Providence
God is fully in control. Your will is fully compatible with his sovereignty and decree.
"The doctrine of providence teaches Christians that they are never in the grip of blind forces (fortune, chance, luck, fate); all that happens to them is divinely planned, and each event comes as a new summons to trust, obey, and rejoice, knowing that all is for one's spiritual and eternal good (Rom. 8:28)." J.I. Packer Concise Theology.
Rejoice? Trust? Obey? Easier said than done. We fully know of God's sovereignty but functionally we are prone to neglect this reality and let sorrow, worry and recklessness pervade. We intellectually believe that God is in control and our actions play into his plan but then we go to that job that we hate, or have to deal with that relationship that is hard. Life paints a picture sullied by brokenness that is too hard to bear at times. And that is the point. We need to rest in the work of Christ and his ability to hold everything together. "He upholds the universe by the word of his power" Hebrews 1:3.
How do we get there then? I think it is by rejoicing, trusting and obeying. For each of us, one of these will come easier. Lean into that and pray that the others follow suit. And claim the promises of God. Romans 8 is a great place to start but throughout scripture find the truths that God has declared for you and repeat them until you agree and recognize them. The promises that Jesus has worked for you, that your inheritance is in him, that everything is working out for your good and God's glory. And have hope; hope for the renewal we are promised in Revelation 21.
Providence is a great piece of theology. It is harder to live with. But we can know it is good.
"The doctrine of providence teaches Christians that they are never in the grip of blind forces (fortune, chance, luck, fate); all that happens to them is divinely planned, and each event comes as a new summons to trust, obey, and rejoice, knowing that all is for one's spiritual and eternal good (Rom. 8:28)." J.I. Packer Concise Theology.
Rejoice? Trust? Obey? Easier said than done. We fully know of God's sovereignty but functionally we are prone to neglect this reality and let sorrow, worry and recklessness pervade. We intellectually believe that God is in control and our actions play into his plan but then we go to that job that we hate, or have to deal with that relationship that is hard. Life paints a picture sullied by brokenness that is too hard to bear at times. And that is the point. We need to rest in the work of Christ and his ability to hold everything together. "He upholds the universe by the word of his power" Hebrews 1:3.
How do we get there then? I think it is by rejoicing, trusting and obeying. For each of us, one of these will come easier. Lean into that and pray that the others follow suit. And claim the promises of God. Romans 8 is a great place to start but throughout scripture find the truths that God has declared for you and repeat them until you agree and recognize them. The promises that Jesus has worked for you, that your inheritance is in him, that everything is working out for your good and God's glory. And have hope; hope for the renewal we are promised in Revelation 21.
Providence is a great piece of theology. It is harder to live with. But we can know it is good.
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