Good ultimately prevails

The ancients believed passionately in "fate". Not the fete politicians call "a fete worse than death". We can just imagine how terrible it must be, dutifully opening the local church fete, Saturday by Saturday, church after church. The fate that concerned the ancients was the fate of destiny; "What will be will be."

Often, we calm our troubles with the notion of destiny, although life is probably more the business of chance than destiny. There is indeed an eternal destiny, but presently we are part of a "flesh and blood" that does not "inherit" the spiritual domain. Yet, as we watch the television news night after night, it is hard not to believe in God's providence. Providence is not fate, it is not the ordering of the sequence of events we face day by day, such that "what will be will be." Providence is something bigger, an ethereal vapor, a principle by which things evolve, develop, progress.... God has designed order in the universe, and although we often vote for chaos, the power of order always ultimately transcends the power of chaos.

This eternal verity, this supremacy of order, is often toyed with in science fiction and detective stories. Literature often mirrors the notion of God's providential love for his creation: good prevails over evil; love conquers all. The fates conspire, but right ultimately wins out.

The Bible deals with this idea in the Wisdom books, particularly Proverbs. The righteous man will always prevail over the evil man. Evil follows evil, but good follows good. Of course, this equation may not work in the short-term. The evil person often flourishes at the expense of the good person. The Bible tackles this problem in the books of Job and Ecclesiastes. How is it that the good person suffers? The answer is but an acceptance of the way things are, that although chaos often reigns, the providential love of God remains supreme.

So as we watch the television news tonight, we should remind ourselves of God's providential care. The media may filter and design the news on the criteria of infotainment, or social justice, yet God's truth eternally prevails. Politicians may perform the one-line grab to either affirm or deny the integrity of government policy, yet ultimate good prevails despite the policy. Yesterday we were radical, today we are conservative. For progressives, conservatism will destroy our country. For conservatives, progressives will destroy our country. Thankfully the human race survives under God's providential love, despite our lunacy.

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