God’s Providence is our Inheritance.

This date stone is built into the wall of a house in Banff, in North East Scotland. Its text was also the motto of the old Stornoway Town Council which included it on its coat of arms: God’s providence is our inheritance.

Providence means God’s provision and care for His people, and all people in general. It can be seen in our wonderfully fertile planet and beheld in our prayerful dealings with the Lord. The word is used in Cowper’s hymn God Moves:

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

God’s providence can be discerned by His people in life’s challenges and problems as well as its blessings and joys. Perhaps George Massie and Elspet Morison wed in 1739 and this was their marital home. They must have anticipated the troubles and difficulties ahead yet found comfort in a sovereign God’s overall command and providential care.