You’re right. When brethren typically speak about providence, they are talking about some behind the scenes, yet direct, involvement from God. Any talk about providence then becomes mere speculation and uncertainty based upon the premise that God is somehow directly involved in the manipulating of certain events, conditions, or situations still today.

The purpose of this article was to show what we can know about God’s providence. What has God provided? (Provide is the root of providence.) He has given instructions so that we might know what to do in any given situation. He has provided resources, supplying us with everything we need to serve Him and carry out our responsibilities in this life. And He has given us incentives through the blessings of doing right and the ultimate reward of heaven. These things we know. Yet when brethren speak of providence, they often want to speculate on any number of things.

Regarding prayer, there are many reasons why we pray. You mentioned two – asking for forgiveness and expressing thankfulness. We pray because we are told to pray. We pray that we might obtain the peace of God (Philippians 4:6-7). We also pray in order to help mold our will to God’s (Matthew 6:10). After all, any requests that might be granted are those that are according to His will (1 John 5:14-15), for His will will be done in all things.

Usually, when people talk of God’s providence, they’re talking about Him actively providing things which we need: Answering a prayer for healing, not by miracle, but by causing something to happen naturally. Or answering a prayer for rain by causing some weather pattern to change in some fashion that the rain will fall when otherwise it wouldn’t have. These actions would fall under the definition of providence, just as would the President ordering some action, or Congress funding some agency.

You hint that, perhaps, He does work this way, when you allude to the seven years of plenty in Joseph’s time, yet your paragraph on “Resources” implies that the work of providing has already been completed.

So the question is, do you believe that God is active in managing our world today? And if not, what is the purpose of prayer, other than to ask for forgiveness and to express thankfulness?

Thanks for your time.

-Alan