“It is a not uncommon instinct among contemporary Christians to encounter difficulties and immediately conclude they have fallen into divine disfavor… We are not the best interpreters of divine providence. Nor is our conviction of the Father’s love for us grounded in his providential ways with us. The fatal mistake here is to base our assurance of grace and salvation on the fact that ‘God is blessing my life.’ When we do so, we have no anchor when life turns sour. No, God anchors himself to us in Christ. He has demonstrated his love for us specifically in the cross… we must never allow our eyes to be diverted nor view providence except through cross-shaped lenses.”
Sinclair Ferguson, The Whole Christ, 215–16.