Tried With Fire

"My times are in Your hand!" Psalm 31:15 Our times of  adversity  are also in God's hand. As every  sunbeam  that brightens, so every  cloud  that darkens, comes from God. We are subject to great and sudden reverses in our earthly condition. Joy is often followed by grief; prosperity is often followed by adversity. We are on the pinnacle today; tomorrow at its bottom. Oh! What a change may one event and one moment create! But, beloved, ALL is from the Lord! Afflictions  do not spring from the soil, nor do  troubles  sprout from the ground.  Sorrow  cannot come until God bids it. Until God in His sovereignty permits — health cannot fade, wealth cannot vanish, comfort cannot decay, friendship cannot chill, and loved ones cannot die.  Your time of sorrow — is  His appointment.  The  bitter cup  which it may please the Lord that you shall drink this year, will not be mixed by...

In his second sermon on Job, Pastor Ryan asked this question: "Would we rather God be the one in control of every single moment of pain, or do we think it is better if God doesn't have any part of it?" This is a tough question and the very question that drove me to the doctrines of grace during the hardest time of my life to date. There were well-meaning friends who tried their best to comfort me. A common thread was, "God doesn't want this to happen. It's not His will for your marriage to end." This offered temporary relief but if you take this line of reasoning to its logical conclusion, it led to some very uncomfortable questions. If God doesn't want this to happen, why doesn't He stop it? If He can't stop it, then there's something preventing Him from acting. If He can't overcome this opposition, then those things are more powerful than God. Then what  kind of God do I believe in? A God who wants the best for me but wh...

Some good words from the Doctor the day before the election: The world goes round in circles - better, worse; better worse; up and down. Look at secular history and you will see this - a constant cycle, as if we are going to arrive and we never do. And then back we go, with always a dark age following an age of enlightenment - round and round in circles. Is there no hope? There is! And here is the hope, that the triune God is still interested in this world; that God did not abandon it when men fell in his folly and listened to the devil and became the dupe of the devil. God is still interested! The doctrine of deism, which means that God made the universe like a watchmaker making a clock, winding it up, and then putting it down and having nothing more to do with it, is absolutely wrong. God is not only transcendent he is Immanent, and he is concerned and he is involved. Not only that; the whole story of the Bible is that God is still controlling the world. That, far from abandoni...

This past week was a contrast between great joy and sorrow for our church. We witnessed a young couple exchange their vows and celebrated their marriage. We also learned of the loss of a precious baby and wept for the parents. The latter situation made me long for Christ's return. This world is such a sad and broken place. We groan for the day when we will no longer feel the effects of sin. One day, every tear will be wiped away, and all that has been ruined by the fall will be renewed. But as I was reflecting on the wedding ceremony and the words pointing us to Christ and the church, this also makes me long for Christ's return. As much as I pray that this couple has a long and happy marriage, there will be a day when the shadow gives way to reality, the day when we will be forever with the Lord. God was sovereign in drawing this man and woman together, and He was sovereign in bringing this little one home. He hasn't changed. He's the same loving God and Father wh...

We're studying the 12 disciples in Sunday School. Judas is up for discussion next week with one of homework questions being: "How was Judas responsible for his actions when the betrayal was predetermined by God?" Great question, isn't it? Coming to grips with God's sovereignty and man's responsibility is something that every believer needs to work through IMO. In many situations, there's a temptation among Christians to get God off the hook. Man's "free" will and the plans of Satan suddenly become omnipotent in order to place the blame anywhere other than God. But when we consider Jesus' death on the cross, do we want to get God off the hook for that? What do we do with the verses that clearly declare this was God's intention from the beginning? (Isaiah 53:10; Zech, 11:12; Acts 2:23, 4:28) From Calvin: [I]n regard to the treachery of Judas, there is just as little ground to throw the blame of the crime upon God, because He w...

From Thomas Reade : Nothing is so calming and comforting to the Christian pilgrim, as the assurance of Divine Guidance in every, even the most minute circumstances which befall him. Without this perception of his heavenly Father's care, a thousand intricacies must beset his path. He must be staggered at almost every step. But when he beholds, by faith—the unerring hand of infinite wisdom, wielding the stupendous machine of human events—causing everything to promote the spiritual good of His people—then he quiets himself as a little child, and can say with cheerful resignation, "Father, not my will, but yours be done."

I've been pondering Sunday's sermon on James 4:13-17.  All that happens in our lives is the will of God as ordained by His sovereignty and carried out by His providence.  So our attitude should be "as the Lord wills" not just in our speech but in how we live day to day. But what happens when the providence is bitter? I think this is where James' theme of genuine faith comes in. Genuine faith isn't faith in a situation working out according to my plans. Genuine faith banks on the character of God, no matter what. Very often when we get good news, we acknowledge that God is merciful and good.  And yes, we should praise Him. But He hasn't stopped being good or merciful when it's a bad report. The circumstance may take us to the brink, yet His character hasn't changed. Genuine faith clings to the truth that "He changes not" even when the ground gives way. Here's a beautiful quote from John G. Paton. He became a widower twice and los...

For most of my life, I was plagued with sinful fear. On paper I would say that God was all powerful. But in my mind, that power could only extend to the point where it came in contact with the free will of man or the plans of the devil. This mind-set is used to bail out God when it comes to the problem of evil, but it's cold comfort at best, particularly when you think you are at the mercy of man - not God. Now that I'm on this side of the doctrines of grace, sinful fear still rears its ugly head. The underlying sin of unbelief is hard to stamp out because all it takes is one little thought, "Has God said?".  However, I intend to fight it by God's grace one thought at a time. Here is encouragement on this subject from the pen of one of my favorite Puritans. I hope to post more from this book in the days ahead. [W]e are ignorant of God. We do not know (or, at least, we do not fully consider) His almighty power, vigilant care; unspotted faithfulness, and how th...

In the women's meeting last night, we had an interesting discussion about God's sovereignty, specifically accepting the painful providences He ordains for our lives.  Often those providences are seeming contradictions of scriptural promises or statements. If so, what do we do?  Do we still trust the Word?  Do we still trust God? There is a temptation to "get God off the hook" by viewing the circumstance as being caused by man or Satan.  But if you take it to its logical conclusion, you end up with a God who is not completely sovereign. He wants A to take place, but B has happened, and He was unable to prevent its occurrence.  Also the gradation of "allowing" versus "ordaining" still implies, to me, a God who needs a backup because He was somehow prevented from exercising the original plan. Either way, He becomes subordinate to something else, thus making Him less than God. I wrestled with this issue when my ex- walked out on our marriage. Scrip...

So tonight was the night - the first week-end my daughter will have with her dad, his new wife, and at least 1 of her children.  I didn't want to push her, but she brought up the subject during the drive.  It's more than being in an awkward situation.  If you get to to the root, she's wrestling with the age-old question, "If God is sovereign and good, why does He allow sin and evil?" She's watched her mom come to grips with God's sovereignty, and now she knows it's her turn. But I was encouraged as my daughter shared her heart.  She realizes the only thing that is going to keep her in the days ahead is being grounded in the reality of who God is in His Word.  So I'm praying she will be anchored in the truth and see beyond her circumstances to something bigger and more glorious. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things tha...

Tonight I drove my daughter to meet her dad.  This is the last week-end they will have together before he remarries.  We were both quiet in the car.  I don't know if this was on her mind or not. This will be the final closure after a long four years. I can't help but shed a few tears for the man who's now a stranger to me and for our daughter. We had Jeremiah 29:11 engraved in our wedding bands.  Naively we thought God's promise for a future and a hope meant a happy Christian marriage.  But He had something else in mind, and He didn't renege on His word.  I still have a future and a hope.  Not in happily-ever-after, but in the God who gives the promise. Our enemies would allot us a very dreary portion, but we are not left in their hands.  The Lord will cause us to stand in our lot, and our place is appointed by His infinite wisdom.  A wiser mind than our own arranges our destiny.  The ordaining of all things is with God, and we ...

My afternoon did not go as planned. As I was headed to the car, my heel slipped off the walkway in front of the house. I lost my balance and down I went.  I broke my fall with my right hand, but fell sideways banging my glasses and shoulder.   I went back inside to check the damage and wash the cuts on my hand and eyebrow.  Since I know enough medical information to be dangerous and having transcribed enough head injuries, I contacted the plastic surgery practice and asked if a nurse could take a look at my scratches. The drive was uneventful until I exited the highway.  The traffic was at a standstill.  All 3 lanes as well as the on-ramp to the highway were blocked due to a multi-vehicle accident just half a block down the road.  Eventually, the police allowed traffic to proceed after 45 minutes of waiting with varying degrees of patience from my fellow motorists.  Once at the practice, one of the surgeons made sure I didn't crack any bo...

Most Christians would agree God hates divorce.  It is the last thing that should ever happen to marriage particularly between 2 professing believers.  What God has joined together, let not man separate.  Yet it occurs far too often. Most Christians are familiar with the possible reasons that divorce would be permitted, namely adultery, desertion, abuse.  There are also those who stand for the permanence of marriage because it is a picture of Christ and the Church and question whether divorce or remarriage is permitted at all.  Thus the issue of whether a wronged party is scripturally permitted to seek a divorce is still up for debate. This is all well and good but very theoretical.  Unless you have been through a divorce, which I have, or have walked very closely with someone through this, there is another factor to this complicated issue that seems to be left out in these discussions. Once your spouse has filed for divorce, there is nothing, absolute...

Have you ever braced yourself to receive bad news?  You know it's coming. You already know what the news will be.  It's not a matter of if  but when . When I picked up my daughter up on Monday evening, we had hardly pulled out of the parking space when she said, "I have some bad news and some good news." At that moment, I knew that when became  now . Her dad informed her that he was engaged and would be remarried in a few months.  We knew this was only a matter of time, but it didn't make it any easier. It was heartbreaking to listen as she related this news with tears, knowing that her relationship with her father will never be the same. By this time I was crying as well, grieving over the path that my ex-husband had chosen, grieving for those who had been hurt in the process, grieving that our daughter was suffering in this way. But then she told me she had good news. What was her good news? She still trusted in the total sovereignty of God. ...

Nothing is so calming and comforting to the Christian pilgrim as the assurance of Divine Guidance in every, even the most minute circumstances which befall him. Without this perception of his heavenly Father's care, a thousand intricacies must beset his path.  He must be staggered at almost every step.  But when he beholds by faith the unerring hand of infinite wisdom, wielding the stupendous machine of human events, causing everything to promote the spiritual good of His people, then he quiets himself as a little child, and can say with cheerful resignation, "Father, not my will, but yours be done." from The Sovereignty of God ~ Thomas Reade 1841 (ht: gracegems )

Are not in their little paws or our hands but subject to God's will. I came down with a cold last night and developed a fever today. We were planning on attending the Titus 2 meeting tonight, ladies Bible study tomorrow, and helping out some of the senior saints in the church tomorrow evening. I'm praying that I will feel better by tomorrow, but I'm glad that I can trust God's sovereignty over the intersection of the common cold virus, my respiratory and immune system, and what He has ordained for tomorrow. I don't like being sick, but I definitely prefer being sick as a Calvinist.

Life can be so much less stressful if you believe in the sovereignty of God. When unexpected things occur, they weren't unexpected to Him, and there is a purpose in all that takes place. As I was listening to Matt Chandler's session from T4G last night, he said that Christians often believe in Karma rather than an all sovereign God. I can attest to that having been an expert in that mindset. When something untoward would happen, my first reaction would be, "Oh no!" I was unaware that I was infecting my daughter with this same fear until one day many, many moons ago, the toilet got clogged. My daughter blurted out, " Oh no! We'll never be able to use the toilet again! " OUCH! I'm thankful for that reality check. Thankfully, God has brought us through a season where we've had to come to grips with His sovereignty, even over painful events. I still have my moments, but the lessons I've learned have made such a difference in trusting H...

I loaned Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung to a friend. We had a good discussion about the book today. We're both recovering from some fear-based, semi-mystical ideas about the will of God so it has been very freeing. Formerly, finding the will of God was as hard as hitting a bull's eye at 50 feet with a dollar store dart gun minus your glasses. Of course, it is difficult to be 100% sure whether you hit the mark, so life is still full of second guessing, if only's, and what if's . It's sad how this mindset also takes our attention away from obeying what is commanded in Scripture to becoming incapacitated over what should be a common sense decision. It would be like agonizing over whether to wear the argyle or striped socks and ignore the admonition to be anxious for nothing. I would venture to say that obedience to the Word outweighs sock color any day. There are times when I am tempted to second guess decisions I made, things I did in the past. If I had done thi...

"Most of what happens is not the will of God." Don't worry. I haven't lost my mind. The above statement or at least something very similar was in a "sermon" my daughter heard while she was away. This has led to a very interesting discussion about this worldview versus a worldview based on the sovereignty of God. I would venture to guess that many people who consider themselves Christians would agree with the following: Suffering = Bad Bad = not God's will What I want from life (Is it really what I think I deserve and am entitled to? ) = Good Good = God's will As long as things are going relatively well, you can comfortably believe this worldview because nothing has happened to upset your apple cart. But what happens when suffering comes? When disaster strikes? What happens when you get sick or someone you love gets sick? What happens when a loved one dies? What happens when a marriage ends or a child rebels? What is your explanation ...

The house goes on the market today. The realtor took pictures and room measurements this morning. She said, "We'll keep our fingers crossed and say our prayers for your house to sell." As a Calvinist, I would have said, "We will prayerfully await the unfolding of God's ordained will." Inspired by Jonathan Edwards' resolutions, my resolve is to remember and rest in the absolute sovereignty of God. It actually may be exciting to see what God has in store for us. But if I forget, I have given my daughter permission to throw a penguin at me if I start wringing my hands like an open theist.