The providence of God: what does it mean, examples of life, what does it consist of

Many consider the human brain to be the most complex object in the Universe. But what do the intellectual abilities of each of us mean in comparison with the infinite mind of the Creator? What is God's Providence regarding our present and future life? Is God the puppeteer and we His weak-willed puppets? And with whom did the heroine of the humorous fantasy enter into a contract? We are publishing another research work by our regular author Viktor Glebov.

God's plan or providence

Is there a difference between the concepts of “fishing” and “fishing”? The Big Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language, edited by A. Kuznetsov, gives several definitions of the word “fishery”. It refers to the craft with which a person earns his livelihood. For example, he is engaged in blacksmithing or pottery production. Business also includes hunting or fishing. Also, fishing is an enterprise engaged in the extraction of natural resources (oil, gold, etc.).

The letter “e” in the word: if it is a fishery, then it is fishery, if it is God’s, then it is a fishery.

Of course, when we talk about the Providence of the Lord, we do not mean mining, crafts or hunting. The Academic Dictionary of the Russian Language, edited by A. Evgenoeva , notes that the word “promysel” is an alternative to the word “promysel” when it is applied to God’s affairs.

“You know how heavenly providence saved the Tsarevich from the hands of a murderer.”

A.S. Pushkin "Boris Godunov"

God's providence = the will of the Lord?

In spiritual literature, in parallel with the concept of providence, the phrase “the will of God” is used. Is it so? There is no clear answer. Many saints and clergy identify them.

Professor Alexey Osipov still suggests making a distinction.

If the first refers to the classic definition of Metropolitan Philaret, then the second refers to the commandments of God, which the Lord Himself gave to humanity. That is, He expressed how a person needs to live in order to achieve holiness.

But no matter how hard we try, we will not be able to completely get rid of sin. So that a person does not drown in the sea of vices, the merciful Creator guides Him with His hand. But only within such limits that they do not harm human freedom. This is God's providence.

History of the concept

The term “Divine Providence” itself appeared in the classical period of Ancient Greece. We owe its appearance to the philosopher Socrates. Speaking about God's Providence, he meant that the Supreme Mind acts for the benefit of all its creatures.

Interesting fact

reflected on God's Providence
. He believed that the Almighty controls the destiny of mankind based on his intention.
God is not only the Creator of existence, but He also ensures that the world does not turn into a center of chaos. For this purpose He gave His commandments and decrees. This is His Providence. The next person to study this issue was Plutarch of Chaeronea . He believed that God takes care of each of His creations. Plutarch did not believe that the cause of the existence of evil was the perfect Creator or the matter created by Him. Vice and suffering arose through the fault of the evil soul of the world, harming creation through its devoted servants - demons.

In philosophy

Later philosophers also pondered what God's will for the world was. Particularly difficult is the question of how the omnipotence, justice and loving will of the Creator are consistent with the fact that the world is filled with evil and suffering.

Photo by Alina Shadrina

Some have concluded that the Creator is like a man who started a clockwork and then lost interest in it. This branch of philosophy is called deism. Other philosophers have come to the idea of complete fatalism, meaning that God controls every detail of our lives and we have no freedom of choice.

In Christianity

Christian theologians have always been interested in how God leads the world to fulfill His eternal purpose. The essence of the Christian teaching about God's Providence is that the Lord is always the source of love, truth, justice and goodness.

“And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and truth, preserving [righteousness and showing] mercy to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but not leaving it unpunished...” .

(Ex.34:6,7)

Although the Bible does not use the word Providence, it does speak of God's judgments, determinations, and purposes. This is how God makes it clear that he did not leave His creation to the mercy of fate, but has eternal care for us. All Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, says that evil, death and suffering are temporary and will one day disappear completely.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

And I, John, saw the holy city Jerusalem, new, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; they will be His people, and God Himself with them will be their God.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; There will be no more crying, no crying, no pain, for the former things have passed away.

And He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And he says to me: write; for these words are true and true.”

(Rev.21:1-5)

History of the expression

This concept originated in Ancient Greece, which was famous for its philosophers. Since previously there was no such science as theology, it was philosophy that examined theological issues, including the degree of God’s involvement in everyone’s daily life, as well as the question of the free will of man himself.

The idea of providence was popular in Alexandrian philosophy

The first philosopher to use this expression was Socrates, who for many years reflected and taught about divine providence and higher reason. After him, the idea was picked up and spread by the Stoics - followers of the philosophical doctrine of fate and man as its arbiter.

The idea of God's providence was repeatedly considered and subsequently discussed by prominent figures in philosophy.

Philo of Alexandria believed that it is the Heavenly Father who directs and works with the destinies of people.
According to Plutarch, Jehovah did not abandon his creation and continues to take care of it.
In the Middle Ages, there were disputes about the degree of God's involvement in world events - does he decide the destinies of the world and different nations, or does he act only in the life of each person in a targeted manner?

At the heart of disputes about the influence of the Almighty on the world is always the question “Why is there so much evil in the world if the Lord has not retreated?” The human mind always thinks that if evil exists, then God is not doing anything, otherwise the world would be filled with good. However, such a position completely contradicts the concept of “human free will,” because the Lord, in order to establish world good, would have to force a person to perform certain actions.

Paul writes, “The heart of man is evil at all times,” and it is foolish to blame God for the evil that happens if a person commits evil deeds of his own free will.

What does this mean and how is it determined in a person’s life?

The Orthodox Church teaches that the Lord takes an active part in our lives, but at the same time does not control our every step, allowing a person to make a conscious choice: to obey Him or not.

Providence of God

Everything that happens on earth, including wars, illnesses, death and other problems, happens according to the permissive will of God in order to help us hate sin and become part of eternity.

The Creator reminds of Himself and of the future He has prepared for the righteous. So, these days there are almost no people who have not heard about Jesus Christ and his commandments. Christ is the model of the ideal man who showed us what it means to manifest divine qualities to perfection.

Even everything bad that happens in our lives is allowed by God for our good. For example, many people complain about their health and spend a lot of money on doctors and medicines. At the same time, they smoke, abuse alcohol and lead a dissolute lifestyle. It is surprising when people do not see the connection between indulging sinful desires and their consequences: physical illnesses. God allows illness to motivate people to stop.

“Alas, a sinful people, a people burdened with iniquities, a tribe of evildoers, sons of destruction! They forsook the Lord, despised the Holy One of Israel, and turned back.

What else should we hit you with if you continue your stubbornness? The whole head is full of ulcers, and the whole heart is withered.

From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there is no healthy place: ulcers, spots, festering wounds, uncleansed and unbandaged and not softened with oil...

And when you stretch out your hands, I close My eyes from you; and when you multiply your prayers, I do not hear: your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourself, make yourself clean; remove your evil deeds from before my eyes; stop doing evil;

learn to do good, seek truth, save the oppressed, defend the orphan, stand up for the widow.

Then come and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they will be white as wool.”

(Isa.1:4-6, 15-18)

God's plan for us can also manifest itself in advice, which is not always pleasant, but necessary for our correction.

How does God influence the world He created?

God influences events in the world in a variety of ways; Holy Scripture gives us examples of how God carries out His providence:

giving a person a choice of purpose and meaning in life (Deut. 30:19–20);
allowing a person to manifest his even ungodly will (Gen. 3; Matt. 23:37);
calling humanity to salvation (Ezek.33:11; Matt.11:28–29);
changing His intentions towards the wicked in case of their repentance (Jer.18:7-10, Jon.3);
fulfilling certain prayers (Luke 1:13; Matt. 15:28; Acts 10:4)
changing the actions of the physical laws established by Him, for the benefit of people faithful to Him (Exodus 14:21; Josh. 10:13; 2 Kings 20:6; John 11:43–44);
having become incarnate for the salvation of people (Luke 2:11; John 4:42);
bringing the world to the purpose determined by His purpose (Rev. 21:1).

If you want to know God's Providence, determine what your Christian duty is in the situation in which you find yourself today.

God provides and participates in people's lives, but often does not intervene in our lives in a visible way so that our free will can make voluntary choices. God's providence means that at every stage of our life the Lord places us in such conditions under which we could make a free choice in favor of goodness, truth, justice and through this ascend to Heavenly Father. However, the depths of God’s Providence are incomprehensible to the limited human mind, so that, knowing about God’s Providence, we are not able to comprehend it fully.

False teachings about God's Providence : 1. Pagan idea of predetermined fate as fate. 2. Dualism is the struggle between equilibrium good and evil. 3. Calvinism and Islam believe that God predestined some to eternal life and others to death.

***

It is human nature to simplify God’s providence: narrow it down to one event, project it onto oneself and onto the present time. But God is wise and omniscient, He has complete knowledge. Any event can be a link in a large chain, involve many people and have consequences for hundreds of years.

We see one, two or three elements of the “puzzle” of world history, and the Creator sees the whole picture at the same time.

***

One hermit asked God to make him understand the ways of His Providence, and imposed a fast on himself. When he went to visit an old man who lived far away, an Angel appeared to him in the form of a monk and offered to be his companion. In the evening, they stopped for the night with a pious man, who offered them food on a silver platter. But what a surprise! Immediately after the meal, the elder’s companion took the dish and threw it into the sea.

They went further and the next day stayed with another pious man. But trouble again! When the hermit and his companion began to prepare for the journey, the one who received them brought his young son to them to bless him. But instead of blessing, the companion, touching the boy, took his soul. Neither the old man, out of horror, nor the father, in despair, uttered a word. On the third day they took shelter in a dilapidated house. The elder sat down to eat food, and his companion first dismantled the wall and then repaired it again. Here the elder could not stand it: “Who are you - a demon or an angel? What are you doing? The day before yesterday you took away a dish from a good man, yesterday you took the life of a boy, and today you are straightening walls that no one needs.”

Do not be surprised, elder, and do not be tempted about me. I am the Angel of God. The first person to receive us acts in a manner pleasing to God, but he acquired that dish untruthfully, so I threw it away so that he would not lose his reward. The second husband is also pleasing to God, but if his son had grown up, he would have been a terrible villain. The owner of the house where we stayed is an immoral, lazy person and therefore became impoverished. His grandfather, while building this house, hid gold in the wall. That’s why I straightened the wall so that the owner wouldn’t find him and thereby die. Return, elder, to your cell and do not suffer madly, for this is what the Holy Spirit says: “The judgments of the Lord are unknown to men.” Therefore, do not test them either - it will not do you any good.

***

Everything is from God, both good and sorrowful, and unworthy; but one is by good will, the other by economy, the third by permission. And by good will - when we live virtuously, for it pleases God that we lead a sinless life, live virtuously and piously. According to the economy, when, falling into mistakes and sinning, we are admonished; by permission, when even those admonished we do not convert.

God was pleased that man should be saved, just as the angels cried out, saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:14). Again, economically, God admonishes us who sin, so that we are not condemned with the world, as the apostle says: We are judged by God and punished, lest we be condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11:32). And there are evils in the city that the Lord has not created (Amos.3:6), such as: famine, plagues, illnesses, defeats, battles; for all this serves to cleanse sin, who either do not want to live without sin, or those who are admonished do not convert, but remain in sin, as it is written: God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts (John 12:40); and: he gave them over to an unskilled mind, that is, he allowed them to create unskilled freedom (Rom. 1:28); also: by hardening I will harden Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 4:21), that is, I will allow it to become hardened because of his disobedience.

Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

***

What is human freedom?

How God realizes his plan without violating human free will can be learned from the history of Israel. The Lord did not lead the Jews out of Egypt simply to provide them with a comfortable existence in the Promised Land. He wanted to create from them a holy people who would glorify Him among the pagans. But the Jews had a choice: agree to be a witness people or live like all other peoples:

“Today I call heaven and earth as witnesses before you: I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,

loved the Lord your God, listened to His voice and clung to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may abide in the land which the Lord [God] promised with an oath to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to give them.”

(Deut.30:19,20)

So it is today. The Lord of the Universe shows humility by not forcing us to be obedient to him, but by encouraging us to take the path of righteousness voluntarily.

God's providence

Thus, the conclusions of Orthodox theologians agree that fate, being a set of random circumstances (“Explanatory Dictionary” by V. Dahl), is opposed to the path of a person who is precisely capable of changing his life. As for the will of God, then, as St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes, it is God who controls the entire Universe, and not chance at all. “And not one of them (of the birds) will fall to the ground without the will of your Father; But even the hairs of your head are all numbered (Matthew 10:29). In addition, it is not for nothing that there is not only the concept of God’s judgment, but also permission. According to Saint Ignatius, the Lord “as if limited Himself, without changing the will of man.”

The very will of God, as Brianchaninov claims, is nothing more than commandments. Accordingly, following them is equal to following the divine will. It is the path to salvation that is predetermined by the Lord: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29-30).

How to understand it correctly

Many outstanding Christian thinkers reflected on the mysteries of God's Providence: Gregory the Theologian, Isaac the Syrian, John Chrysostom , etc. They came to some important conclusions:

Even during the existence of evil and suffering, God remains the Master of the Universe. Not a single planet, not a single place is forgotten by God.
The Creator fights evil by giving man intelligence, conscience, knowledge, and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. Evil comes into the world when people reject these gifts.
The Lord provides support to the righteous, helping them first of all to develop spirituality. But he does this in secret from the majority, in the mind and heart of a person striving for holiness. God's help is constant, not random.
The Lord often protects us from visible dangers, but does not announce this, so we may think that he is not doing anything for us.
When we face insurmountable difficulties, God gives us wisdom in answer to prayer.
Its highest is to raise man to a state of perfection in all respects. This is why Christ came into this world and gave his life.
Personal well-being should not be assessed by the thickness of your wallet. Many rich people are on the path to destruction because they have made money their hope and think that they have already reached Eden, while rejecting God.

The most common definition

The definition given by Metropolitan Philaret in the Long Christian Catechism is considered classic:

the unceasing action in the world of the all-good, all-wise and all-powerful will of God, turning everything to good and directing each person individually and humanity as a whole to the eternal salvation

Each person can find in his own life examples of how “circumstances turned out well”, people met halfway, some miracles happened (they were late for “death” planes, survived after severe injuries, and so on). This was nothing other than God's providence. The Lord Himself does not want the death of the sinner; He thinks about the salvation of everyone. He is trying to help us as best he can. But this also requires a willingness to correctly understand and accept on the part of the person.

It happens that a person has distanced himself from God and has become spiritually blind because of sin. To regain his sight, he needs to go through trials and purify himself, to realize that without God we cannot do anything.

For this, God allows sorrow and illness for our own good. There are many examples of how people, having become seriously ill, completely changed. They learned to trust their lives to God. There are those who received healing and know exactly who it was from. There are also people who departed into eternity, but they also understood who sent it and why. An amazing example is Schema-nun Anna.

Submit or trust?

A relationship with God can be built like this:

between slave and master;
employee and employer;
child and father.

The first type of relationship implies that God absolutely dominates creation, and man is just a powerless creature, obliged to unquestioningly fulfill all the demands of the almighty Master, not have personal thoughts and be like a parrot, mindlessly repeating other people's words. This is what believers are taught in totalitarian religious groups.

Some people build a relationship with God as their employer . Consequently, going to church, praying, serving, helping those in need - all spiritual matters - are work for them, and they expect God to improve their material conditions. And if such people do not get what they want, they immediately terminate the figurative labor contract that they concluded with Him at the moment of baptism.

Scripture says that our submission to God must be based on wholehearted love:

“Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind: this is the first and greatest commandment.”

(Matt. 22:37,38)

From these words it is clear that God does not want us to obey him only out of fear of punishment or out of thirst for material reward. Love cannot be measured by money or the number of good deeds.

About God's Providence and one's own salvation

In your free love

God became man

so that man could become a god.

St. Irenaeus (†202).

About the action of God's Providence

Christian consciousness does not tolerate the power of chance even in the life of an individual.

Christianity teaches that a person lives only once and that God’s Providence operates in his only earthly life.

Christianity shares the concepts of “foreknowledge” and “predestination.”

Thanks to foresight, God sees everything, knows everything, but He can predetermine only within the framework of the freedom that He gave to man.

God's predestination changes depending on our behavior, on how we realize our creative freedom.

Russian philosopher Vl. Soloviev writes: “Providence, otherwise Providence or Providence (Greek προνοια), is the purposeful action of the Supreme Being, aimed at the greatest good of creation in general, man and humanity in particular.”

Providence is not only God’s knowledge of us and not only His effective participation in our lives, but also the goodness of God, which determines the final point of the human journey.

According to the definition of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov), Divine Providence is “the constant action of the omnipotence, wisdom and goodness of God, by which God preserves the existence and strength of creatures, directs them to good goals, helps every good, and the evil that arises through removal from good stops or corrects and turns to good consequences.”

St. John of Damascus instructed: “... Providence is the care that occurs on the part of God in relation to things that exist... Providence is the will of God, thanks to which all things that exist receive the proper order...”

The World itself, according to Orthodox doctrine, exists only because it is preserved by God.

The Holy Scripture says: “My Father works until now, and I work” (John 5:17); “...in Him we live and move and have our being...” (Acts 17:28).

Christian theology teaches that God created man in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26).

Giving a person freedom implies, first of all, the possibility of choosing: to be with God or to reject Him.

Freedom is always a choice, choice is always responsibility. And all evil is the result of the deviation of man’s will from God.

By good will and by permission

John of Damascus writes: “Of the works of Providence, some happen by good will, and others by permission. By good will - that which is undeniably good, but by permission there are many varieties. For often God allows a righteous person to fall into wickedness in order to show others the virtue hidden in him... At other times He allows something inappropriate to happen, so that thanks to an act that seems inappropriate, something great and wondrous is accomplished, as thanks to the Cross - saving people. In another way, He allows the saint to endure suffering, so that he does not lose his right conscience or, because of the strength and grace given to him, does not fall into pride, as was the case with Paul ... "

So, God does not force a person’s will, He gives the opportunity to make a choice and reap the fruits of this choice. St. John of Damascus continues: “...the choice of what to do is in our power; and good deeds are accomplished through the assistance of God, who, in His providence, justly assists those who voluntarily choose good with their conscience; vicious deeds are due to abandonment by God, who, again, according to His foreknowledge, justly abandons (someone).”

Man is free to choose evil.

Man is free to reject God, but outside of God there is no life.

The works of God are aimed at the benefit of all living things:

“God did not create death and does not rejoice in the destruction of the living, for He created everything for existence, and everything in the world is salvific, and there is no harmful poison, and there is no kingdom of hell on earth” (Wis 1:14). Moreover, God “...wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4).

If a person does not want to be with God, then God, respecting the freedom given by Him Himself, leaves the person.

If God had acted differently, He would have turned from a loving Father (John 16:27) into a despot. St. John of Damascus explains: “And there are two kinds of abandonment; for there is economic and educational abandonment, and there is complete abandonment in rejection. Household and educational abandonment is that which happens for the correction, and salvation, and glory of the sufferer, or to excite others to competition and imitation, or for the sake of the glory of God. Complete abandonment occurs when a person, although God has done everything for his salvation, remains insensitive and incurable, or rather, incurable by virtue of his will. Then he is given over to complete destruction, like Judas.”

Foresight and predestination

Theologian V.N. Lossky wrote: “God’s love for man is so great that it cannot force, for there is no love without respect. The Divine will will always submit to wanderings, deviations, even rebellion of the human will in order to bring it to free agreement. This is Divine Providence, and the classical image of the teacher will seem very weak to anyone who has felt in God a beggar asking for alms of love, waiting at the door of the soul and never daring to break them open.”

The Gospel says: “...those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom He predestined, those He also called, and those He called, them He also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified” (Rom 8:29-30).

God did not predestine anyone to destruction.

There is not a single word in the Holy Scriptures about predestination to destruction! Predestination to salvation is an expression of the inflexibility of God’s will to do everything so that as many people as possible can be saved.

The meaning of human life lies in the correction of man, in the acquisition by the individual here on earth of God-like spiritual values (deification), which is impossible without the free will of man, his desire, desire for perfection and the help of God.

According to St. Seraphim of Sarov, “The acquisition of the Spirit of God is the true goal of our Christian life, and prayer, vigil, fasting, almsgiving and other virtues done for the sake of Christ are only means to the acquisition of the Spirit of God.”

The Holy Scripture says: “Those who, without (having) the law, have sinned are outside the law and will perish; and those who have sinned under the law will be condemned by the law (because it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified, for when the pagans, who do not have the law, by nature do what is lawful, then, not having the law, they are a law unto themselves : they show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as evidenced by their conscience and their thoughts, now accusing, now justifying one another)” (Rom 2. 12-15).

Thus, a person who did not have the opportunity to learn about Christ, to enter His Church, will be judged by a different court than the one who knew about Him, but rejected Him.

God’s judgment is wise and gives justice to everyone: “But that servant who knew the will of his master, and was not ready, and did not do according to his will, will be beaten much; but whoever did not know and did something worthy of punishment will receive less punishment. And from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and to whom much has been entrusted, from him will be required more” (Luke 12:47-48).

In his work “An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith,” St. John of Damascus writes about God’s Foreknowledge and Predestination: “You must know that God knows everything in advance, but does not predetermine everything. For He knows in advance what is in our power, but does not predetermine it. For He does not want vice to occur, but He does not force one to virtue by force. Therefore, Predestination is a matter of Divine command combined with Foreknowledge. But because of His Foreknowledge, God predetermines what is not in our power. For according to His foreknowledge, God has already predetermined everything, in accordance with His goodness and justice.”

Foreknowledge does not bind our will and depends on us. The Lord foresees how certain people will behave. But, foreseeing, does not thereby take away their freedom of will.

God's grace calls everyone, but forces no one.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev 3:20).

Bishop Callistus (Ware) reasons: “God knocks, but waits for us to open the door: He does not break it open.”

As St. John Chrysostom says, “God never brings anyone to Himself by coercion and violence. He wants everyone to be saved, but he does not force anyone.”

“God’s business is to offer His grace,” said St. Cyril of Jerusalem (†386), “the job of man is to accept and preserve this grace.”

“Grace,” says Chrysostom, “although it is Grace, it saves only those who wish.”

Salvation is both our personal matter and God's.

It is impossible to comprehend the Providence of God with the human mind: “... there are many ways of God’s Providence and... they can neither be interpreted in words nor comprehended by the mind” (St. John of Damascus). A Christian should “... know that all sad events are brought upon those who accept them with gratitude for salvation and will certainly bring benefit” (St. John of Damascus).

Earthly life is just a short moment before eternal life. The Lord calls people to become children of His Kingdom, which is “not of this world” (John 18:36).

A Christian has a choice: to follow the will of nature or overcome it by comprehending the Creator. Essentially, Christianity is the path to freedom:

“You have been called to freedom, brethren...” (Gal. 5:13).

God's foreknowledge and determination does not hinder either God's desire to save a person, or an individual person's freedom to be saved.

If a person renounces and departs from the image and likeness of God, it means that he is just some kind of living, but, alas, spiritless living creature.

However, the obvious question is that if a person renounces the image of God, will he not be replaced by the image of an animal?

After all, the Holy Scripture says: “And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet, who performed miracles before him, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image: both were thrown alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone” (Rev 19:20).

Christianity itself is good in that it has decisively abandoned the idea of squeezing human life into some formal framework of prescribed behavioral norms, by fulfilling which you will be saved in eternity.

“Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is profitable” (1 Cor 6.12; 10.23) - these words of the Apostle Paul very accurately reflect the Christian approach.

A tree is known by its fruit, and the end crowns the work. It is possible that it is not so important how many prostrations we make during our lives and how many meat dishes we do not eat, but what is important is whether we please our Lord Jesus Christ with our lifestyle, our real deeds, our actions and our thoughts.

If we only do something external, and not very zealously and regularly, then... it is difficult for us to judge for ourselves whether we are living correctly or not.

The most important thing is how the Lord will evaluate our life, what His mercy will be.

Bibliography:

Bible. Books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. - M.: RBO, 2000.

Callistus (Ware), bishop. Orthodox Church. M.: Biblical-Theological Institute of St. Apostle Andrew, 2001.

Soloviev, V. Russia and the Universal Church // Library “Vekhi”, 2004.

Lossky, V.N. Essay on the mystical theology of the Eastern Church. - M.: SEI, 1991.

Practical encyclopedia of the Orthodox Christian. - St. Petersburg: Publishing house “Satis”, “Derzhava”, 2005.

John of Damascus, Rev. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith. Book II., ch. XXIX: About Providence. - M.: Indrik, 2002.

Symphony based on the works of the Optina elders. T. II. https://profi-rus.narod.ru/knigi/Simfoniya-po-tvoreniyam-prepodobnyx-Optinskix-starcev.-Tom-2.html.

Alexander A. Sokolovsky

Predestination or co-creation?

The idea of predestination implies that the Creator, without our knowledge, creates the spirituality and morality of those whom he has chosen for salvation. Some modern religious groups teach that all we need to do is get baptized and ask God to make us mature Christians .

Then, as if by magic, the Holy Spirit will come into play. He himself will make the necessary adjustments in us. We don’t even need to study the Bible, analyze our actions, words, thoughts and feelings. Amazingly, proponents of this theory go so far as to declare the Holy Scriptures a dead book. According to them, the Holy Spirit, if necessary, will make God's determinations known to them individually.

Is this convenient view, which pleases sinful pride, consistent with Scripture? Here is what the Apostle Peter wrote about internal changes :

“How by His divine power has been given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and goodness, by which were given to us great and precious promises, that through them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust:

then, applying all your diligence to this, show virtue in your faith, prudence in virtue,
in prudence there is self-control, in self-control there is patience, in patience there is godliness,
in godliness there is brotherly love, in brotherly love there is love.

If this is in you and multiplies, then you will not remain without success and fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And whoever does not have this is blind, has closed his eyes, and has forgotten about the cleansing of his previous sins.

Therefore, brethren, strive more and more to make your calling and election firm; By doing this, you will never stumble, for in this way a free entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be opened for you.”

(2 Peter 1:3-11)

Peter makes it clear that God provides everything we need to live righteously, including strength, precious promises, and spiritual and moral guidance. But He does not turn us into soulless dolls that move only according to His will.

For our part, we must make “every effort” to form a harmoniously developed Christian personality.

How does Divine Providence manifest itself?

The monk of the scheme, Giuseppe di Vatopedi, points out that although nothing can cancel the Providence of God, depending on the deception of the forces of evil, the place, the situation and the time, changes in the way of functioning or actions are possible. Providence is carried out by the will of God and manifests itself as:

The good will, that is, what the Lord wants (1 Tim. 2:4).
The construction of houses will happen when the Lord surrenders to people due to human weakness.
The desire to obey when God interferes with the mind (Proverbs 3:12).
Abandonment of God (redemption). If a person stubbornly does not repent, then the Lord leaves him. Since a person has personal free will, he is responsible for his life and the final choice always remains with him.

Everything belongs to the Lord: the good, the painful and the unworthy. But the first is by free will, the second by economy, and the last by permission (Monk Ephraim the Syrian).

Saint John of Tobolsk writes that for his salvation a person needs to work. If a person is lazy, then God will not save him. The Lord helps a person to move into eternal life. “No human zeal can keep him alive without the help of God; but God’s help without human will will not bring any benefit: we see examples of it in Peter and Jude.”

About God-seeking

God-seeking means a person’s desire to be in unity with God, to have close communication with Him. This can be achieved through accurate knowledge of the Creator, joining the Christian Church , repentance and observance of God's commandments.

Photo by Alina Shadrina

By doing this, a person becomes an accomplice in the fulfillment of God’s plan and already today joins eternal life (on a spiritual and moral level).

About spiritual laws that operate in our lives, whether we like it or not

God has designed our world in such a way that its well-being depends on obedience to spiritual laws.

If a person shows pride, sooner or later he will become the cause of suffering for others and will suffer himself. Arrogant people sacrifice love for others and actively feed their ego. For the sake of personal fame, prestige and power, they easily step over others, insult their feelings, show indifference to other people's needs and even cruelty.

It is not surprising that sooner or later the proud remain completely alone. Such people cannot be good parents, friends and mentors. In addition, in the absence of repentance, their relationship with God collapses.

“We accept the inevitable fate (or fate) (εἱμαρμένην) in the fact that those who choose good will be given a worthy reward, just as those who choose the opposite will be given appropriate punishments.”

Justin Martyr

Section 3. About God the Provider of the World

This issue must be considered from many perspectives. First of all, in relation to the soul, to the body, to the external well-being of a person, there are a lot of such consequences.

Sin itself is some action of a person after he has chosen something with his free will. This action began its life in this world, because any of our actions in this world has its consequence, this consequence has its consequences, etc. If at first we can talk about free will as the beginning of a certain cause-and-effect series, then this series no longer depends on a person, but becomes a fetter in his life, and not only in his life, but also in his descendants. This law is true. Any sin has a consequence, like any virtue. Sin immediately carries within itself the punishment for sin, which is why we distinguish it from virtue. But it's not only that. There is also a positive side (positive in the sense of punishment given from God) - in addition to the fact that there is one’s own punishment, there is also the wrath of God in relation to sin. Therefore, we can talk about two sides of sin: it produces bad consequences in itself and alienates a person from God. And thereby a person is exposed to the wrath of God. And being exposed to the wrath of God, he is also subject to punishment. But God is love, so this punishment is always such that the person returns. There is no complete rejection of man here - the Lord helps man as much as he can.

What happened after man desired to become God?

1. A crack has occurred - man, as it were, has cut himself off from God, deprived of the main thing - Divine life, because there can be no communication between righteousness and lawlessness (or light to darkness, as it says in 2 Cor. 6:14). A person dooms himself to spiritual death. As it was said in the book of Genesis (2:16) - “If you take away a day from it, you will surely die.” If we remember the Acts of Sts. Apostles, it says about God that “in Him we live, and move, and are.” Indeed, we live by God, and having separated ourselves from Him, we thereby die every time we turn away from Him.

Basil the Great: “Just as it is impossible for a body to live without taking a breath, so it is impossible for a soul to live without God.”

2. Damage to the spiritual nature of man has occurred. Rome. 7:18-23 – “For I know that what is good does not live in me, that is, in my flesh, for I am willing to do it, but I do not find it to do good. It’s not because I want good that I do it, but because I don’t want evil, I do it. If I don’t want to, I do this; it is no longer I who do this, but sin that lives within me. For I have found the law, that I will do good, for evil is present unto me. I take delight in the law of God according to the inner man. But I see another law in my hearts, warring against the law of my mind, and taking me captive by the law of sin which is in my hearts.”

So damage to the spiritual nature consists in the fact that a person becomes discordant within himself. He cannot do what he wants, and even when he wants to do good (“I don’t do the good that I want, but I do the evil that I don’t want”). This discord is damage to the spiritual nature in a person, when a person finds in his actions not the law of his heart, which strives for good, but another law, which is ap. Paul calls it “the law of the members of men.” This has often been interpreted as an opposition between soul and body. We can also talk about it, because such discord, indeed, runs through a person’s entire life: this is discord in the soul, discord in the body, discord between soul and body - all this is a consequence of sin.

3. The powers of the human soul have been damaged. For example, we see damage to the mind immediately. On the one hand, Adam has a clear mind: when God brings animals to him, he gives them names; he understands what it means to maintain and cultivate the Garden of Eden. But immediately after the Fall (apparently, the catastrophe was terrible), the confusion of the ancestors was great, and they began to look for somewhere to hide from God. We observe this terrible moment immediately, although Adam understood perfectly well that it was impossible to hide from the Omniscient God.

Immediately there appears what in church language is called carnal wisdom, and in philosophical language - sophistry. In this case, this was expressed in the fact that Adam blames Eve, and she blames the serpent. Justifying your actions - I am weak, but this and that affected me - this is carnal wisdom.

Ap. Paul is talking about natural people, physical people and spiritual people. Where does this division come from? A person does not simply cease to know God. A spiritual person (in the terminology of St. Paul) is one who strives for God, strives to know God, and acquires some knowledge. A spiritual person is one who ceases to be interested in God; he is interested in the world around him in order to use it in some way for his own purposes. This is knowledge of the world, interest in those things that are in the world, for one or another earthly purpose. This refers to the condition of carnal man. A corporeal person is a seemingly irreversible state, when a person has only base interests. Then this is a carnal man, and for him, as it were, much is lost.

4. Damage to the human mind has occurred, and this can still be seen, it is so difficult now to know anything, how much effort must be spent on that knowledge that would be easily given in a state of innocence. After all, since it is given to a person to rule this world, then there must be knowledge of this world. Understanding the kingdom in which you live. A person achieves this with great difficulty and with great obstacles.

1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, because he considers them foolishness and cannot understand them, because they must be judged spiritually.” The thought here is very serious; the spiritual can only be seen with the spiritual eye. If you take our newspapers, where they talk about serious things, about the spiritual life of the Church, then sometimes you are simply amazed at what they write there. We talk about the sanctification of a person, and they understand this in the sense of social service. Or worse. Such a misunderstanding, of course, suggests that a spiritual person can understand a spiritual person; the opposite, unfortunately, does not work, and this is clear from the elementary examples that I gave.

One of the examples that is often given is that preaching about Christ crucified is a temptation for Jews, but madness for Greeks. We can easily understand why the Jews found this seductive and the Greeks madness. The reverse seems impossible to understand.

5. There was a breakdown of the will. First of all, in the field of moral freedom. The Orthodox Confession of Faith says: “The will has bowed more to evil than to good.” Revelation often speaks of slavery to sin, of man losing his freedom and becoming a slave to sin. In. 8:34 – “Create sin, the slave of sin.” Or Romans 7:19 – “The good that I want I do not do, but the evil that I do not want I do.” Ibid., art. 21: “Therefore I find it a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me.”

By the way, this is where the Gospel demands that effort is needed to acquire the Kingdom of Heaven. Mf. 11:13 – “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and those who use force take it.” So the effort to rise above everyday life, and with great difficulty, is the necessary day of a person’s will. When you gain spirituality, you gain freedom (“Know the truth, and the truth will set you free”). But this requires great effort - much greater than when you were in the truth and could cognize all its shades.

6. Heart damage has occurred. Both unclean desires and sinful inclinations are the state of the human heart. Everything lies in it. This is our attachment to some things that are bad for us. Mf. 15:19 – “From the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, blasphemy.” There is a discord in human feelings when some feelings take precedence over others. Gal. 5:17 – “For the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They oppose each other, so you don’t do what you would like.” This text does not speak about the struggle of the spirit with the flesh, but rather about the discord in every person. And the person remains in place. More briefly, all this can be expressed this way: the image of God in man is damaged. It does not disappear, but is damaged thoroughly.

A small paragraph from the “Epistle of the Eastern Patriarchs” - “We believe that man, who fell through a crime, became like dumb beasts, that is, he became darkened and lost perfection and dispassion, but did not lose the nature and power that he received from the Most Good God, for otherwise would become unreasonable and, therefore, not human. But he has the nature with which he was created, and a natural force that is free, living, active, so that by nature he can choose and do good, run away and turn away from evil.” That is, even in a fallen state, a person remains free to do good. The image of God remains in a person even when he falls into fiery Gehenna. A person is deprived only of God-likeness.

Misconceptions

Some people reflecting on the Providence of God came to the following WRONG conclusions :

Even before our birth, the Creator destined a person’s entire life, including even his future fate in eternity (paradise or Gehenna) ( John Calvin) .
God experiences sadistic pleasure in watching our suffering, because he himself is not far from Satan.
God and the devil are two siblings, equal in age and power. Therefore, despite all the nobility, God cannot defeat evil. This is the theory of Manichaeism .
God is an eternal loser. Our civilization is far from the first of those that, under His sensitive leadership, has suffered a crushing fiasco.

All such theories are designed to help the human psyche adapt to cruel reality. But the Bible shows that God suffers with us, he is omnipotent and will easily crush Satan, his wisdom is immeasurable.

The Fall of Dennitsa, icon.

It may seem that God is not succeeding. But even the most educated of us are like an ant crawling around a giant painting in the Hermitage and trying to imagine the whole image from its small fragment. God sees the canvas as a whole on the scale of the Universe and from the position of eternity.

“...If you want to know: why does the life of a sinner continue, while the days of the coming of the righteous are shortened? Why does the unjust prosper and the righteous be oppressed? Why is the boy taken away by death before he has reached the age of perfection? Why war? Why shipwrecks, earthquakes, droughts, excessive rain? Why were things created that are harmful to people? Why is one a slave and the other free?

One is rich, the other is poor? There is even a lot of difference between both those who sin and those who succeed in virtue: some are sold to the owner of an indecent house and, involuntarily, live in sin; and the other was given to a good mistress from an early age and brought up in the rules of chastity: why was the latter favored, and the former condemned? And what is everyone’s reward from the Judge?

When all this comes to your mind, consider that the destinies of God are an abyss (Ps. 35:7) and, being contained in Divine treasures, are not comprehensible to everyone. But to the believer a promise is given from God: And I will give you the treasures kept in darkness and the hidden riches (Isa. 45:3). Therefore, when we are worthy of knowledge face to face, then we will see the deeps in the treasures of God.”

Basil the Great

God preserves and guides the world

But there are believers who believe that God created the world, established the laws of nature and left his creation. I have heard opinions that God does not participate in people’s lives, but watches us from the outside, without interfering in the course of history.

It turns out that God is like a watchmaker, who made a clock, wound it, and it continues to tick. The only problem is that the watch often breaks. And if the Lord does not preserve and govern the world, then we are in greater danger than we think.

After all, the laws of nature may one day get out of control. The sun may explode, and we will be left without light and heat, as if the lights in our house are turned off. But without sunlight we will freeze and die. The Earth may collide with meteorites or other disasters will occur. We all managed to watch films about Armageddon, and we have enough fantasies about this.

If this is true, then God is like the Creator who gave birth to the world and pushed it to move like a ball. And he continues to roll towards a goal unknown to him. But the Lord not only began the movement of the universes, but also continues to direct their course.

If the earth revolves around the sun only because the Creator once directed it, but does not support further movement. Then tomorrow she may stop like a broken down car in the middle of the road.

The doctrine of Divine direction teaches us that the Divine hand directs everything in this world. God preserves every object: planets, plants, animals and people. And he manages everything as a sovereign master in his house.

It is said that God created everything with His Word. And He continues to hold everything that exists by His Word.

Hebrews 1:3 says of Christ, “…Upholding all things by the Word of His power.”

The Greek word translated here as “to hold” is the word φέρω, “to carry.” It does not simply mean “to hold” or “to support.” It has the meaning of active, authoritative control over a thing being transferred from place to place. Jesus “continually carries all things” into the world by the Word of His power. Christ is effectively involved in the work of providence.

Our idea of God will be too far from reality if we assume that his creative act did not last long and was finally completed after the creation of the world. This is what the pagans and the ignorant think; we must certainly dissociate ourselves from them and declare that the creative power of God is invariably present in the world - in its present state, as at creation.
John Calvin

These principles can be seen in nature. On TV or on the Internet, you can now find out what the weather was like on this day: ten or twenty years ago. But you don’t even need to look far. I just looked: a year ago on this day it was -10, and today it’s +7 outside. This already shows that everything in nature does not happen all the time.

My mother likes to garden at her dacha in the summer. Plants potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes. But it differs from year to year. This year there were a lot of cucumbers, but last year there were almost none. Harvest and failure are not in our hands. Rain and sun are not in our control. We, of course, have learned to predict the weather. And in our city, during holidays and parades, they shoot from cannons at the clouds to disperse storm clouds. But this will definitely have little effect on the climate. God gives sun and rain, drought and abundance.

There is one humorous story about a certain clergyman. One day the priest was getting ready to go on vacation. A neighbor suggested that he water the lawn while he was away. “I thank you for your concern,” the priest replied, “but I have already taken other measures in this regard.” And then, after he left, the neighbor saw that the rain was pouring on the priest’s lawn, but not on the adjacent yards and plots.

The humorous fantasy novel by Yu. Firsanova has nothing to do with Orthodoxy

Writer Yulia Firsanova created a series of books “God's Providence by Contract”, in the plot of which the main character became a member of the team responsible for fulfilling the fate of the whole world. The team includes a healer-priestess, a wizard, a robber and other characters. The most interesting thing is that the devils are offering to work in the Council of Gods and receive a decent salary. Although the title of the books mentions the Providence of God, the plot has nothing to do with Orthodoxy.

You should not think that the author takes the position of one or another religious movement as a basis if he uses theological terms

The Church has nothing against writing. However, if the title or content of a book uses theological terms, you should not think that the author takes the position of one or another religious movement as a basis. For example, neither the Bible nor the Orthodox Church teach that devils (demons) are employees of the Heavenly Office. They are viewed as irreconcilable enemies of God and all that is good and bright in our world.

Instead of an epilogue

The Holy Scriptures, like the history of the development of human society, clearly show that God is not a puppet master, pulling us by the threads of fate to determine our every step. The Creator has endowed man with free will and kindly invites us to become His co-workers in creating the most grandiose project in the Universe - an eternal, perfect world built on love, holiness and justice.

And although God’s Providence in our days may seem to be a manifestation of elemental world forces, one day His will will be accomplished in a visible and comprehensive manner. Today, it allows you to make a conscious choice: to follow the path of sin, rejecting His loving guidance, and perish forever, or to confidently take the path of righteousness, despite all the upheavals of personal or world life, and inherit endless joy.

Victor Glebov

Alexey KLOKOV

Moscow

There are no random coincidences. Divine Providence in the history of mankind

This happened in England. One young man set out to take his own life using Anna Karenina’s method. Seeing the approaching train, and preparing to die, he heard the screeching of brakes. It turned out that some girl, for an unknown reason, pulled the stop valve. When asked: “Why?”, she replied: “Something told me that I should do this. And immediately! Another, already curious, case. Two related families, living in different parts of England and having not met for a long time, decided on the same day to go by car to visit each other. Somewhere in the middle of the road they met, their cars colliding. Perhaps any of us could talk about something similar: a dream that came true or some other strange coincidence. But there are also completely unusual cases that defy any reasonable interpretation. Many people know the name of Count Fyodor Ivanovich Tolstoy, nicknamed the American. One of the memoirs about him says: “He numbered 11 people killed by him in duels. He carefully wrote down the names of those killed in his synodik. He had 12 children. As they died, he crossed out from his synodik one name of the people he killed and put the word “quit” on the side.” Of the twelve children, one girl survived. In addition to examples from private life, there are many historical coincidences relating to entire states and peoples.

Thus, the Battle of Kulikovo is inextricably linked with the name of the Mother of God by many facts. For example, the date of the Battle of Kulikovo is September 8 (21), the Nativity of the Virgin Mary according to the church calendar, as well as the day of the autumn equinox. The icon of the Mother of God took part in the battle, which later received the nickname Donskoy, as did the Prince of Moscow Dmitry Ivanovich himself. In addition, a large review of the Russian army during its march from Moscow to the battle site took place on the day of the celebration of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Another interesting fact is this: the chronicler says that in the morning, before the start of the battle, there was “mist,” that is, fog, on the field. In Orthodox literature, the darkness or cloud from which the Sun of Truth, Christ, shone, is called the Mother of God. According to the teachings of the church, She says about herself in the Bible: “Like darkness covered the earth.” Allegorically speaking, when a cloud covers the earth, then all the animals are unharmed by the hunters. According to some historians, the morning fog allowed the Russian army to move forward unhindered and, without being subjected to enemy attacks, to occupy convenient positions. The day of the assassination of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II coincided with the day of the assassination of Andrei Bogolyubsky, the Russian prince who first came up with the idea of autocracy. In other words, the first and last autocrats died on the same day. In addition, the first Romanov on the Russian throne at the time of his election to the kingdom was in the Ipatiev Monastery, and the murder of the royal family took place in the Ipatiev house. It is no coincidence in the light of the events that took place in the life of Nicholas II that he was born on the day of remembrance of Job the Long-Suffering.

. How about “theirs”?

In American history, one of the most stunning examples is the list of coincidences associated with the lives of Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy: - They were elected to the presidency exactly one hundred years apart, in 1860 and 1960, respectively.

“Lincoln’s secretary’s name was Kennedy, and Kennedy’s secretary’s last name was Lincoln.” “Both were victims of assassination attempts, and all other US presidents died a natural death.” “Both were shot in the back of the head.”

— Kennedy was killed in a Lincoln car.

— Lincoln was succeeded as president by Andrew Johnson, born in 1808. Kennedy's next president was Lyndon Johnson, born in 1909. Since the official version of the assassination of Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald has staunch opponents, we will not mention a number of interesting coincidences regarding Oswald and Lincoln’s assassin, John Booth.

What does all of this mean?

Most people, including those who consider themselves to be thinkers, do not think about the reasons for such coincidences. Perhaps because it cannot be explained by common sense or science. The only explanation that science has been honored with is that, supposedly, from a statistical point of view, such coincidences are the norm, that for every coincidence there are many “mismatches.” In a word, discussions about the supernatural are unscientific, that is, they cannot be studied due to their inexplicability, and therefore are beyond the scope of her interests. That is, if something miraculous exists, you need to find a “reasonable explanation” for it or turn your back and ignore it. In the last century, synonyms for the word “unscientific” were “fictional,” “unverified,” and “nonsense.” However, there is one respected discipline, among whose representatives mentioning various “mystical” coincidences is not bad form. This is literary criticism. Apparently, from literary scholars, as well as from poets and writers - objects of literary criticism, bribes are fine. What to take from them? (We note in parentheses that, after all, there is something to take from them.) Everyone knows the critical age for poets, 37 years. There are many cases of them predicting their own death in poetry. What else do they predict besides this? For example, a revolution.

The year will come, Russia's black year,

When the crown of kings falls,

The mob will forget their former love for them,

And the food of many will be death and blood.

M. Yu. Lermontov

Alexander Blok wrote: “The Battle of Kulikovo belongs to symbolic events... Such events are destined to return. The solution to them is yet to come.” Should we believe him if he couldn’t always explain his own poems? Perhaps he didn't mean something specific? However, interesting comparisons are now being made between the Kulikovo and Stalingrad battles. In both cases, there is a river behind the Russian troops, the enemy’s surprise at the “madness of the Russians” who did not want to hide behind the Volga and Don, a critical situation in the center at the decisive moment of the battle, a sudden counterattack, the “international resonance” caused by them.

It must be said that not only some historians allow themselves to speak condescendingly about poets, but also vice versa: “In history I like phantasmagoria, forfeits, / Everything that historians are so ashamed of in it. /They want to put options on a rigid chain, / And she - on a ship and gives them right away - a hundred days” (A.S. Kushner).

And indeed, having freed history from supernatural “influences” in their monographs, historians immediately drive it into the framework of “iron logic,” entangle it in a chain of “natural” patterns they “identified,” and place it in the Procrustean bed of their theories. It seems that gentlemen who are prone to using terms like “religious fanaticism” themselves suffer from “pseudo-scientific fanaticism.” However, now the attitude towards such phenomena is beginning to change. Firstly, many are beginning to recognize that what is impossible in the ordinary mind does not mean non-existent. Secondly, historians are not shy about saying “I don’t know.” For example, Vadim Kozhinov answers the question this way: What prevented German troops from entering Moscow in 1941?

In the case when we admit that inexplicable coincidences in our lives are the same fact as natural phenomena, the next thought may be this: If we reject the randomness of such things and at the same time recognize that people themselves are not able to get along with each other like that life events, it remains to assert that someone else is doing it. Thus, we admit (or recognize) the existence of a person or persons who are more powerful than us and are able to take part in our lives, “interfering in the natural course of events.” (An interesting cliché: as if wars, revolutions and much more are natural, and not out of the ordinary events, as the ancient Greeks saw it during the era of the Trojan War. Either the gods suggest the right thoughts to their favorites, then they give spears at the right moment, then they find out relationships among themselves. Very fascinating ideas, the attitude towards which, however, one of the ancient thinkers expressed with the words “singers all lie”).

What about us?

In our country, unfortunately, it’s not as “cool” as in the Iliad: “Then God inspired the prince with an idea!”

When reading Russian chronicles, modern people skip over these passages as uninformative, meaningless “water” that contradicts common sense (it’s hard to say who called this sense common and why). Indeed, what is the use of such statements from a church chronicler? This is all “religious consciousness”, “church obscurantism”. (Another strange concept. The expression “rage in the dark” rather suggests a disco in a nightclub - the “next generation” twitching in convulsions of dance, alcohol, drugs and other benefits of civilization).

If there is condescending sympathy for a distant ancestor, another interpretation is possible: the chronicler, being a critically thinking individual like us, thus paid tribute to the “prevailing ideology at that time.” After all, he was an ideological worker, “with all that that implies...”. He had to spend such an expensive parchment on political mantras (like modern ones - “human rights”, “freedom of speech”, etc.) He, dear, would like to write the ancient Russian Kama Sutra for his distant descendants, but who would give it to him? Apparently, some comrades judged by themselves, inserting Marxist quotes into their texts in a similar manner. But there are advanced intellectuals who are capable of the so-called leap of faith: what if God is truly a living and interested participant in events?

Eureka! Such insights were typical of some representatives of the Russian intelligentsia at the beginning of the 20th century and during the decline of the USSR. Like, how can this be? They were looking for truth in Tibetan wisdom, European philosophy, and it was “over there”, right under our noses. And here you cannot resist the temptation to slightly kick your native intelligentsia, despite your own affiliation with it. Having jumped on the rake of all sorts of theories, having become intellectually omnivorous, these critically thinking individuals finally fall to their native source. Russophobes are turning into Russophiles. Having drunk, they, however, do not calm down and again, like the prodigal sons, hit all the hardest. It’s amazing what kind of throwing and somersaults this species is capable of. And at the same time he still considers himself the salt of the earth. And on what grounds? Salt is something that has some permanent properties. Maybe that’s why Blok’s surprise is so strong: “And you’re still the same - forest and field, / Yes, patterned cloth up to the eyebrows.”

It is interesting that many have reproached and reproach Russia for this immutability, its existence outside of history, its non-participation in “global trends.” Mostly advanced and progressive figures of the pro-Western democratic camp, lovers of change and reform. Let me give you this quote: “She is, in essence, beggarly poor... The herd, semi-animal existence of her peasantry is terribly poor in inner beauty, mercilessly degraded...”, his life “flowed outside of any history: it was repeated without any changes, like the existence of a beehive or ant heap." I think that those who do not agree with this point of view will be pleased that this is a quote from Trotsky’s writings and will be surprised at how consonant it is with the statements of “glamorous” figures. The myths about evolution and progress created in the 19th century are surprisingly persistent. Meanwhile, this constancy, equality with itself, unites Russia with God and the Orthodox Church, which in the West is called orthodox, i.e. orthodox. I note that at the level of human relationships, people love for their dissimilarity and constancy and do not make unfavorable comparisons with someone, which are followed by demands to change and become the same.

I remember the words of one Christian ascetic that it is much easier to please God than the world, since God is constant and always demands the same thing, while the world changes its demands all the time. How many people who served communism or other ideologies honestly and conscientiously experienced a terrible shock when what they served died, and not “in God,” but in some unknown way. Isn’t this the fate that soon awaits “democrats” and “human rights fighters” of all stripes, if, of course, there are among them those who do this out of conviction?

All the will of God.

Man proposes, but God disposes. Without God there is no way to the threshold. Are these truths so simple? A true believer, living in the same world as the one “devoid of prejudices,” sees this world completely differently.

Let us pay attention to the very origin of the words “fate” (God’s Court) and “chance”. Someone had to “happen”, collect these people and these objects in one place and time and judge them fairly. Only He who does not belong to them, who exists outside them, is capable of managing time and space in this way. And who could it be if not almighty God?

Of course, an indignant mind can boil, as in the famous song: Are we weak-willed puppets, pawns on whom nothing depends? Oddly enough, this reproach is misplaced. Such views are characteristic of the pagans of antiquity: All people and even gods are subject to the inexorable blind fate that gives no account to anyone, unable to change or correct anything. That is why the content of ancient myths is so tragic. The death of Theseus's father, Medea's revenge on Jason, Orpheus losing his Eurydice. What do you think of the most cheerful of the ancient Greek poets, Homer, who said the following words: it is better to be a dog on earth than a king in the kingdom of the dead? Here you have the “bright, cheerful” ancient world, contrasted with “gloomy Christianity”. And Plato, the father of philosophy, who said that the purpose of philosophy is to prepare for death?

Sometimes, after arguing with the most rigid and consistent atheists, you wonder: why do they hold on with such a tight grip? Is non-existence after death so dear to them? What use is it to them? They most likely don't think about it. As well as the fact that atheism is built on complete denial, without offering a single solution to the eternal questions: why are we here and what will happen after death. “The secrets of happiness and the grave” do not interest them. What are they interested in? Exclusively struggle with God. They seem to be reasonable people, but they can’t offer anything constructive.

The Orthodox Church teaches us that God cares about each of us and wants us all to be saved into Eternal Life, and therefore takes part in our earthly life. Moreover, He, through the angels and people chosen by Him, explains to people how and what He does and why. And even allows a person to decide his destiny together with Him. It is no coincidence that Orthodoxy can be called the only religion of love. The Gospel says so: God is Love.

How is God's Providence manifested in the history of mankind?

Its main event was the coming of God to earth. But why couldn't He come immediately after the fall of Adam and Eve? Why, according to Christian chronology, did humanity have to wait 5,500 years for the coming of the Savior? In order for God to become a man, a most pure and immaculate Virgin was needed, capable of carrying Him within herself. And during all this time, selection took place. Not the so-called “natural” (not controlled by anyone, Darwinian, the theory of which has long been criticized in the scientific world itself) but, so to speak, supernatural, controlled by God Himself. First, He chose and led through many trials a people into whom Christ was to be born, then from this people the tribe of David was chosen. David needed to become king of Israel. Then his descendants had to lose earthly power and come to terms with this, so that, finally, in one pious, but childless and, as a result, humiliated family (the absence of children in the family in those days was regarded as God's punishment, a consequence of sin), a daughter was born, who righteous parents dedicated to God.

It is also amazing that God makes us participants in our own salvation. Having endowed us with free will, He does not take it away, but gives us the freedom to choose between good and evil. According to the holy fathers, if Mary had not believed in what was about to happen and had not given her consent to it, God would not have become a man. And if God had not become man, then man could not have become god. Yes, exactly God, no less. This is how God’s Law explains to us the purpose of our earthly life.

The history of mankind is written down more than once and for all from beginning to end. It turns out that God can change his decisions, as happened in the case of Nineveh. When the prophet Jonah announced to its inhabitants that the city would perish for their sins, they repented and were forgiven. Does history know of at least one teaching that gives a person so much freedom, according to which so much depends on his words and actions? Believing that everything happens according to the will of God, a true Christian is not afraid of people, not afraid of life. When Anastasia Tsvetaeva was arrested by the NKVD for being a “paganist,” and the investigator threatened her: “We will rot you, send you to a place from which you cannot return,” she said: “You have nothing to do with it. God handed me over to you for my sins. And you can only send me to where the Lord sends me. You can do nothing to me except what God will do to me.” The result is 18 years of camps, return and almost a hundred years of life.

On the other hand, God sets limits to our knowledge of His will. In church literature one can find an amazing look at the so-called thirst for knowledge. It turns out that in knowledge the same moderation is necessary as in food. It turns out that slogans like “I want to know everything,” excellent erudition and similar things can be, let’s say, excessive, and therefore harmful.

Thus Christ does not satisfy the curiosity of his disciples regarding His Second Coming. “It’s not your place to know the times or the timing.”

Due to the limitations of our minds, we are not able to understand God's Providence.

One patristic legend tells about the journey of a hermit with an angel who took the form of a monk. The pious man who received them brought his son out to them for blessing. But the angel, instead of blessing the boy, to the horror of the father and the hermit, took his soul. After some time, the angel explained to the hermit that this was a reward to the boy’s father for his piety and kindness, since his son was supposed to grow up to be a terrible villain. It is no coincidence that the angel’s last words were these: “The judgment of God cannot be examined or experienced.”

What about evil?

It also acts in a person, taking advantage of his momentary relaxation. How many such actions does everyone have that they later feel ashamed of? And you yourself don’t understand why you did it. “The demon has led me astray,” they would have said in not so distant times.

But it can be much worse and more terrible. The man who pushed someone under the wheels of a train in the subway later admits to the complete absence of any motives for killing a complete stranger. Except for some “voices” that ordered him to do this!!!

Not long ago, the press published an interview with a “female phenomenon” who stopped eating food and supposedly managed without it. She also admitted that she hears voices that tell her what to do and even what to say to journalists. A certain percentage of patients in psychiatric hospitals do not have organic brain damage, and at the same time are characterized by inappropriate behavior. In ancient times, such people were called demoniac or possessed. Their will is completely suppressed. They are aware of the actions they are taking, but cannot stop themselves, even when the “voices” drive them to kill their own children. Speaking of obsession.

The expression “work like a man possessed” has long become a cliche. But is such obsession good? Very often this style of work is characteristic of so-called creative individuals. When the NKVD officers were transporting one priest to the Lubyanka, and the crater reached the monument to Mayakovsky, the priest, quoting the lines “Comrade Lenin, the work of hell / Has been done and is already being done,” noticed that the proletarian poet very definitely indicated the nature of the work. And at the same time, what is the higher authority to which he reports. Among great poets in their best works, not a single word is accidental. Please note that there is Mayakovsky through the eyes of Marina Tsvetaeva:

Above crosses and trumpets,

Baptized in fire and smoke,

Archangel heavy-footed.

Great for centuries, Vladimir.

The demonic prince is called the airy prince in Christian prayers. He and other evil spirits are in the sky, trying to block the path to heaven for the souls of the dead; this is their area above crosses and trumpets. Fire and smoke indicate a different area, but with the same inhabitants. The Archangel here is also one of these. God's messenger cannot tread heavily. If we open the poems of Marina Ivanovna herself from 1918-1922, we will see what they call her most “folklore things”. What kind of folklore is this? Witchcraft spells. In one of her diary entries, she, with her characteristic directness and frankness, says that she is possessed by demonic power. It is interesting that Nikolai Rubtsov told Lyudmila Derbina about her beloved Tsvetaeva, that she was a witch.

It is not through art alone that fallen spirits fascinate people. Now, when belief in the supernatural takes hold of a person’s consciousness, magicians, psychics, predictors - all those who were called sorcerers in the Middle Ages - appear on the stage (both literally and figuratively). An indicative case is described by one priest who came to Vanga. He brought with him a piece of the Holy Cross. As soon as he entered, the blind fortuneteller, surrounded by other people, immediately felt something was wrong. “Take it away,” she said immediately. Many people are afraid of the evil eye, witchcraft, and damage. Saint Anthony had a vision in which he was shown that evil, like a web, entangles the entire earth.

And yet the Church teaches us not to fear evil. No witchcraft can harm a baptized person, because he is protected by the Guardian Angel and God Himself, against whom the fallen angels are powerless to do anything. One should not be afraid of evil spirits also because fear is a sign of lack of faith, evidence that a person cannot rely on God’s Providence in his troubles. He turns even evil to our benefit. Here Tyutchev’s poem, familiar from childhood, about the struggle between spring and winter comes to mind. When winter throws a handful of snow into spring, the result is the opposite of what is desired:

Spring and grief are not enough.

I washed my face in the snow.

And it only became more beautiful

Against the enemy. Once again you are convinced that true poetry is not squiggles of meaning and “original images,” but something more, an indication of a higher reality that exists beyond the boundaries of this world and at the same time preserves this world and us in it.

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was the moment of the greatest triumph of evil on earth, but it turned out to be the greatest defeat for the enemies of mankind. The cross, an instrument of shameful execution, became the treasure, weapon and glory of all Christians. It is no coincidence that people who have true, simple faith have a bright and joyful attitude.

It is no coincidence that Christians of all times say: If God is with us, then who can be against us?

What if not with us?

That is, we are not with Him?

Any person with the slightest knowledge of football remembers the European Championship qualifying match between the Russian and Ukrainian national teams, held in Moscow in 1999, about the ridiculous goal against Russian Alexander Filimonov, which deprived the Russian team of a place in the play-offs. This goal “broke” the career of the goalkeeper himself, who until that moment had successfully defended the gates of the national team and Spartak Moscow, at that time the strongest club in the country. The Sport-Express newspaper reported that before the match they wanted to take the team to a priest. The only one who refused this was Filimonov.

History also knows more serious attempts to “cope without the Lord God.” In 1854, Saint Innocent arrived in Crimea with the Kasperovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, but the commander-in-chief of the land and naval forces in Crimea, Prince Menshikov, told the messenger of Bishop Innocent: “Tell the archbishop that he bothered the Queen of Heaven in vain, we can manage without Her.” The icon did not reach the defenders of Sevastopol.

Menshikov’s actions during the Crimean War caused and still cause a lot of criticism from military experts. His mediocrity as a military leader was “successfully” combined with lack of spirituality. It is interesting that both the French and English generals did not shine with talent. However, despite the heroic defense of Sevastopol, the European allies still won the war. To be fair, it should be said that the Russian army at that time lagged behind technically.

Let us note that Kutuzov, who defeated Napoleon, on the contrary, was distinguished not only by his professionalism, but also by his religiosity. And naval commander Ushakov, who had not lost a single battle, went into a monastery after his resignation and after his death was canonized by the Orthodox Church. Dmitry Donskoy, whose godfather was Metropolitan Alexy himself, but who, according to some sources, was not literate, knew very well the content of church services.

One can, of course, argue about what comes first here: a person’s wisdom leads him to faith or faith makes a person wise and “successful.” One could even argue that one is not connected to the other at all. And yet, it’s not without reason that people increasingly repeat this now common phrase: “If you want to change the circumstances around you, change yourself.” Everyone knows these lines:

The soul has awakened,

And then you appeared again...

But not everyone notices their paradox: first the “awakening of the soul,” and then “you appeared.” The famous literary critic and Pushkin scholar V. S. Nepomnyashchy explains the “strange logic of the poet” by the fact that for him “it is not the “internal” that depends on the “external”, not “being determines consciousness”, but on the contrary, “consciousness”, the state of the soul affects the external circumstances, transforms the life around us, changes existence... If there had been no “spiritual thirst”, the seraphim would not have appeared.

If Boris Godunov had listened to the voice of his conscience, the “scourge of God” - Grishka Otrepyev - would not have appeared. He goes on to say that, in his opinion, the tragedy of “Pushkin’s situations” lies in the fact that “the heroes put the relative and transitory in the place of the divine and absolute.”

To some extent, a person is like a child who, despite the advice and warnings of his parents, still does everything his own way, in order to eventually make sure that they were right after all. Parents patiently help their unlucky children out of the problems they create for themselves. It is no coincidence that the Christian prayer, known even to non-Christians, is called “Our Father.”

In God's Providence for us, God's love for humanity and His mercy and patience are embodied.

According to one of the holy fathers, God did most of what was necessary to save man. And we only have to take one small, but independent step.

Published in the magazine “RUNNING”, No. 9
Number of views: 2,034

Real stories: examples from life

The providence of God in my life (Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov)

“As a child, I suffered dangerously from pneumonia. My mother made a vow to God: if I remain alive, then she will go with me on a thanksgiving pilgrimage to St. Mitrofan of Voronezh. And, thank God, he recovered...

I was probably a year and a half or two years old at the time. But my mother told my sister about the end of this pilgrimage (she still lives near Moscow, a widow). And she - to me, only two years ago.

Mother stood in the church of St. Mitrofan. A monk watchman walked past her. I, a baby, was spinning around (and maybe even standing decorously) next to my mother. He must have blessed us, but said about me: “He will be a saint!”

And my mother never told me about this. And before her death, she bequeathed to put my photograph (transferred by the same sister) in the coffin.

May she rest in heaven! And to this unknown old man!

And so it came true - thank God.”

Priest Sergius Ivanov (St. George's Church in Vitebsk)

“Analyzing my life, I can say that the evidence of God’s Providence in my life is my wound, thanks to which I did not drink myself to death. If this were not in my life, I would definitely drink myself to death. Towards the end of the service I was wounded. I spent time in the hospital, was discharged and then went home for demobilization. While everything was fine, we drank and partied to the fullest. I am from Afghanistan - a hero! Cheerful companies. Lots of acquaintances. And this thing went on and on. The consequences of the injury have not yet affected. Doctors said that such a lifestyle cannot be led. Definitely, for me this is God’s providence! That’s the only reason I became what I am now.”

The combine operator's story

“I work on a farm as a combine operator. On July 23, 2008, as usual, I went to work - I needed to remove the front wheel on the Don 1500B combine, because the inner tube was punctured.

I did this as usual, observing all safety rules, just as I had done this more than a dozen times.

My assistant crawled under the combine to jack it up and lift it, but he couldn’t do it for a long time.

Then I climbed from the front, moved the jack to another place to intercept it, but when I began to lower it onto the log, the combine rolled back, slid off the log (the air was almost out of the tire) and crushed me to the ground.

I was on all fours, and the inclined camera was on my torso in the pelvic area, and naturally I could not free myself. The combine continued to descend with a crash as the rest of the air left the tire, and the hydraulic cylinder for lifting the header bent.

The log twisted and ended up just under the hydraulic cylinder.

The time in which I was pinned seemed like an eternity, the impact of my face on the pry bar that stuck out in the jack bent my teeth and cut my beard, but that was nothing compared to my back.

I want to appeal to everyone who serves the Lord, who loves Him with all their hearts: “Brothers and sisters, God gave us this life, it is so short that it is unreasonable to live it in idleness, without a strong need for close communication with Him. We must stand in the gap, pray for each other, for ourselves when we can.”

I’m just sharing my experiences, we all, including me, pray when we get up in the morning, we ask for blessings for the coming day, I have the habit of praying when I get behind the wheel of a car, even when I’m just driving the car out of the garage - I pray, so that the Lord would protect me and guide my actions.

But at that moment when I was crushed (the weight of the combine was 13 tons), I perfectly understood that I could not utter a word, only the word sounded inside: “Lord!”

It felt like all my insides had spilled out onto the ground. Everyone was fussing around, wanting to somehow free me, but it was impossible. Someone shouted to bring the coons in and lift them up.

I wanted to say that it was useless, because it has a load capacity of only 800 kg, and here it is 13 tons, but I could not speak. I didn’t lose consciousness from the pain, my brain was working clearly, and suddenly I realized what our life is - for a moment we are alive, and the next moment we are no longer on this earth.

And in those moments it became clear to me that the end was coming, since soon the combine would crush me completely.

One guy ran up, grabbed my left leg, which was bent under me, and tried to pull it out so that I could straighten up. I want to tell him: “You’re doing the right thing, continue!”, but nothing worked for him, and I realized that this was the end.

But then he resisted and pulled with all his might again and stretched his leg, after which I turned over and found myself on my back.

At that moment, the combine fell even lower, bending the hydraulic cylinder into an arc, and I instantly realized that there was a Guardian Angel in that place who supported the combine so that it would not crush me.

God bless!

I was quickly loaded into a car and taken to the hospital. First of all, they sent me for an x-ray, and what a surprise everyone was when they saw that the spine was intact, and an ultrasound showed that the insides were also intact.

The doctors said that I was born under a lucky star, and I replied that I really was born under a lucky star, which is Jesus Christ. Glory, honor, praise and gratitude to Him forever and ever.

Only words of gratitude and praise constantly come from my lips. It is a great happiness to realize that you are a child of God and serve the Lord.”

About fate, fate and God's providence

Is there fate, fate, some kind of fate - something that a person cannot avoid? Those. “What is to be, cannot be avoided,” as the people say... And how, from a Christian point of view, can one answer this question: “Is there something in the life of every person that he cannot escape?”

I have been looking for this lecture by A.I., whom I deeply respect, for a long time. Osipova. I wrote down the main points for long-term memory... Of course, you need to watch the whole lecture, it’s very interesting! But still, my conclusion and main idea is this: The way we feel, think, talk, act in life plays a major role in shaping the living conditions in which we find ourselves! Or in which we will come thanks to God’s providence... And God’s providence is nothing more than the hand of the Lord, which leads us to salvation, despite even those terrible living conditions that we have chosen for ourselves... So it’s not “what should be, that cannot be avoided,” but “no matter what is done, everything is for the better!”

4.40- ….. Synergy is duality, i.e. merging the will of God with the will of man. God does not save a person without himself. And man himself, without God, cannot be saved. "God cannot save us without us"

19.17- Our destiny is largely determined by our inner world. Thought is the rudder that turns our entire ship. With our thoughts we can decisively change our life, our destiny! With every dirty thought we inflict a wound on the soul, an inflammatory process begins, which will lead to no one knows where else... And then all this determines our future life situation. We create the prerequisites for our outer life...

24.50- Even under the same external circumstances, each person feels differently... With the right attitude of a person towards himself, he can experience a difficult everyday situation quite easily, but with the wrong one, in the most difficult way. So, the Providence of God is such an action of God that puts a person, according to his internal state, in the most optimal external conditions under which he can know himself and make a choice.

27.18. Human. turn to yourself!..Everything that happens to us is nothing else. like the voice of God calling “look at yourself, what are you doing, how are you living? And make a choice - will you continue or repent?” Hence the conclusion: “Every person at any given time is in the best conditions from the point of view of salvation.”

30.16. All people are in equal conditions: it doesn’t matter where - in a gang of robbers or a monastery! But these conditions lead to one thing - to a person’s turning to himself and to his salvation!

37.53. No one will be saved by external exploits if he does not see all his unworthiness before the All-Seeing God, and if he does not come to ever greater generosity, mercy and love for EVERY person, regardless of who he is - an atheist, Hare Krishna or atheist, etc.... The measure of spiritual success and love is known by the measure of humility and love! There is no truth where there is no love!

43. 13.

They say that all people are equal before death - the sage, the homeless, and the king... In Christianity there is a different equality!
All people are equal!
Equal in that everyone is a bearer of the image of God!
Therefore, the Lord warns, “ Do not despise one of these little ones
!” Those. Do not despise anyone, because perhaps you will soon see that he will be immeasurably higher than you! We are not equal before death. and in the dignity of being sons of God! EVERY person has a chance to be worthy of God! But we cannot know who has this chance! And who will end up above us THERE, we cannot know!

Well, a little about God-thinking:

Main idea: “Nothing in this world happens by chance...From the Christian point of view. there are no coincidences in the world. Everything is conditioned. All providential actions of God are determined by the state of my soul. Everything that happens to me is the most useful
for me from the point of view of eternity and salvation.”
We must constantly reason. There is no virtue without reasoning! Where there is no reasoning, there is a huge danger that we can take a wrong turn. Prayer is good, but without reasoning it can become a weapon of death. as well as fasting and other feats. “You see a young man flying into the sky, pull him to the ground by his feet. If you see him flying into the underworld, pull him to the ground by his feet.”

Proverbs

1

“There was a drought in one city. Summer was in full swing, and the city priest called everyone to the temple in the morning to pray for rain. The whole city came, and the whole city laughed at one child - the child came with an umbrella. Everyone laughed and said:

- Fool, why did you bring an umbrella? You'll lose, there's no rain.

“I thought that if you prayed, it would rain,” answered the child.”

2

“One man who survived a shipwreck was thrown by a wave onto a small uninhabited island.

He was the only one left alive and now constantly prayed for God to save him. Every day he peered into the horizon in search of a ship approaching to help.

Finally exhausted, the man decided to build a small hut from floating logs to protect himself from the rain and wild animals.

But one day, returning home after a hike in search of food, he found his hut shrouded in flames: the smoke rose in a column to the sky. The worst thing was that all his supplies were lost and he was left with nothing at all.

Now the man could not contain his despair and anger.

- God, how could you do this to me? - he shouted, sobbing.

Early the next morning he was awakened by the whistle of a ship approaching the shore. The ship came to save him.

- But how did you know that I was here? - the man asked the sailors.

“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

Remember, man: the next time your little hut burns down, it could be a smoke signal sent by God to save you.”

Divine Providence1

Throughout our entire life, we must often repeat the saying of the royal Prophet: “Your righteousness, O Lord, is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are a great deep” (Ps. 35:7). Two biblical honorary servants of the Egyptian Pharaoh point to this abyss, as if with a finger: the butler and the baker. Both are servants of the same king, both fell out of favor with him, both were put under arrest and imprisoned for grave guilt, the king laid his wrath on both, and he remembered both of them during the court feast, he could have pardoned both if it would have pleased the truth of God, or both would have been condemned to death if they were equally guilty; however, he condemned one to dishonorable execution, and returned his mercy to the other and placed him in his former place of service: he ordered the baker to be hanged, giving him food to the ravenous crows, and he ordered the butler to remain in his former position - to stand at the royal table. These are the destinies of God, some He, by His righteous judgment, removes from His face, others He deigns to see in His great mercy. “And who can search out His great works? Who can measure the power of His greatness? and who can... utter His mercy?” - says the son of Sirach (Sir.XVIII, 3, 4).

How hidden and incomprehensible are the destinies of God about Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and about Pharaoh, “who did not know Joseph” (Ex. 1:8)! Bl. rightly said about them. Augustine: “One (Nebuchadnezzar) was punished by God for his countless wickedness, and through this he was brought to saving and very useful repentance (self-correction). On the contrary, Pharaoh became embittered, despite the executions of God, neglected them, and died in the Red Sea with all his army, both of them were people: both pagan kings, both were punished.” Why did they get different endings? – One understood the punishing hand of God, repented and corrected his behavior; the other did not obey the will of God announced to him, remained in his sinful stubbornness - and died.

Here is another example of the incomprehensibility of God’s judgment: one of the best kings of Judah was Asa, who did good before God and strengthened his kingdom, overthrew idols throughout the entire land of Judea, destroyed idolatry, this filth of the first kings in the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, destroyed the worship of high places and oak forests However, this glorious king, who reigned commendably for a long time, who was an example of a pious king for thirty years, at the end of his reign lost his first glory, changing for the worse. He imprisoned the prophet Ananias, who accused him of bad deeds, executed many innocent citizens, and finally, having terribly ached his legs, did not turn to God with repentance for his sins and with prayer for his healing, but resorted only to doctors. Oh, how he has changed for the worse, how different his last deeds are from his first! Initially, the king of righteousness became a arrogant disobedient to the will of God, announced to him through the prophet (2 Chron. XV-16). - On the contrary, the most lawless and wicked Manasseh throughout his life, who brought the Jewish people to such a degree of wickedness that they became worse than those nations that God destroyed from the presence of the children of Israel, recognized in his misfortune the hand of God weighing on him, turned to God, repented of his wickedness and received forgiveness and mercy of God (2 Chronicles XXXIII, 9). Oh my God! Your judgments are a great abyss, an abyss without measure!

Saul and David (the first kings of the people of Israel), how amazing they are to us in the difference of God’s judgment over them! Both of them were at first worthy of praise, both sinned gravely, causing temptation for the entire kingdom, both were subjected to grave punishments, but how these punishments had the opposite effect on them! Saul became hardened in his wickedness and died miserably; David turned punishment into medicine for himself, and turned out to be God's beloved chosen one. This is not the place to ask questions: why is this? and for what? Such questioning occurs due to the inspiration of the spirit of evil, and many have been disastrously destroyed. “What, did God truly say: Do not eat the fruit of any tree in the Garden of Eden?” - the most cunning of all animals once asked his wife (Eve) (Genesis III, 1). To this question, Eve should have answered the evil beast: “We know that God commanded us not to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil alone, but why and for what purpose He commanded this - we should not ask God.” His holy will was so pleasing, but we cannot test the reasons for such His will: “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who was His adviser? Or who gave Him in advance that He should repay? For all things (that exist) are from Him, by Him and to Him” (Rom. XI, 34-36). I think there will be those who argue that it is not forbidden to sometimes ask about the reason for this or that commandment. - Who? Is it really with God, Who alone knows what is good or what is only permissible? If a servant from his master or a subordinate from his superior demands to explain to him the reason for any order or order, then the first will consider this an insult to himself, and the second – for rebellion and disobedience to himself, do you dare to be so insolent against God? There is no other reason for God's Providence besides His holy will.