Below are five real-life application questions drawn directly from Lesson 12: The Providence of God, each followed by a baseline answer grounded in the lesson’s biblical truths. These are designed to prompt honest reflection and discussion among men, not surface-level answers.
1. Where are you feeling pressure to make things work right now, and what does that reveal about your trust in God?
Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)
The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Baseline answer:
Most of us plan because we want security, not just wisdom. Scripture reminds us that while planning matters, God alone determines outcomes. Trusting God’s providence looks like doing what is right in front of us and then releasing the result to Him, especially when the stakes feel high.
2. What situation in your life feels frustrating or disappointing, and how does it change things to believe God is actively at work in it?
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Baseline answer:
Providence means our lives are not driven by chance or bad luck. God works intentionally through hardship, even when we cannot see the purpose yet. Like Joseph’s story and Romans 8:28 show, what feels painful or confusing now may be shaping something good God is still unfolding.
3. Is there a wrong done to you that you still carry, and what makes it hard to trust God with justice instead of holding onto resentment?
Genesis 50:20 (ESV)
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Baseline answer:
God never excuses sin or wrongdoing, and He never asks us to pretend evil is good. At the same time, Scripture shows that God can work through even sinful actions without being the author of them. Trusting God’s providence allows us to pursue accountability while releasing bitterness and leaving final justice in His hands.
4. How do political news and leadership decisions affect your peace, and what does that reveal about where your hope is anchored?
Daniel 2:21 (ESV)
He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
Proverbs 21:1 (ESV)
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.
Baseline answer:
The Bible teaches that God governs leaders and nations, whether they recognize Him or not. When politics drive fear, anger, or despair, it often shows we are looking to earthly systems for security. God’s sovereignty invites us to pray faithfully, speak wisely, and rest in Him rather than reacting with anxiety or outrage.
5. Where do you most look for security right now, and how does the idea of God as your Provider challenge that?
Genesis 22:2 (ESV)
He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Genesis 22:7–8 (ESV)
And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”
Genesis 22:9–14 (ESV)
When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
Baseline answer:
God’s provision is not only about money or resources but also about guidance, timing, and sustaining grace. Genesis 22 shows that God provides exactly what is needed, exactly when it is needed. Trusting Him as Jehovah-Jireh shifts our confidence away from performance, control, or success and toward dependence on His faithful care.