“God, the great Creator of all things, does uphold (Heb. 1:3), direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions and things (Job 38-41; Ps. 135:6; Dan. 4:34-35; Acts 17:25-28), from the greatest even to the least (Mt. 10:29-31), by his most wise and holy providence (Ps. 104:24; 145:17; Pr. 15:3), according to his infallible foreknowledge (Ps. 94:8-11; Acts 15:18), and the free and immutable counsel of his own will (Ps. 33:10-11; Eph. 1:11), to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness and mercy (Gen. 45:7; Ps. 145:7; Is. 63:14; Rom. 9:17; Eph. 3:10).” The doctrine of God’s providence is at once also a significant part of a biblical perspective on history. God both created history, and sustains it for his own purposeful end, seen most definitively in biblical redemptive history, which includes all the elements above and below (Heb. 1:2; 11:3).

“The Scriptures explicitly declare that such a providential control is exerted – (a) Over the physical world [a] In general. Job xxxvii. 6-13; Ps. civ. 14; cxxxv. 6, 7; cxlvii. 15-18. [b] Individual events in the natural world, however trivial. Matt. X.29. (b) Over fortuitous events. Job v.6; Prov. Xvi. 33. (c) Over brute creation. Ps. civ. 21-27; cxlvii. 9. (d) Over the general affairs of men. Job xii. 23; Isa. X. 12-15; Dan. Ii.21; iv. 25. (e) Over the circumstances of individuals. 1 Sam. Ii. 6-8; Prov. Xvi. 9; James iv. 13-15. (f) Over the free actions of men. Ex. Xii. 36; Ps. xxxiii. 14, 15; Prov. Xix. 21; xxi.1; Phil. Ii. 13. (g) Over the sinful actions of men. 2 Sam. Xvi. 10; Ps. lxxvi. 10; Acts iv. 27, 28. (h) Especially all that is good in man, in principle or action, is attributed to God’s constant gracious control. Phil. Ii. 13; iv. 13; 2 Cor. Xii. 9, 10; Eph. Ii. 10; Ps. cxix. 36; Gal. v. 22-25.” (Hodge, 94)