An excerpt from one of Calvin’s letters; dated November 1553. It is addressed to another pastor who is grieving over the death of his wife.

“How deep a wound the death of your wife must have inflicted upon your heart. I judge this from my own feelings for I remember how difficult it was for me seven years ago to get over a similar sorrow.


Our principle source of consolation consists in this, that in the good and admirable providence of God, the things that we consider adverse somehow contribute to our salvation… We defraud God, unless, each one of us lives and dies, in utter dependence, upon his sovereign and good will.”

Calvin’s words bring to mind the warm encouragement of first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism as well as Lord’s Day 10 (Q&A 27 – 28) – my personal favorite.

Q 1. What is your only comfort
in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own,^1
but belong—
body and soul,
in life and in death—^2
to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.^3

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,^4
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.^5
He also watches over me in such a way^6
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven:^7
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.^8

Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life^9
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.^10

^1 1 Cor. 6:19-20
^2 Rom. 14:7-9
^3 1 Cor. 3:23; Titus 2:14
^4 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:2
^5 John 8:34-36; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:1-11
^6 John 6:39-40; 10:27-30; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:5
^7 Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18
^8 Rom. 8:28
^9 Rom. 8:15-16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14
^10 Rom. 8:1-17

Q 27. What do you understand
by the providence of God?

A. Providence is
the almighty and ever present power of God^1
by which he upholds, as with his hand,
heaven
and earth
and all creatures,^2
and so rules them that
leaf and blade,
rain and drought,
fruitful and lean years,
food and drink,
health and sickness,
prosperity and poverty—^3
all things, in fact, come to us
not by chance^4
but from his fatherly hand.^5

^1 Jer. 23:23-24; Acts 17:24-28
^2 Heb. 1:3
^3 Jer. 5:24; Acts 14:15-17; John 9:3; Prov. 22:2
^4 Prov. 16:33
^5 Matt. 10:29

Q 28. How does the knowledge
of God’s creation and providence
help us?

A. We can be patient when things go against us,^1
thankful when things go well,^2
and for the future we can have
good confidence in our faithful God and Father
that nothing will separate us from his love.^3
All creatures are so completely in his hand
that without his will
they can neither move nor be moved.^4

^1 Job 1:21-22; James 1:3
^2 Deut. 8:10; 1 Thess. 5:18
^3 Ps. 55:22; Rom. 5:3-5; 8:38-39
^4 Job 1:12; 2:6; Prov. 21:1; Acts 17:24-28