I am in awe at God’s involvement in our lives. That the God who created this universe would be so mindful of us will never cease to amaze me. What is man that He would take such interest in us? What does He see that captivates His attention?
He knows my every thought … before I think it. He knows my every decision … before I make it.
He knows my destiny … before I reach it. All my days were planned before there was even one of them.
Even the seemingly insignificant events – when I sit and when I rise – are the focus of His attention. I don’t think Jesus exaggerated … but he must have come close when He said that the Father keeps count of my hair! – can that really be? I’m the apple of His eye, the object of His interest.
God, you thought of me, planned me, designed me and skilfully wove me together
You planned my days, shaped my environment, orchestrated every event and created every opportunity
and now you skillfully guide me to walk in the good works which You have prepared.
You continue your work within me, as you inspire my desires and influence my will
to do your good pleasure and confirm what you predestined.
It’s difficult to articulate such intimacy. In fact, David wrote in Ps 139 that such knowledge is simply too lofty to grasp.
The concept of God’s initiative and our personal freedom has made a profound impact on me. There have been decisions I made … or thought I made, which in hindsight were actually God orchestrating a series of events that lead me to specific conclusions. Jesus’ disciples made very difficult yet determined decisions to follow Him. At times they were persecuted for this decision. It was a decision that they had to re-affirm a number of times. When one pays such a high price for a decision, one can become very proud and defensive of its value. They must have been shocked when Jesus spoke to them and said: “You did not choose me, but I chose you. At first I don’t think they even heard the last part of that sentence; all they heard was: “You did not choose me”. I can just imagine what some of them thought:
What does He mean “You did not choose me”! I gave up my fishing business; I lost some dear friends …etc. because I chose to follow Him. And now He has the audacity to tell me that I did not choose Him.
…but as the years passed, the second part of that sentence became the greatest assurance and source of unflinching confidence, as they began to understand the depth of the wisdom and skill of God to orchestrate all things.
It is comparatively easy to argue that God organises events in such a way to lead us to make right decision. But what involvement does He have with us when we miss the mark – make wrong decisions?
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me. Ps 139:7-11
David speaks of a situation in which he is fleeing from God’s presence; avoiding His Spirit. Even in this place of rebellion, he still sees the hand of God leading him! Obviously God does not delight in us missing the mark; He does not lead us to do wrong. He provides a space in which we can make our own decisions. A master chess player does not manipulate the will of his opponent. Each player is able to make their own free choices, yet the master arranges the pieces in such a way as to leave but one conclusion. In a similar way, our Father has provided a space in which we are free to make our own decisions, but He is the mastermind behind every move drawing us closer to His ultimate purpose. I have often been unaware of His activity, only to see it at a later stage when the distance of time gave me the necessary perspective. It is this confidence that I carry not only for myself, but for every person; for all humanity. God has created a space in which we are free to make our own choices, but the conclusion is inevitable.
The example of the chess game is relevant when thinking of Gods interaction with us when we appose Him, but when we come to the place of seeking His will in all things, the relationship changes drastically. We move from being opponents to being co-workers – my will is no longer just my own. I am so grateful that “… it is God that is at work within you(me) both to will and to do His good pleasure …” Phil 2:13 My will is no longer an independent force in which God has no influence. He is actively busy influencing my desires, inspiring my will, and strengthening my decisions.
This is an interesting take on “free will”. Andre, I have been reading your blog for over three years now. Could you please tell me your belief about Old Testament scripture and the books of the NT. I don’t expect a long response. Just a brief word about the WORD of God and how it relates to the Bible. Thank you so much.
Hi Don
I have enjoyed your site for quite a while as well. I don’t really know how to answer your question briefly! There is so much contained in that question. Herewith a few thoughts: The Logos (Word) of God precedes the Bible: ‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word became flesh’ Just as Jesus was(is) 100% human, yet 100% God, I see the same miracle in the Bible – a 100% human document, yet 100% inspired by God. I wrote a more in-depth piece on my attitude toward the scriptures here: http://hearhim.net/wordpress/2006/05/21/the-scriptures-in-perspective/.
Regarding old and new testament there is undoubtedly a progression of revelation. Although we can see the old from an entirely new perspective, I don’t think God ever contradicted Himself. There are so many aspects to chat about … if anything in particular interest you, please let me know and we’ll continue the discussion.
Thank you Andre. I will check out the link.
After reading the article you linked for me, I feel I now understand where you stand on the Bible. Although we obviously don’t agree on some things, I want you to know that I still enjoy hearing your perspective.
Thanks Don – it Is good to know that we are bound together by a reality much greater than our attitude toward scriptures … we have the same origin … and destiny. We began in Him, now live in him, and for all eternity He will be our dwelling place.
Andre
Thanks, Andre. Blessings to you and your wife!
Hi Andre ,
Like yourself , i too stand in awe of the Fathers interest in our lives and His desire to make us his own posession never ceases to amaze me . His eternal embrace woos me like a love sick lover towards Him . I am compelled to seek him who alone can satisfy the longings of my heart . God has set eternity in our hearts . The evidence of this is with-in the hearts of all. There are cravings with-in our soul that are the evidence of the finger print of God with-in of all of our lives . The cravings of the soul for intimacy , the craving for significance , the craving for a sense of purpose and destiny is deep calling to deep. These cravings are not illigitmate or to be denied they are put there by God . They are the evidence that we are all created in the image of God . We are all held hostage to the desperate quest to satisfy these longings -as they are the core motivation of our lives .
Hi Roddy,
“God has set eternity in our hearts” Reminds me of Hebrews where he talkes about the order of Melchizedek ….. who was without beginning and without end. In a sense we are without beginning and without end because we began in Him – the eternal one. Our creation was simply a physical manifestation of our existence in Him which ‘began’ before creation. Ps 90 speaks of the fact that “You(God) have been our dwelling place for all eternity … before the mountains were made ….etc. Wow!
Amen , We are being taught by the Spirit to speak to one-another with a wisdom that does not have its origin in this world . We speak to one another with a secret wisdom that was hidden in the heart of God destined for our glory from before creation . This wisdom is to know ourselvesaswe are truly known by Him , the kowledge that we were marked off in Him from before the foundation of the ages . The boundary lines for us have indeed fallen in pleasant places .
I was thinking about what you said about ‘a wisdom that does not have it’s origin in this world’. How often people are misunderstood because of the different influences on our interpretation – one’s unique upbringing, culture, current circumstances – all these can influence one’s perception. But God does not want to be misunderstood, neither does he want our fellowship to be based on fragile interpretations. For this purpose He devised a way to communicate in such a way that His word would not be subject to interpretation. “The hearing hear and the seeing eye, God has made them both”
Yes Andre , i know what you mean about interpretations and mis-understandings . Speaking spirtual truths in spiritual words – There is a wisdom that comes from the Spirit . This language does leave us open to alsorts of allegations and does in fact expose us to inherent dangers such as elitism ect. For me the contrasts in scripture and experience are un-deniable between the wisdom from above and below. There is a knowing beyond reason of which the scriptures merely attest to. As you have said in one of your comments above “we are bound together by a reality much greater than our attitude to the scriptures” That reality is for me the most powerfully binding force in the universe and sugests that we have the ability to see , know , touch and handle the unseen . The awareness of the unseen realities is the work of thespirit and for me what it means to grow upinto Christ. This is our holy quest .
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