Signs of Sanctification
It seems pretty amazing to me that God should care at all to make us more like Him. I mean, are we really worth all the trouble? I can’t imagine the heartbreak God must feel as we, His children, continually walk away from Him in our minute-to-minute existence, continually live as if He weren’t there, when He has bought us at such a terrific price. Granted He is God and thus knows that we are but dust and that we are ‘by nature children of wrath’ but I still imagine it causes His heart to break.
I’m also so amazed at and comforted by God’s sovereignty. Jonathan Edwards described a crucial moment in his coming to an intimate knowledge of God as understanding this doctrine as utterly sweet. Now I can’t say that I see the sweetness of God’s sovereignty in large scale disasters, like Katrina or the tsunami last Christmas or with the starving people in sub-Saharan Africa or the genocide that occurs in the Darfur region and in many other places. I can’t quite square those things into thinking that God’s sovereignty is sweet. But I still believe it. I still believe that these things have been ordained and that somehow they bring God glory, in ways I cannot understand or begin to fathom. (This is of course NOT to say that evil is to be condoned or that the church is not to alleviate suffering. Instead we are provide for the fatherless and the widow; we are to do our best to work against the stamp of sin that envelops are planet.)
On a personal level God’s sovereignty has indeed begun to become more sweet; and this has not arisen from more abstract thought or all the things in my life going along perfectly. In fact I have learned through the difficulties in which God places me, in the things I think I cannot get through, that God is sovereign. And what was evil and unfair becomes palatable in the light that it has been orchestrated for me by God for my ultimate good (that of learning how to glorify and enjoy him forever) and for His praise. I pray this will always be so, that as my life becomes harder, I may always rejoice in Christ alone, my Saviour.
September 22nd, 2005 at 8:41 am
I can see that you are preparing for class by the allusion to Personal Narrative.
September 22nd, 2005 at 9:45 am
hehe
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:42 pm
Thanks for a extremely necessary reminder that God’s sovereignty *is* sweet in every circumstance.
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:53 pm
His word is sovereign and Ps 40 (among others) has helped me during various difficulties. Just knowing that the Lord does indeed “lift us up from the pit and place our feet upon a rock, making our steps secure”. And then He places a new song in our hear:-) Amazing!
September 23rd, 2005 at 4:07 pm
Edwards actually described it as ‘way sweet’, not just ’sweet’.
James
September 28th, 2005 at 1:29 pm
Why is it that God gets all the blame for natural disasters, while the devil gets away scott free? They really should get a new PR guy in heaven.
September 28th, 2005 at 4:57 pm
“I can’t say that I see the sweetness of God’s sovereignty in large scale disasters, like Katrina or the tsunami last Christmas or with the starving people in sub-Saharan Africa or the genocide that occurs in the Darfur region and in many other places.”
Ashley - Can you see the sweetness of God’s sovereignty in the cross? The cross is the greatest evil God ever ordained and committed by man. When I struggle with evil and suffering - and I do. I always run to my suffering Savior. I’ve always felt like Christianity is the only religion with an answer to suffering because we have a suffering God.
While I don’t have answers to Katrina, starvation, or the Tsunami. I do know that God takes the ugly and makes it beautiful. I know that because that’s what he did to me.
You have a great blog!
brad
September 28th, 2005 at 5:36 pm
Thanks Joey and Brad for your comments. Yes, I can see the sweetness of God’s sovereignty in the cross; it isn’t just the greatest evil but more importantly it is the means of salvation. I’m just saying that I can’t get my head around large-scale disasters, while on the personal level, they’re a bit more easy to handle and understand God’s plan of redemption amidst the squalor of human life.
September 28th, 2005 at 6:26 pm
I hope I didn’t come across as one who is able to get my head around the large scale disaters. I don’t. I’m just helped by the knowledge that the cross was redemptive (salvation)so too must these events be part of God’s redemptive plan. (I’m to finite to understand how)
I see a pattern in scripture that God intentionally uses Evil to bring Salvation. The line of Christ for example: Tamar (Judah had many kids - why use tamar?) Rahab, Ruth the Moabite (God was in the incestous cave of Lot and His daughters), Bathsheba (David had many wives and children - why Bathsheba?).
God is fulfilling Gen. 3:15 and the beauty of it is that he is using the work of the serpent (evil) to outwork Salvation. Not only does evil not win, but evil is the tool by which God sovereignly works his redemptive plan.
That does not lessen the pain for me when I watch video of Katrina. It does not take my tears away, it does not let me sit and do nothing - in good moments it will allow me to lay by head on the soft, sweet pillow of God’s sovereignty when I rest.
September 29th, 2005 at 12:54 pm
Yes, it’s very cool how God uses bad stuff for good purposes. A bit like what Samson said in Jdg 14:14, “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.” (with Satan being referred to as a devourer and a strong man in the NT).
I imagine there aren’t too many people who’ve had it tougher than Job (how diabolical of Satan to take everything away from him, and leave him his wife ?!?!!). And even towards the end it seems that God didn’t bother to tell Job why everything was allowed to happen - or about the bet God made with Satan. So I’m not holding out too much hope for me understanding everything!!!
But I heard in a sermon not too long ago that through all that he went through, Job got an amazing revelation of God - “I know that my Redeemer lives,” (Job 19:25) - and of the coming Christ - “If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God’s rod from me…” (Job 9:33-34). Where did he get that from…??? Well, I thought it was amazing, anyway.
PS all quotes in NIV. Wasn’t sure about copyright, etc.