The Invisible Hand: Do All Things Really Work for Good?

Too often in today's age of secularism we fail to see God's hand in both the rewards and the trials of our lives. Because He is invisible to us, we erroneously think that many events happen by coincidence; we don't sense God's active presence in the course of human affairs. With these blinders in place, we look at the world's past, present, and future and speculate, "What if...?"
But, as R. C. Sproul convincingly writes in The Invisible Hand, "There is no 'what if?' in God." He doesn't roll dice! Nor does He have to wait to see which fork in the road we choose.... He knows the future precisely because He wills the future as He did the past. "He is a God whose providence is in the details."
Examining the perplexing question of God's providence, this talented author and teacher points to God's intimate involvement in every aspect of life on earth. R. C. Sproul writes, not just from a doctrinal viewpoint, but through the concrete experiences of flesh-and-blood people, including those whose lives and struggles are recorded in Scripture. In doing so, he proves the cardinal point of the doctrine of providence: God is for us. Then he follows with the apostle Paul's empowering question, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
When we know and accept God's providence we can face life with courage and perseverance, even when things occur that bring pain, sorrow and affliction into our lives. God's providence is our fortress, our shield, our eternal reward, because the God who moves the heavens is also the God who lovingly guides the most intimate details of our lives.

R. C. Sproul (Drs, Free University of Amsterdam) is founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries. He has written more than sixty books, including The Holiness of God, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Chosen by God, What Is Reformed Theology?, The Glory of Christ, The Mystery of the Holy Spirit, and Getting the Gospel Right. He is also general editor of The Reformation Study Bible, which has been published with the New King James Version and the English Standard Version. Dr. Sproul was professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale until 2004 and, before that, taught at Reformed Theological Seminary. He serves as senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, Sanford, Florida, and teaches on the national daily radio program Renewing Your Mind.