It may be helpful to review Week 2 of this study to refresh the church history which is critical to understanding the Classical View of God. Harold explores God's role in our daily lives, His role in disasters, wars, and even of children dying.
If this week did not challenge you in some powerful way, we invite you to watch it again until it does. By the end of this week, you should be prepared to arrive at an answer to this question: "Do I really believe in the God of the Bible; just the way God chose to reveal Himself to us?"
My questions relates to the issue of God's protection and my tendency to worry: I have always taken some comfort [perhaps naively] that since God is sovereign in the Classical sense,that I don't have to worry about the future. I am generally quite analytical and my mind will not rest if I think that there might be an unanticipated problem or if God could potentially miss a detail because he is not "in control." If God is working with us in the Open sense should we therefore be more proactive in prayer in case God is not paying attention as much as he possible could? [I am stating this questions respectfully: I have read a few of Dr. Pinnock's and Dr. Boyd's Books]
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Doug
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDoug,
ReplyDeleteHarold has continually stressed a relational God who really wants to have open dialogue and communication with His kids. God is sovereign and can exercise this sovereignty when ever He chooses. Being relational though, He wants to hear from us. Just as an earthly father talks to his children and ultimately decides what's best for them, so it is with God.
Proactive prayer... absolutely!!! There is example after example in the Bible of intercessory and petitionary prayer influencing the outcome of God's decisions. Hope this may have helped a bit.
Comment on the June 18th Bible Study:
ReplyDeleteOmnipotent v. Almighty: Is there really a difference?
Shadday
OT:7706 Shadday (shad-dah'-ee); from OT:7703; the Almighty:
KJV - Almighty.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
omnipotent: “1. infinite in power, as God. 2. having very great or unlimited authority or power.” (Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, 1999)
almighty: “1. having unlimited power; omnipotent, as God. 2. Having very great power, influence, etc. : the almighty press” (Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, 1999, boldface and underlining added)
ORIGIN: Anglo-Saxon ealmihtig, æmihtig; eal (Old-English al) all + mihtig mighty.
(Wordbook Version 3.3, 2008-2009, TranCreative LLC).
Note: ALL + MIGHTY and ALL + POWERFUL sound like the same thing to me.
Scriptural References relating to God being all powerful/almighty (showing that he can do anything).
Job 38:19-21
19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to its territory
And that you may discern the paths to its home?
21 "You know, for you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
NASU
Note: It seems here that God is trying to impress Job with his power. He is even sarcastic about it!
Job 41:10-11
Who then is he that can stand before Me?
11 "Who has given to Me that I should repay him?
Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.
NASU
Job 42:1-6
Then Job answered the LORD and said,
2 "I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?'
"Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."
4'Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.'
5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;
6 Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes."
NASU
I think we all believe this, but on the video I kept hearing "maybe" and "probably" about God being all powerful. The whole book of Job is struggling with the question of why, if God is all powerful, are so many unfair things happening.
Even if we say that God has chosen to limit himself, this is still his choice to do so and he is still capable of not choosing to do so (He is still all powerful).
Doug,
ReplyDeleteI also struggle with wondering If I am praying enough about everything. I also can analyze so much that I feel worried. When I hear things like this I wonder even more if I am doing all I should be doing.
I do think, however, that God knows everything that is happening in the lives of his children and he wants us to know that he is watching over us with great interest:
Matt 10:28-31
29 " Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
NASU
Jesus also emphasizes that he does not want us to worry (Matt. 6). I think that if we ask God to participate in every aspect of our lives then he is on the edge of his seat, eager to do so. He will certainly not turn down that invitation.
And we are told that if we ask according to his will, he will answer:
1 John 5:14-15
14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask , we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
NASU
I take comfort in knowing that if I am asking God to intervene and work his will in every aspect of my life, He will answer and he will lead me to pray and interceed about the things that I need to.
I also believe he likes it when I show initiative to pray for certain things and to press through, but I don't believe he wants me to be afraid.
amy