The Fundamental Christian View of Providence

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The fundamental stoic view of Providence states that God is in charge of somebody’s life. Individuals who believe in destiny and blind fate determining the journey and final course of one’s life would not be aligning themselves with the Stoic view of Providence. Providence also refers to foresight and forethought, these futuristic concepts connected to the religious realm. Under this view, all things unfold in accordance with the Lord’s divine plan.
Over the years, the stoic view of Providence has been expanded upon, certain philosophers offering their own insightful version of it. Cleanthes decided to write a poem about the concept, praising God as a kind being who designed the world on the basis of Providence. Later on in the 5th century B.C., Herodotus threw a slight twist into his interpretation of Providence, mentioning nature in it. He felt that divine providence was a type of wisdom that maintained a sense of equilibrium in the world by keeping one type of creature from dominating all other creatures.
The Christian view of Providence has some history in the Greek and Roman viewpoints. Christians based their view of Providence on the Old Testament, referring to how Abraham sacrificed his son Issac for God, Abraham believing that God had a greater purpose and would use the sacrifice for Abraham’s ultimate good. Christians also felt that God cared about the people in the world that he created, looking after their welfare.
The German book, Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart tries to explain Providence even further by stating, “God keeps the world in existence by his care, he rules and leads the world and mankind deliberately according to his purpose, and he does this in his omnipotence as God the Creator, in his goodne...

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... the world. Think about how much different the world would be if great authors such as Jules Verne decided not to pursue their callings. So many individuals would lose out on fascinating books that entertained readers all over the globe.
Having one’s outward actions match what is inside one’s mind and heart is one of the keys to a happy life. When moments of life get hard and challenging, it is also that sense of hope that keeps us going, giving us peace of mind that we are on the right track. In essence, hope, being true to oneself, and peace of mind all work together to create a good life for us. For some people, it is the sense of Providence, inspired by God that instills that hope and peace of mind. For others, it is the promise of the universe via destiny and fate that helps to keep that hope alive, peace of mind and a great life are the ultimate rewards.

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