Why are you here? Out of all the things you could be doing or words you could be reading, why are you here right now? There are two answers to that question—coincidence and providence. This moment could be a coincidence. Totally random. Or it could be providence. It could be God’s plan working all things for your good. 

I’m not sure about your answer, but I am sure that people who strongly believe in providence end up with more praise and more peace. When life is good, you can praise the God who put you in this place for this purpose. And when life isn’t good, you can have peace: “There’s a reason I’m going through this. I don’t know it, but I believe it—God didn’t leave me.” The good stuff is better and the bad stuff is bearable when you believe in providence. 

That’s why I love what Paul said to some intellectuals in Athens: “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him” (Acts 17:26,27). Notice how deeply Paul believed in providence, proven by his belief that we are in this place (lands) in this time (in history) because God had a plan.

What a promise! You are here for a reason. Even if you can’t yet see it or don’t totally grasp it, your life is part of God’s plan. That’s providence.