The Secrets of God

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Ed Walsh

Puritan Board Senior
Greetings beloved of the Lord, (Oh how He loves us)

I make it my practice not to give advice very often or without much forethought. For the Christian, what really is advice but telling somebody what you think God's will for them is. But I am making an exception today.

I have a brief word of advice for you. A matter I have struggled with and, by the grace of God, gotten some victory over. It has to do with how we think, and particularly how we pray. Consider this familiar verse.

Deuteronomy 29:29 KJV​
The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

In all that you do, whether it is study, raising a family, praying for a loved one, or meditating on God, resist all temptation to think about or be curious about the secret will of God.

Is it the will of God to save my spouse? According to the revealed will of God, it most certainly is. For it is written, "God commands all men to repent." (Acts 17:30) When you consider the things that are coming upon this world and are tempted to fear, remember that "all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) When you pray, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven," do not think like the ten spies that brought a bad report of the land. (Numbers 13&14) Instead, remember the last words of our risen Lord before his ascension to the right hand of God.

Matthew 28:18‭-‬20 KJV​
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

I could give many more examples of how to discipline our thoughts and prayers, but I'm sure you can all take it from here. Always be on your guard about what you think because it is written, "as a man thinketh in his heart so is he." (Proverbs 23:7)

God bless you all,

Ed Walsh
 
Very insightful. I have this problem particularly when disappointments occur in my life, and it’s difficult to just trust God and not try to discern His will in the matter.
 
Very insightful. I have this problem particularly when disappointments occur in my life, and it’s difficult to just trust God and not try to discern His will in the matter.

It is always tomorrow before we have an inkling of what God's will was today.

The better you get to know God, the more you will trust Him, have freedom in prayer, and discover you really like Him with your whole self. We are told again and again in Scripture to seek the Lord. We have to start somewhere. For me, the last verse of Psalm 119 is always a good starting point.

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.
(Psalms 119:176)​

Don't give up until you discover that the Trinity of God is so delightful, loving, caring, and, yes, longing for the day when we will know even as we are known. And yet by no means will He acquit the guilty.

Last week I finished several months of Job and loved the way God spoke Job. One passage struck me about the sovereign way and the untamed manner of God's dealing with Job's constant complaining. Job was a true believer—even the choicest of believers. God said as much several times. Listen to this rebuke. And the Lord was just getting wound up.

Here's a snippet of God's manner in dealing with his beloved Job. This is God talking. Listen.

Job 39:19-30
Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying. He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons. He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword. Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear, and the javelin. With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground; he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet. When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south?
Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high? On the rock he dwells and makes his home, on the rocky crag and stronghold. From there, he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it from far away. His young ones suck up blood, and where the slain are, there is he.”

Listen again to just the last phrase. Is this the God you know?

His young ones suck up blood, and where the slain are, there is he.

What a picture. It is the Lord who commands the eagle to violently kill his prey. The bird then rips the fresh kill to pieces and gives it to his young. And then God vulgarly says the "His young ones suck up blood," and that their whole den is a scene of violent death with rotting carcasses everywhere.

It made me tremble with praise for the wild, dangerous mannerism of our God. All I could say over and over with the deepest possible soul-stirring voice.
I like it. Yes, I like it. And I like you. You are just awesome, and I like it.

Then.

And the Lord said to Job: “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.
Then Job answered the Lord and said: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.” ' (Job 40:1-5)​

After this, God really gets tough. For He is not a tame lion. And Oh how He loves us.
 
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