?

You could be tempted to shake your fist at the sky, like Job’s wife when Providence turned dark on him. It was she who told her husband, “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9)

The last gasps of a dying man make him righteous not.

If you are going through a black time, all the forces of hell will work to tempt you to curse God and die. You will be tempted to “turn your back on Yahweh, for He has turned His back on You.”

This week, let’s meditate on our hero of the faith, Isaiah. He said this before he was killed.

Bold words, you may say, for a man who was sawn in two. The waters, the rivers, the fire, the flame. These are dark providences.

And Isaiah prophecies Yahweh will be with us. Being sawn in two sounds like an overflow of scorching fire to me. If his meaning was that suffering would never come and that flying on wings like eagles (Isaiah 40:31) would never include dark providence, Isaiah is a false prophet and a liar.

His prophecy can only mean that this life, this health, is not ultimate. It is a shadow. Dare I say, it is not even the true us.

Trust in the Lord, no matter what day or night His providence is walking you through, and don’t forsake your trust in Him through whatever springs or floods may come.

Dropping Anchor

In C.S. Lewis’ incredible work of fiction, The Screwtape Letters, the correspondence from an elder demon to a junior demon, Wormwood, has been intercepted and collected into a book. I have heard rumors on X among Lewis discussions that this inception was done by none other than Dr. Elwin Ransom, but we don’t have enough time for that magnificent rabbit hole.

As we drop anchor this week, consider Screwtape’s high caution to Wormwood.

Maybe in the coming weeks I’ll find a way to drop some Screwtape into the Deep Dive for y’all.

We’re in no rush.

Stay Anchored and keep fighting the good fight,

~ J.P. Simons ⚓️

PS: If you’re enjoying this newsletter, please pass it on to someone who would find strength in it.

Below Deck: A Deep Dive

We’re taking a look at Thomas Brooks’ Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices again. This week is the second device Satan uses to draw souls into sin.

CHAPTER 2: SATAN'S DEVICES TO DRAW THE SOUL TO SIN

[12 devices and their remedies]

DEVICE 2: BY PAINTING SIN WITH VIRTUE'S COLORS.

Satan knows that if he would present sin in its own nature and dress, the soul would rather fly from it than yield to it; and therefore he presents it unto us, not in its own proper colors—but painted and gilded over with the name and show of virtue, that we may the more easily be overcome by it, and take the more pleasure in committing of it. PRIDE, he presents to the soul under the name and notion of neatness and cleanliness; and COVETOUSNESS (which the apostle condemns for idolatry) to be but good business; and DRUNKENNESS to be good fellowship, and RIOTOUSNESS under the name and notion of liberality, and WANTONNESS as a trick of youth.

Remedy (1). Consider that sin is never a whit the less filthy, vile, and abominable—by its being colored and painted with virtue's colors. A poisonous pill is never a whit the less poisonous because it is gilded over with gold; nor a wolf is never a whit the less a wolf because he has put on a sheep's skin; nor the devil is never a whit the less a devil because he appears sometimes like an angel of light. So neither is sin any whit the less filthy and abominable by its being painted over with virtue's colors.

Remedy (2). That the more sin is painted forth under the color of virtue, the more dangerous it is to the souls of men. This we see evident in these days, by those very many souls that are turned out of the way that is holy—and in which their souls have had sweet and glorious communion with God—into ways of highest vanity and folly, by Sa tan's neat coloring over of sin, and painting forth vice under the name and color of virtue. This is so notoriously known that I need but name it. The most dangerous vermin is too often to be found under the fairest and sweetest flowers, the fairest glove is often drawn upon the foulest hand, and the richest robes are often put upon the filthiest bodies. So are the fairest and sweetest names upon the greatest and the most horrible vices and errors that be in the world. Ah! that we had not too many sad proofs of this among us!

Remedy (3). To look on sin with that eye with which within a short time, we shall see it. Ah, souls! when you shall lie upon a dying bed, and stand before a judgment-seat, sin shall be unmasked, and its dress and robes shall then be taken off, and then it shall appear more vile, filthy, and terrible than hell itself; then, that which formerly appeared most sweet will appear most bitter, and that which appeared most beautiful will appear most ugly, and that which appeared most delightful will then appear most dreadful to the soul. Ah, the shame, the pain, the gall, the bitterness, the horror, the hell that the sight of sin, when its dress is taken off, will raise in poor souls! Sin will surely prove evil and bitter to the soul when its robes are taken off. A man may have the stone who feels no fit of it. Conscience will work at last, though for the present one may feel no fit of accusation. Laban showed himself at parting. Sin will be bitterness in the latter end, when it shall appear to the soul in its own filthy nature.

The devil deals with men as the panther does with beasts; he hides his deformed head until his sweet scent has drawn them into his danger. Until we have sinned, Satan is a parasite; when we have sinned, he is a tyrant. O souls! the day is at hand when the devil will pull off the paint and garnish that he has put upon sin, and present that monster, sin, in such a monstrous shape to your souls, that will cause your thoughts to be troubled, your countenance to be changed, the joints of your loins to be loosed, and your knees to be dashed one against another, and your hearts to be so terrified, that you will be ready, with Ahithophel and Judas, to strangle and hang your bodies on earth, and your souls in hell, if the Lord has not more mercy on you than he had on them. Oh! therefore, look upon sin now as you must look upon it to all eternity, and as God, conscience, and Satan will present it to you another day!

Remedy (4). Seriously to consider, That even those very sins that Satan paints, and puts new names and colors upon, cost the best blood, the noblest blood, the life-blood, the heart-blood of the Lord Jesus. That Christ should come from the eternal bosom of his Father to a region of sorrow and death; that God should be manifested in the flesh, the Creator made a creature; that he who was clothed with glory should be wrapped with rags of flesh; he who filled heaven and earth with his glory should be cradled in a manger; that the almighty God should flee from weak man—the God of Israel into Egypt; that the God of the law should be subject to the law, the God of the circumcision circumcised, the God who made the heavens working at Joseph's homely trade; that he who binds the devils in chains should be tempted; that he, whose is the world, and the fullness thereof, should hunger and thirst; that the God of strength should be weary, the Judge of all flesh condemned, the God of life put to death; that he who is one with his Father should cry out of misery, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46); that he who had the keys of hell and death at his belt should lie imprisoned in the sepulcher of another, having in his lifetime nowhere to lay his head, nor after death to lay his body; that that HEAD, before which the angels do cast down their crowns, should be crowned with thorns, and those EYES, purer than the sun, put out by the darkness of death; those EARS, which hear nothing but hallelujahs of saints and angels, to hear the blasphemies of the multitude; that FACE, which was fairer than the sons of men, to be spit on by those beastly wretched Jews; that MOUTH and TONGUE, which spoke as never man spoke, accused for blasphemy; those HANDS, which freely swayed the scepter of heaven, nailed to the cross; those FEET, "like unto fine brass," nailed to the cross for man's sins; each sense pained with a spear and nails; his SMELL, with stinking odor, being crucified on Golgotha, the place of skulls; his TASTE, with vinegar and gall; his HEARING, with reproaches, and SIGHT of his mother and disciples bemoaning him; his SOUL, comfortless and forsaken; and all this for those very sins that Satan paints and puts fine colors upon! Oh! how should the consideration of this stir up the soul against sin, and work the soul to fly from it, and to use all holy means whereby sin may be subdued and destroyed!

After Julius Caesar was murdered, Antonius brought forth his coat, all bloody and cut, and laid it before the people, saying, "Look, here you have the emperor's coat thus bloody and torn"—whereupon the people were presently in an uproar, and cried out to slay those murderers; and they took their tables and stools which were in the place, and set them on fire, and ran to the houses of those who had slain Caesar, and burnt them.So that when we consider that sin has slain our Lord Jesus, ah, how should it provoke our hearts to be revenged on sin—which has murdered the Lord of glory, and has done that mischief that all the devils in hell could never have done?

It was good counsel one gave, "Never let go out of your minds the thoughts of a crucified Christ." Let these be food and drink unto you; let them be your sweetness and consolation, your honey and your desire, your reading and your meditation, your life, death, and resurrection.

Thomas Brooks