Discerning God's Will from His Providence
Posted 10-25-2008 at 10:30 AM by ericwgreene
Romans 11:33-34 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
In an effort to discern God's will for our life we attempt to "frame the leadings of providence" and make decisions concerning what we "believe" God is doing in our life. Providence is the practical outworking of God's foreordained purposes and plan in His creation today. We being creatures of His creation are included in His providence and in recognition of our present station we attempt to ascertain the will of God from what we observe of His providence. Yet Romans 11:33-34 reminds us that God's ways are inscrutable. Something that is inscrutable is not readily interpreted or understood. When we attempt to interpret and understand God's ways we are attempting something for which we are most unsuited, unprepared and incapable of doing. In a sense, we try to lower the mind of God to our own when we believe that we think we are capable of understanding His ways.
Instead of lowering God to our understanding, we should turn to God in faith and obedience. We turn in faith believing that His purposes will bring Him glory and are our good. And we turn to God by obedience in that we will do what He has commanded us to do regardless of whether we understand His providence or not. God's source of "practical guidance" (God's will) for our lives is contained in the Holy Bible. The Bible is sufficient to reveal eternal life in Jesus Christ by repentance and faith and it is sufficient in directing us to a life holy and pleasing to God. In his essay What Is A Call To The Ministry? Robert Lewis Dabney writes,
While the quote above is in reference to a call to the ministry, it is equally applicable in all areas of life. Regardless of our understanding of God's providence, we need to turn to God by faith and live our life for Him through obedience.
In an effort to discern God's will for our life we attempt to "frame the leadings of providence" and make decisions concerning what we "believe" God is doing in our life. Providence is the practical outworking of God's foreordained purposes and plan in His creation today. We being creatures of His creation are included in His providence and in recognition of our present station we attempt to ascertain the will of God from what we observe of His providence. Yet Romans 11:33-34 reminds us that God's ways are inscrutable. Something that is inscrutable is not readily interpreted or understood. When we attempt to interpret and understand God's ways we are attempting something for which we are most unsuited, unprepared and incapable of doing. In a sense, we try to lower the mind of God to our own when we believe that we think we are capable of understanding His ways.
Instead of lowering God to our understanding, we should turn to God in faith and obedience. We turn in faith believing that His purposes will bring Him glory and are our good. And we turn to God by obedience in that we will do what He has commanded us to do regardless of whether we understand His providence or not. God's source of "practical guidance" (God's will) for our lives is contained in the Holy Bible. The Bible is sufficient to reveal eternal life in Jesus Christ by repentance and faith and it is sufficient in directing us to a life holy and pleasing to God. In his essay What Is A Call To The Ministry? Robert Lewis Dabney writes,
Quote:
It is true that everything which befalls us is determined by God's special providence, for which reason we justly conclude that, in many cases, an occurrence, after it has happened, is a real expression to us of God's will. But there is another truth, that the designs of God's special providence are chiefly reserved among the awful secrets of his own fathomless wisdom. He forbids us to attempt to surmise his secret purpose from the apparent tendencies of his sovereign dealings, and pointedly remands us “to the law and the testimony” for our practical guidance. The light which “providences” cast upon the question of God's will as to our conduct is chiefly cast backward on the past, not forward on the future. The man who attempts to frame the “leadings of providence “into an indication of duty, instead of resorting to his revealed will, is often in danger of wickedly intruding into those secrets which belong to the Lord our God, and of profanely foisting the selfish leanings of his own inclination upon the Holy One as the teaching of his acts.
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