Cedarville Magazine
|
21
What did Washington mean by “providential agency”? His view of providence came
from the Bible. As President, he wrote to the Hebrew congregation of Savannah, Georgia,
paralleling Israel’s exodus with American independence:
May the same wonder-working Deity, who long since delivering the Hebrews from their
Egyptian Oppressors planted them in the promised land — whose Providential Agency
has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent Nation
— still continue to water them with the dews of Heaven and to make the inhabitants
of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessings of that people
whose God is Jehovah.
Providence was Washington’s favorite theological truth. Providence prompted him to
exercise faith and thanksgiving. In a private letter on August 20, 1778, he called himself a
“preacher of providence”:
The hand of Providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than
an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to
acknowledge his obligations, but it will be time enough for me to turn preacher, when
my present appointment ceases; and therefore, I shall add no more to the Doctrine of
Providence … .
Providence and Perseverance
ForWashington, God’s providence gave strength enabling perseverance in the adversities
of life. He wrote on October 27, 1777, “I flatter myself that a superintending Providence is
ordering everything for the best, and that, in due time, all will end well.” One can hear an
echo of Romans 8:28 in these words.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:18, “Keep alert with all perseverance.”Washington
also prized perseverance. On October 17, 1779, he wrote, “The troops … manifested a
patience, perseverance, and valor that do them the highest honor.”
To his adopted grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, he wrote on December 19,
1796, “… ’tis to close application and constant perseverance, men of letters and science are
indebted for their knowledge and usefulness …”.
On August 28, 1793, he wrote to the inhabitants of Richmond:
Every good citizen will then meet events with that firmness and perseverance which
naturally accompany the consciousness of a good cause… .
Providence and perseverance enabled Washington to have an ideal balance for a great
leader. Jim Collins of
Good to Great
fame writes,
“Every good-to-great company embraced what we came to call the Stockdale Paradox:
You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of
the difficulties, AND at the same time have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts
of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
Washington the leader trusted in providence and persevered in adversity.
Providence and Humility
The invisible hand of providence not only supports leaders’ perseverance in adversity,
but it enables them to have humility in success. With victory secured, Washington wrote
on June 11, 1783:
Glorious indeed has been our Contest; glorious, if we consider the Prize for which we
have contended, and glorious in its Issue; but in the midst of our Joys, I hope we shall
not forget that, to divine Providence is to be ascribed the Glory and the Praise.
Washington prayed on June 8, 1783,
for the newly independent governors. He
identified an ingredient of national success
to be humility like that of “the Divine
Author of our blessed religion”:
I now make it my earnest prayer, that
God … would most graciously be
pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice,
to love mercy, and to demean ourselves
with that Charity, humility and pacific
temper of mind, which were the
Characteristicks of the Divine Author
of our blessed Religion, and without an
humble imitation of whose example in
these things, we can never hope to be a
happy Nation.
Providence and History
The invisible hand of providence
that Washington preached sustained his
perseverance in adversity and humbled him
in victory. It made him great by keeping
him from doing two things, thereby
changing history. He didn’t quit when all
seemed lost. He didn’t become king when
all was won. Providential perseverance kept
him going at Valley Forge. Providential
humility established America’s principle of
the orderly transition of power.
A “happy nation” is yet possible
with reliance on the invisible hand Who
worked inWashington’s biblically informed
leadership. For the “invisible hand” and the
“Divine Author” working together can still
create leaders who succeed in the endeavors
of life.
Peter A. Lillback ’74
is President and
Professor of Historical Theology at
Westminster Theological Seminary in
Glenside, Pennsylvania. He received his
Th.M. at Dallas Theological Seminary
and his Ph.D. from Westminster
Theological Seminary. Dr. Lillback
has authored several books
including
GeorgeWashington’s
Sacred Fire
.
Editor’s Note: Unusual spellings and
capitalizations are part of the original text.
