The Frown of Providence

THE FROWN OF PROVIDENCE

A Theological Sermon on the Mysterious Mercy of God.

WHEN GOD’S FAVOUR DOESN’T FEEL LIKE FAVOUR

There are moments in the Christian life when God’s favour does not look like sunshine, open doors, or answered prayers. Sometimes His favour comes wrapped in difficulty, disappointment, or deep sorrow. Sometimes the hand that blesses also bruises. Sometimes the God who smiles also seems to frown.

This paradox is what I call “The Frown of Providence.” It is the mysterious reality that God—who is infinitely good—sometimes leads His beloved children through seasons that feel anything but good. Yet behind every frown, there is a Father’s heart. Behind every shadow, there is sovereign love.

William Cowper captured it perfectly:

“Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face.”

I. THE PARADOX OF DIVINE FAVOUR

1. Job — Favoured Yet Afflicted

Job was not suffering because he lacked God’s favour. He was suffering because he had it.

God Himself said to Satan:

“Have you considered my servant Job…?” (Job 1:8)

Job’s righteousness attracted divine commendation—and satanic attention. The result: a descent into grief so deep that Job could not rescue himself. He had to wait for God to restore him.

Lesson: God’s favour does not exempt us from suffering; sometimes it invites it.

2. David — A Man After God’s Heart, Yet Hunted

David was chosen, anointed, beloved. Yet his path was filled with:

• betrayal
• exile
• danger
• moral failure
• family turmoil
• public humiliation

The man after God’s own heart walked through valleys as deep as his mountaintops were high.

Lesson: The heart that beats for God is often shaped in the furnace of affliction.

II. THE TESTIMONY OF THE SAINTS

1. William Cowper — The Poet of Providence

Cowper battled depression and despair. Yet from his anguish came some of the church’s most profound hymns on trust and sovereignty.

His life embodied the truth he wrote: God’s providence may frown, but His love never does.

2. Lawrence Chewning — The Anchor Holds

In 1992, Chewning endured:

• the death of his father
• his wife’s severe health crisis
• a third miscarriage
• pastoral burnout
• months of depression

Yet it was in that “long dark night of the soul” that God proved His love to him. From that storm came the song “The Anchor Holds.”

Sometimes the most powerful ministry is born out of the deepest misery.

III. THE THEOLOGY OF PROVIDENCE

Drawing from Louis Berkhof, Scripture teaches that God’s providence includes:

1. Preservation — God Upholds All Things

God sustains the universe moment by moment.

“In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

“He upholds all things by the word of His power.” (Hebrews 1:3)

If God stopped sustaining creation for a millisecond, everything would collapse.

Application: Your life is not held together by luck, strength, or circumstance— but by God Himself.

2. Concurrence — God Works Through All Things

God works in and through:

• natural events
• human decisions
• even the actions of the wicked

Without ever being the author of sin.

Examples:

God withheld Abimelech from sinning (Genesis 20:6)

God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 4:21)

God stirred up nations (Isaiah 13:17)

Application: Nothing in your life is random. Nothing is outside His reach. Nothing is beyond His purpose.

3. Government — God Directs All Things to Their Appointed End

God is King over:

• the cosmos
• the nations
• the church
• your personal story

Even the “accidental” is under His rule:

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:33)

Application: Your pain is not pointless. Your tears are not wasted. Your story is not spiralling— it is being steered.

IV. MISCONCEPTIONS TO REJECT

1. Deism — God is Far Away

This false view says God created the world, wound it up, and walked away.

But Scripture says:

• He feeds the sparrows
• He numbers your hairs
• He bottles your tears
• He orders your steps

God is not distant. He is intimately involved.

2. Pantheism — God is Everything

This view erases the distinction between Creator and creation.

• But Scripture teaches:
• God is above creation
• God is distinct from creation
• God rules creation

He is near, but He is also sovereign.

V. PROVIDENCE AND MIRACLES

God normally works through natural means. But He is never bound by them.

Miracles are not violations of nature—they are expressions of God’s freedom.

If a man can throw a ball upward against gravity, how much more can God act above His own created order?

Application: God may deliver you through ordinary means—or extraordinary ones. But He is always the Deliverer.

VI. THE PASTORAL HEART OF THE MESSAGE

Here is the truth believers must hold:

God loves you and is at work in all your circumstances—even when His providence frowns.

This does not mean:

• every hardship will be removed
• every prayer will be answered as we wish
• every storm will cease immediately

But it does mean:

• God is present
• God is purposeful
• God is sovereign
• God is good

Even when life hurts.

VII. THE GOSPEL PATTERN — THE ULTIMATE FROWN

The greatest “frown of providence” in history was the cross.

• Darkness covered the land
• The Son of God suffered
• The Father seemed silent
• Evil appeared victorious

Yet behind that frown was the greatest smile of God:

• redemption
• reconciliation
• resurrection
• eternal life

The cross proves once and for all:

God’s darkest providence can produce His brightest glory.

CONCLUSION — TRUSTING THE GOD WHO SMILES BEHIND THE FROWN

When providence frowns:

Trust His heart

Lean into His sovereignty

Rest in His wisdom

Anchor yourself in His promises

Remember His past faithfulness

Look to the cross

The God who governs galaxies also governs your grief. The God who directs nations also directs your steps. The God who hides behind the frown also smiles with everlasting love.

The anchor holds— in spite of the storm.