Monday, February 15, 2010

I am that blog writer

It popped into my mind today that I seem to be often writing the kinds of blog entries that I don't like to read.  Most of my entries get into some basic theology, describing what I've been learning about God as I study His Word.  When I hit those kinds of entries in other peoples blogs, I tend to skim or skip over them - they are a little dry and uninteresting to me.

I find it interesting that for whatever reason I am doing the thing that I don't like.   What I am doing isn't bad - probably my skimming over these sorts of entries is bad - but I don't like other people doing it.  Does that make me a hypocrite?

Saturday, February 13, 2010

If God is sovereign...

I'm starting to work through a study on the sovereignty of God, and the what is true because He is sovereign.  I thought I'd share things as I discover them, maybe a kind of irregular series on my irregular blog...

One thing that pops up when thinking for very long about God being truly sovereign is that there are tensions that pop up with things that happen in the world.  If God is really in control why did xxx happen (fill in your favorite recent earthquake, tsunami, senseless death, disaster)?  (I don't hear (or think much) about why doesn't YYY happen...)  I'm going to start from the assumption that God is Sovereign - ruler of the universe, creator, almighty, all knowing, eternal.  Just read the last chapters of Job for examples of the power that God has over this world - start at Job 38, and see if you can do any of those things...

Lets start off easy - with something that seems like it points to God needing people in order to accomplish His goals...  If God is really in charge, able to do all, control all - then what does He need Us for?  (another interesting topic for another day.)

In my short time walking with Jesus, I've heard several stories of people who were awakened at night, or tickled by God in other ways, to pray for specific people.  Usually these stories come in two parts, from two people:

Jane - I was awakened by the holy spirit about 3:15 in the morning, and felt a leading from the holy spirit - an Urge even - to pray for John, who was traveling in another city.  I just felt that his life was in danger, and that I needed to pray for God to intercede...  I prayed for 30 minutes, and went back to sleep.

John - About 3:15 in the morning my car broke down in the middle of a gang-infested part of BigTownImTravelingThrough - I could see graffiti and mean looking guys with knives all around - when the car stopped they all started heading over towards me - I could see they were sizing up how much money they could get from me and the car.  I was really scared - I started to pray and suddenly a police car pulled up.  The thugs scattered and the police were able to get a tow truck to me.

In these kinds of stories it seems that God is not able to save 'John' without some request or prayer assistance from 'Jane'.  Sometimes there are other people who also get the urge to pray for John at the same time, in different parts of the country (or the world).  Why is God asking people to pray to protect and save John when He is all powerful and in control of everything?  Even evil (the gangsters) can't touch God's people without His say so (Job 1:12).  Why this apparent contradiction between the testimony of the people and God's word (the Bible)?

When we're presented with a situation like this, where my understanding of the situation doesn't mesh with what we can see and understand we have two choices - either our understanding is wrong or the Bible is wrong.  We can ask God to reveal where our limited understanding needs to be adjusted, or we can push God aside and seek the wisdom of man.

Here, I can see people doing God's work - something that we are called to do, to worship the Lord and serve Him.  The core question is whether God needs to have anybody else involved in this work.  Being human, we tend to put our own motives onto other peoples actions.  I ask for help when I can't do something on my own.  I see somebody (Jane) awakened to pray, and assume that that person has some special ability or need which is being called on to do the work - I that situation through my own limitations, imparting my need for help onto Gods request.  I like it when people ask me to help them do something they have trouble with - it boosts my pride.  I see God boosting the pride of Jane in this situation - she would be proud to have been called to help.  We have trouble seeing the situation and the motives of God through our own human motives - and create a tension between a sovereign God and a God who seems to need our intercessory help.

This situation exists so that God can be glorified.  How can Jane and John both clearly see that God is sovereign, cares about and loves them, and can orchestrate things?  By putting them into a situation where, dependent on Him they both are part of the situation - without being aware of what is happening.  John is not aware that Jane is praying for him, he is only aware of His own prayers being answered.  Jane is not aware of what she is praying for - but after talking to John in the morning and learning what went on Jane can be awed to have seen God at work.  Whether Jane feels any pride from 'helping' in this situation, she gets to see that (a) God loves John, (b) God loves Jane and knows how important John is to her, (c) God lets her see that He is in control.  John gets reinforcement that God was there and He cares - not only was he delivered from the danger, but after talking with Jane he is aware that God shared the situation with another, in a way that only God could do.

Jane was awakened to pray not because God needed help, but so that she would be aware of God at work.  If Jane slept through the night, then heard from John that his car broke down and was saved only because of the timely arrival of the police car, she might see this as God responding to Johns prayer, but it might just be a coincidence -God could be excluded from consideration.  The hand of God isn't as real for Jane just hearing about Johns answer to prayer.  By awakening her at the time that John was in trouble, Jane can see the hand of God at work - He reached to her because of John's situation.  God gets the glory in this - neither John nor Jane, after comparing notes, can reasonably claim this as a coincidence.  God gets the glory.  As John and Jane tell the story, God gets the glory - others can see the work of God in the situation, in a way that is unmistakably God.  God wants the glory.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Something to think about - when something happens that doesn't seem to have God involved in it, how can that event, or the outcome of that event, bring glory to God? Maybe you can't see His Glory in the event, or immediately afterwards.  Sometimes it takes time and the work of the Holy Spirit for you to see how He gets glory.  The good we receive may not come until we are with Him.