A friend of mine and I have been reading together and discussing Jerry Bridge’s book entitled Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts. My Calvinist/Reformed understanding of the sovereignty of God has been reaffirmed time and again by his challenging words. I found myself saying “AMEN” several times.
But I discovered in a little section on weather, that “understanding” the sovereignty of God and “living out” the sovereignty of God are two different things. It wasn’t his discussion on tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, etc. that challenged me. I’ve never been in any of those. While my heart goes out to those who have been touched by these, the Lord has thus far insulated me from those things. The thought that DID punch me in the stomach was his talk of “inconvenient” weather. If God is sovereign, what do I do with snow that delays my flight or rain that cancels my golf outing. Even worse, do I have the right to complain about the humidity or the wind. “It’s too hot!” “It’s too cold!” “It’s so humid!” “Man, I hate this wind.” The complaints go on and on.
See the sovereignty of God is not exclusive to the big events, but also heat, cold, rain, snow, wind, overcast, traffic (I had to throw this one in, because of my “unique” impatience with it), etc. It challenges not our understanding of God’s control, but our response to God’s control. We must not only realize, but also live out the understanding that if it comes from God, it is perfect, it designed, and it must be good.
Interesting. I guess I can only agree to a point. The heat, the cold, the inconvenient weather is from God, it is designed. But only as a result of the fall and sin. We accept it now because we must. It seems more or less like Plan B to me – since His preferred plan must have been that we remain obedient and live in a garden of his making. I know I haven’t been to seminary or even theology class for that matter. I just don’t agree that all these things would qualify as good – as good is used in Genesis 1. I would say that God can use it for good – making the world a less pleasant place perhaps turns the minds and hearts of mankind to God. Looking for hope and a better place.
Interesting Linda. But, if that is the case, then, really, there is nothing good in the world, because the fall touched every fiber of creation. I Timothy 4:4 says, “For everything created by God is good . . . .” Philippians 1:6 speaks of the good work that God began in us. We are told over and over again to fight the good fight and to not grow weary in doing good. That would also make God, since everything that is created comes from Him, the author of things that are less than good. I’m not ready to say that God was forced into playing the “Devil’s game.” I would agree that this side of heaven will ALWAYS be different from the Garden. But, I don’t think the concepts, existence or idea of sin, prohibits God’s work from being perfectly good.
Oh, and Linda. I’m not sure a seminary degree helps me any, it may just confuse me more. (-:
Not convinced. Of course everything God created was good in the beginning – but you speak as if the world was still a good place. But WE are not good – 1/3 of the angels are not good – death, disease and dying are not good. The Word calls death the enemy. Even nature itself “groans as if in childbirth” or something like that. The word “evil” is used in the bible I don’t know how many times.
Don’t get the idea that I am having trouble with the concept of a sovereign God. He is completely faithful and trustworthy. But the world of today, including weather, is not the world referred to as good in Genesis. This is the cursed world we are living in. I guess I don’t think of weather disasters or discomforts as God’s work as much as it is “our” work; in the sense that sin and the fall resulted in judgement and consequences.
If drought and flood and heat and cold…. are good – what do you mean when you say your
“heart goes out to those people”?
Linda, thanks for the comments. This is helping to keep me sharp. We may have to agree to disagree. This may be a symantics issueI believe there is evil in the world. But, however, there is a whole lot of good. The Bible tells us that all “good and perfect gifts come from God.” I believe He still does good for us. I also believe that God has a will for us and that it is good. We have been given the Holy Spirit, which is also good. As far as death goes, death as the enemy is spiritual death. The Bible tells us that the deaths of His saints are beautiful in his eyes. Paul says “To live is Christ to die is gain.” I think often we confuse good and evil with pain and pleasure. Sometimes pain is good. First, it helps us to recognize when we have something that needs to be fixed. Second, pain accompanies life saving surgery. I may empathize, sympathize and help someone in pain from surgery, but at the same time I can be thankful that they had the surgery. Third, God’s discipline on us, while painful is always good.
Because I believe that God is both all-powerful and all-loving and He is characterized by both of these character traits, I believe that everything He actively sends into my life or allows to touch my life, no matter how pleasurable or painful, is good, because in some way, that is beyond human logic (God’s ways are not our ways and vice-versa), everything God does is good. And yes, I believe this even includes the weather.
Also, as I read your post and thought about your comments about the garden and Satan and the evil angels fall, Evil evidently was present in both heaven and the garden. In heaven, rebellion both on a personal and corporate level occurred. Add to that the pride that Lucifer felt that led to the revolt. Second, Satan was present in the perfect Garden of Eden.
As I said early, we may agree and this is a symantecs issue. But, I do welcome any other thoughts or ideas you may have.