Leaning Into Providence: Finding a Safe Place for Your Soul

Sometimes I feel alone in the struggle, but when I listen deep I sense a providence. A providence I can lean into.

It was the strangest thing I have experienced in a dog’s behaviour.

Our family once had a dog that leaned.

He would come alongside you, cross his legs, and lean his weight right into you.

He was quite a big dog, so whenever he did this, you would have to brace yourself to avoid toppling over. He would be completely comfortable and seemingly at home. I think his behaviour was his way of saying that he trusted us—that he felt safe and secure.

We had rescued him from the pound as a puppy, and I believe he had been mistreated in the past. Over time, with consistent love and care, he finally felt safe enough to “lean into” us. There was a providence extended towards him, and he responded beautifully to it.

Leaning Into Safety

I love that picture: leaning into a safe and reliable place. It brings a deep, quiet knowing that everything is going to be okay because of the absolute reliability of what you are leaning against.

Think of these other pictures of support:

The Infirm: An older person who has difficulty walking and relies completely on the steady arm of someone else—someone they can safely lean into.
The Child: A young child who has been hurt by the day’s events, snuggling in close to their parent to find the security they desperately need.

What is Providence?

Providence is not a very common word in our everyday language anymore. I reintroduced myself to it while listening to the biography of William Wilberforce by William Hague. Throughout his life story, the word “Providence” kept coming up over and over again.

Consider these powerful insights on how providence shapes a life:

“As in nature, so in grace. What comes very quickly forward rarely abides long. Those who believe must not make haste, but be content to go God’s pace and watch the leadings of his providence.” — John Thornton’s advice to William Wilberforce

What were evangelicalism’s defining attributes as adopted by Wilberforce? One was certainly an all-encompassing belief in the role of providence. God’s hand could be detected in events both great and small.

It was providence, he believed, that enabled him to win his seat in parliament by methods he would later find unacceptable, thus launching him into a political life when an earlier conversion might have kept him away from it.

If he escaped without injury from an accident—as he did when the lynchpin on his coach fell out—he saw providence at work. When Napoleon dominated Europe, Wilberforce considered him manifestly an instrument in the hands of providence, noting that when God is done with him, He will easily get rid of him.

That anything could happen entirely accidentally was completely alien to Wilberforce’s thinking. He abhorred the word “fortunate,” as if anything happens by mere chance.

A Diamond Facet of God

I love how cut diamonds have a brilliant sparkle. Light bounces off all the faces beautifully. A jeweler cuts facets into a once-raw stone, creating precise faces that burst with a spectrum of color when a beam of light passes through.

When I listen to people, I always want to understand how they view God. What is God like to them? How has their understanding of God’s nature been formed?

If you looked at a cut diamond and only focused on a single facet, would you have a true understanding of the whole diamond? Of course not. Instead, we need to look at the multiple other facets to enjoy and embrace the wholeness of who He is. We need a deep dive, not just a cursory look.

Too often, the only facet presented to us is the facet of justice and consequence. But what about the others?

The facet of mercy?
The facet of grace?
The facet of all-encompassing love?

The core of the diamond is, of course, love. Every action of God is built out of love, and every spectrum of activity that flows through Him is rainbow-promised in love (Genesis 9:13).

Personally, I want to lean up against the diamond facet wall of providence. I want to spend time there, feel the face, and see what new spectrums of light burst out from that focus.

The 40-Day Providence Challenge

Here is my challenge for you: For the next 40 days, spend some reflective time before going to bed journaling 10 distinct ways in which God has provided for you during the day.

This is not a generic “thank you” list or a standard “count your blessings” exercise. This is something much more intentional. I want you to actively fill out this exact sentence structure:

“I saw how God provided for me in my need for _______ by giving me ________.”

To help you get started, here are a few entries from my own journal:

I saw how God provided for me in my need for rest by giving me a comfortable seat and some time to be quiet.
I saw how God provided for me in my need for fellowship by having a neighbour drop by for a chat.
I saw how God provided for me in my need for work by a new client contacting me.
I saw how God provided for me in my need for nourishment by giving me fresh vegetables for dinner.
I saw how God provided for me in my need for sleep by giving me a comfortable, warm bed.
I saw how God provided for me in my need for learning by giving me insightful content to read.

Push yourself to find all ten each night. Forcing yourself to hit that number will require you to notice the less obvious, yet incredibly vital, movements of grace in your day.

Through this exercise, we build a profound awareness of the divine. We are actively training the brain to notice God at work in our daily lives.

I Lean Into

I lean
I lean into
I lean into a safe and secure place
In there I find providence grace

I lean into
Ancient of Days
Secure providence
Known in all my ways

You bid me come
See what I can do
Lean into my heart
There is a providence for you

Self made man
I want to be
But anxiety and fear
Haunt the child in me

I come back
Old ways have taken me away
I lean into
Help me never to stray

I lean into
I find a ‘me’ shaped nook
In this rock of providence
Living waters gentle brook

— Barry Pearman

Quotes to Consider

“Providence is wiser than you, and you may be confident it has suited all things better to your eternal good than you could do had you been left to your own option.” — John Flavel, The Mystery of Providence

“It would much conduce to the settlement of your heart, to consider that by fretting and discontent you do yourself more injury than all your afflictions could do. Your own discontent is that which arms your troubles with a sting; you make your burden heavy by struggling under it. Did you but lie quietly under the hand of God, your condition would be much more easy than it is.” — John Flavel, Keeping the Heart

“Providence is like a curious piece of tapestry made of a thousand shreds, which, single, appear useless, but put together, they represent a beautiful history to the eye.” — John Flavel, Keeping the Heart

“The Providence of God is like Hebrew words – it can be read only backwards.” — John Flavel

“If we were to understand how dear we are to God, our relation to Him, our value in His eyes, and how He protects us by His faithful promises and gracious presence, we would not tremble at every appearance of danger.” — John Flavel, Triumphing Over Sinful Fear

“One word of God can do more than ten thousand words of men to relieve a distressed soul.” — John Flavel, The Mystery of Providence

“Two things destroy the peace and tranquility of our lives; our bewailing past disappointments, or fearing future ones.” — John Flavel, The Mystery of Providence

“Every man loves the mercies of God, but a saint loves the God of his mercies. The mercies of God, as they are the fuel of a wicked man’s lusts, so they are fuel to maintain a good man’s love to God; not that their love to God is grounded upon these external benefits.” — John Flavel, The Mystery of Providence

“That which begins not with prayer, seldom winds up with comfort.” — John Flavel, The Mystery of Providence

Questions to Answer

If God is like a multifaceted diamond, which specific facet of God currently holds your heart’s attention?
How do concepts like “luck”, “fate”, or “karma” sit within your worldview compared to divine providence?
When life gets overwhelming, where do you instinctively lean? Into self-reliance, control, or something else?

Formation Exercise

Commit to the 40-day challenge by listing 10 providences at the conclusion of each day. What shifts do you begin to notice in your baseline levels of fear and anxiety as you maintain this practice?

Leaning into Providence