The First Article.
How My Heavenly Father Provides For Me And Guards My Life.
Which is the First Article of the Creed?
_I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth._
What does this mean?
_I believe that God has given me also clothing and shoes, meat and
drink, house and home, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my
goods; that He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to
support this body and life; that He defends me against all danger, and
guards and protects me from all evil._
1. In the First Article of our Christian faith we say: _"I believe in
God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth."_ This means, as we
have learned: _I believe that God has made me and has given me my body
and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses,
and still preserves them._ God generally does not preserve us by His
word and will alone, but through _earthly means._ In order to preserve
our life and body, we must eat and drink, have clothing, house and home,
etc. True, God could preserve us without these means. He is the
Almighty. He has done so at times. He preserved Moses' life for forty
days and nights without food and drink on Mount Sinai. Ex. 34,28. Jesus
twice, as you know, fed several thousand people with a few loaves of
bread and with a few fish. God can do so to-day, and He will do it if
His children are in need of it. But generally it pleases God to preserve
our body and life through outward means. _God preserves me by providing
me with all that I need to support my body and life._
2. I need many things to support my body and life. Our Catechism names
quite a number of them. In order to support our life, we must have _meat
and drink._ We must have _clothing and shoes, house and home_ to protect
our bodies from sunshine and rain. True, you have not everything that
is named in our Catechism; but all these things are necessary to
preserve our lives, and somebody must have them. The farmer must have
_fields_ and _cattle_ to provide for his life and for the lives of many
other people. _All my goods,_ all that I need and have, clothing and
shoes, meat and drink house and home, father and mother, brothers and
sisters, were given me _by God, my heavenly Father. "The eyes of all
wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due season Thou
openest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing."_
Ps. 145,15.16.
3. God provides me with all that I need to support my life. God
generally does it through _the work of our hands._ He can do it without
our work, or labor, and at times has done so. Remember how God gave
manna from heaven to the children of Israel when they were in the
desert. Deut. 8,3.4. Remember how He fed His prophet Elijah during the
famine by sending the ravens to bring him his daily bread. 1 Kings 17.
God can do the same thing to-day, and He certainly will do so whenever
His children are in need of it. _"Cast all your care upon Him; for He
careth for you."_ 1 Pet. 5,7. As a rule, however, God wants us to work
diligently and carefully to save what we earn. But still it is _God_
that provides for us. He gives us strength and health for our work. He
blesses our labors. Without His blessing all our labor would be in vain.
_"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."_
Ps. 127,1.
4. God provides me with all that I need for my life and body, and He
does so _richly and daily._ God provides me _richly._ I have a rich
Father. He is the Maker of heaven and earth. Everything belongs to Him.
Out of His abundance He gives us richly all that we need, and often more
than we need. He gives us daily, that is, He never tires of giving.
Every morning He begins anew to bless us by giving us our daily bread.
5. One thing more is needed to preserve us. Our life and our body are in
constant danger. But a child of God confesses: _"He defends me against
all danger, and guard and protects me from all evil."_ Remember how He
defended the children of Israel against their enemies, the Egyptians, at
the Red Sea. Ex. 13.14. Remember how He guarded His Son, the
Christ-child, whom King Herod sought to kill. Matt. 2,13-15. So God
defends and guards all His children. _"There shall no evil befall thee,
neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."_ Ps. 91,10. True, also
children of God have to suffer, they have many troubles and misfortunes;
but their Father protects them in all these troubles, so that nothing
can really harm them, but that everything must work together for good to
them. Joseph in Egypt had to suffer much that was meant to do him harm,
being cast into prison; but God was with him and made everything turn
out for his welfare. He himself said to his brothers: _"Ye thought evil
against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this
day, to save much people alive."_ Gen. 50,20.--In protecting His
children from evil, God often uses His _angels,_ those holy spirits whom
He has created, and whom He sends out to minister to His children. By an
angel God protected Daniel in the den of the lions and the three men in
the fiery furnace. He sends His angels to protect us from evil. _"He
shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a
stone."_ Ps. 91, 11.12.