Providence

The word 섭리 (攝理), “providence,” literally means “to control the truth.” Analyzing the character 리 (理), which means “truth,” we see that one element means “king” and the other element means “village.” When the king and the village are fully united, they represent the truth. In other words, truth appears when the subject and object come into force and create complete unity.

In the character 섭 (攝), which means “govern,” the left side means “hand,” or “skill,” and the right side shows three ears. Having two ears, a person can hear perfectly, but with three ears, a person would certainly be able to perceive information from everywhere. Such a person would be well-informed and knowledgeable. The upper ear could symbolize the ear of God, and the two lower ears, which are parallel to each other, could symbolize the ears of Adam and Eve. Thus, the control covers both the vertical and horizontal planes.

The Heavenly Parent worked tirelessly to save mankind through His providence. Though people have fallen, God has not abandoned them. He cannot save the world by sitting on the sidelines as a spectator and simply watching the torment of people on earth. That is why He took on the fallen world, as if all the pain mankind is experiencing, it is His pain. He interacts directly with humanity in the sea of human pain, taking responsibility for it. Without God’s direct intervention, there is no salvation for mankind. That is why God wrestles with humanity in the path of their sad and tragic history.

What is the hope of God, the head of providence, for the earthly world most of all? He wants to bring people born of fallen parents back to His side and tell them, “I am your eternal Parent, and you are my eternal sons and daughters.” The day when this happens is the historical hope of fallen humanity and the original hope of God.

The story of God’s providence is the story of the restoration of the original relationship between the Father and His sons and daughters.

God’s will was not done because of the sin of the first people. Therefore, the course of history and the course of providence unfolding to the present day was an attempt to correct the failure in the fulfillment of God’s will. To get Gods will be accomplished, it takes a man who is capable of doing it.

In our world, people are plunged into despair and wander back and forth aimlessly in an oppressive and terrifying environment. We must overcome this reality and take the opposite path from the descent to which all mankind has fallen. Otherwise, God’s providence of salvation will be compromised.

Providence develops in leaps and bounds, jumping from one stage to another, not as a gradual steady progression. So if you want to make a yearly or any other temporal plan of work for God’s providence, your plan will fail, and you will be far at the tail end. With that in mind, go forward in God’s will with a serious and responsible attitude. Constantly review your relationship with the Heavenly Parent to remain a minus to His plus. Take a proper position in providence and, as you move forward, try to meet providential deadlines. However, being able to sense the moment and act in time is an incredibly difficult task.