Trusting God

Although I finished writing Chapter 2 a long time ago, I am far from finished learning about the sovereignty of God.

One of my "side" studies recently has been about the kingdom of God, and I have been asking the Lord to show me if the kingdom (the millennium) has already commenced or is still in the future.

In the process of this investigation I have been considering the position that the kingdom of God is not a physical thing to be set up somewhere, sometime, but is God's rule in the hearts of people who are committed to him and who trust him.  And it is this kingdom that will spread and cover the earth "as the waters cover the sea" as all people are eventually reconciled to God.

An application of this definition of the kingdom is our willingness to be content with whatever God sends us - good or bad - because of our willingness to trust God's love and sovereignty.
Indeed it could be a good test of whether we are "in the kingdom" or not.  To be worried about anything suggests we are not trusting God in that thing.  And I am so guilty of that - not trusting that God is sovereign in ALL my circumstances.

God loves me and will never send me wrong things.  They may be things I do not like, be extremely unpleasant or cause great hardship, but they are never wrong if they come from a loving God who only wants the best for me and is planning to make me Christ-like.

Whatever God sends me will be beneficial - if I allow it to do the thing God designed it to do.
Remember my translation of 1 Cor 10 : 13 that I shared a couple of months ago?

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide the planned outcome (or sequel) so that you can endure it. [BSV]

It is becoming a key verse in my life.

The greatest evil ever was the murder of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son.  
But look at the benefit to the whole world that evil brought!

Hope you're learning to trust God in ALL things quicker than I am.
Blessings, Barry

Growth is God's Desire For Us

In a recent comment to the "Trustworthy Sayings" post, I mentioned that Rog's linking of hardships with God's refining fire reminded me of Paul's comment about temptations in 1 Corinthians 10 : 13.

Here's the NIV translation of this verse.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. [NIV]

It is typical of most English translations, but does it make sense?
..... God will provide a way out or a path of escape so that you can endure the temptation ?????
How can you endure something by avoiding it?

Let's think for a moment.
What is your own personal experience of facing hardships, temptations and crises?
Does God usually provide you with a way of escape?
If you're like me, that rarely happens.
He is more likely to provide encouragement, wisdom, strength, endurance or some other way for us to grow and mature and become Christ-like, rather than a way to remain weaklings looking for outs, excuses and escape chutes.

What Bible character was ever given an escape route?
Moses, Joseph, Job, Jonah, David, Hosea, Paul, Stephen, Jesus ????????
Have a quick flick through Hebrews 11.

God sees that the size of the problem is never more than we can cope with, but there is usually no escape from it.
So I began researching the translation of this verse.

Here's my translation.

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide the planned outcome (or sequel) so that you can endure it. [BSV]

If God is sovereign, and all is from him, through him, and to him, then we can be sure that any trial that God brings our way will also have its planned outcome in place, ready to be experienced also.
Which also guarantees that everything works together for good, for those loving God and fitting in to his plans.  [Romans 8 : 28]

So we need to trust God in all our trials and hardships, because he will also have the planned outcome ready to be achieved as well - not an escape chute so we can avoid the refining fire and growing experience God desires for us.

Blessings, Barry

The Garden of Eden

Had some interesting thoughts on the Garden of Eden recently, which I am currently exploring.

First, before eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve had no knowledge of evil OR good.
I had always assumed they had no knowledge of evil, but hadn't realised they had no knowledge of good either.
How could they know good, if they'd never experienced anything else? 
You would just think that what you constantly have is IT.

This is true for lots of things.
We never know what good health is until we experience illness.
We never know what wealth is until we experience poverty.
..... or fine weather until it rains for a month .....
..... or a happy marriage until it becomes a nightmare .....
You get the picture.

We only know something is good (or bad) AFTER we have experienced the opposite.
Aussies who return from an overseas trip often comment they didn't realise how good things are here until they had seen the horrible conditions under which so many others have to live.
I am sure Adam and Eve learnt how good things were in the Garden of Eden after they had been expelled and had to work for their food, had to cope with a murder in the family, etc.

Second,  the Garden of Eden may not have been the paradise I first imagined.
Adam and Eve lived in the company of God AND Satan.
They had the choice whether to listen to God or to Satan every day of the week.

While they were listening to God, enjoying fellowship with him, and following his instructions, they had nothing but good.
But as soon as they made the choice to listen to Satan, it all fell apart.

It has occurred to me that maybe the Garden of Eden was not as unlike the conditions under which we live as I used to think.
We live in the company of God and Satan.
We have the choice whether we listen to God or to Satan every day.
Listening to God, living in fellowship with God and following God's instructions is still the way to go.

But let's be honest about this comparison.
Things are harder for us than they were for Adam and Eve,
They did not yet have the sinful nature they eventually passed on to us.
Or did they? 
Was that already built into their DNA that guaranteed their disobedience?
Were they like us in the sense that they could not not sin?
After all, God has said that he has bound everyone over to disobedience (so that he may have mercy on all).

And they probably had fewer sources of evil and temptation around them than we have.
We have so much around us; they only had one snake to deal with.

Third, I wonder how the living conditions in the Garden of Eden would compare with those in the coming kingdom?
At least in that kingdom, Satan is bound.

What do you think?

Blessings, Barry

Willy Wonka

Have you ever seen the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?"
Yes?  How long ago?
Do you remember the closing scenes in the 1971 version (with Gene Wilder playing Wonka)?

Grandpa Joe and Charlie Bucket are meeting with Willy Wonka in Wonka's office (where everything is cut in half).

During the previous tour of the factory, each of the children had been given an everlasting gobstopper as a gift from Wonka on condition that they not give it away.
Grandpa, in his anger, threatens to give Charlie's gobstopper to Slugworth, the character who had been so desperate and cunning in trying to get hold of one to duplicate.
Instead, Charlie places his gobstopper on Willy's desk.

Willy excitedly bursts out with ....
"So shines a good deed in a weary world. 
Charlie . . . my boy . . . You won!  You did it!  You did it! 
I knew you would; I just knew you would. 
Oh, Charlie, forgive me for putting you through this.  Please, forgive me. 
Come in, Mr Wilkinson. 
Charlie, meet Mr Wilkinson."

As Mr Wilkinson enters, Charlie immediately recognises him and exclaims, "Slugworth!".
"No, no, that's not Slugworth.  He works for me," replies Willy.
"For you?"
"I had to test you, Charlie.  And you passed the test. You won!" announces Willy.
"Won what?" asks Grandpa Joe.
"The jackpot, my dear sir, the grand and glorious jackpot."
"The chocolate?" asks Charlie.
"The chocolate, yes, the chocolate, but that's just the beginning."

Charlie's disobedience in drinking the fizzy lifting drink was not counted against him.  Because he had clung to his everlasting gobstopper and had not betrayed Wonka, he was given chocolate for life AND inherited the chocolate factory as well.

Willy had used one of his employees (Mr Wilkinson portrayed as Slugworth up until now) to help him sort out who would be worthy to win this prize and to run the factory the way he desired.

Isn't this just like God in the Job story - and so many of our stories?

In God's realm, Satan is no more than one of God's employees. 
God uses him to determine how we react to the thoughts and temptations that are whispered into our ears.
Those who pass the test, and hold on to their everlasting gobstopper, not only get the chocolate (life in the age) but inherit the factory (the kingdom) as well.
The Bible calls these the overcomers.

Clearly, both God and his employees (including Satan) play for the same team, with God as the captain.
God is truly sovereign over all.

It's amazing how many Biblical themes are lurking in unexpected places - even in Hollywood movies.
Blessings, Barry

Church Leaders Hostile to God's Plan

Hi Glenn
Thanks for your question.  It has given me a great day today.
I had never even thought about such a question before you asked it last night.

I have previously considered and made decisions about the lesser question - 
why can't people, especially church leaders, see what God is going to do for all mankind?
-  but I have never considered why they are so hostile to the plan.

Why is God's plan to save all so abhorrent to most Christians, and especially to church leaders?

So ...... I have spent much of the day waiting on God, in prayer and in His Word.  
I've had a wonderful day.
I won't go into any of the details of my journey through the day, but simply say that I believe "God's plan to restore all" challenges mankind's real god at the deepest level.

Most of mankind's real god is self, and their most prized possession is their free will.
This is true of most Christians as well.

Man prides himself on his right and ability to make his own decisions as a free agent, as do most Christians. 
Most Christians are proud of their decision to choose Christ, to be saved, to become a disciple, to join the church, or whatever.
I became a Christian when I .....
I was saved when I .......
I was appointed a church elder or board member when I ........
I led this person or that person to Christ when I .......
And on it goes.

They believe their wise and/or clever choices have given them "rightly deserved" advantages over those who haven't been so wise or clever, and they should get the credit for that.

When the idea that it is God who chooses who and how many will be saved, and when and how that will happen, most Christians, and particularly church leaders, are threatened to the core.
Things aren't under their control as they thought and they can no longer take credit for the good things they have done.
Their choice to invite Christ into their hearts or to enter the ministry or to accept the appointment or position they now have is no longer considered to be their doing.

Self, their god, has been brutally challenged and dethroned - and they want none of it.
Don't talk about it. Don't even think about it. It's heresy. It's dangerous. It will get you into trouble.  Don't associate with people who talk like that.

They will happily preach on the sovereignty of God, as long as you don't take it to extremes or suggest it applies to everything and everyone.
For them, God is a lesser sovereign than self.
For them, God's plan for salvation only works when we agree to it.
And if you suggest that we might not have the final word on this, look out.

The second chapter of my book is on the sovereignty of God.
That should guarantee it will never be recommended to those in mainstream churches.

Blessings, Barry

What We Learn from the Costa Concordia

I gave you this one yesterday by email, but thought it was worth putting on the blog.

Because each new post or comment on the blog is sent to all of us by email to keep us in touch with what is being added to the blogsite, you will have a double up in your email INBOX,  Sorry.  Barry

In the largest passenger ship loss since the Titanic, 33 of the 4,252 passengers and crew of the Costa Concordia perished. The captain of the ship was arrested on preliminary charges, including manslaughter.
Despite the fact that some 99.2% were saved, it remains a tragic loss of life. Every life on board the ship was of unique value, and their individual death is a great tragedy.

Just the other day, my dear friend and brother, Jim Burson, shared with me an astute illustration spawned by this cruise ship incident.

"There was a large passenger ship with a thousand people on it. The captain assembled all passengers and announced to them, 'The ship is about to sink, but I have GOOD News. Fifty of you will be able to make it to dry land.'

"This is the 'Good News' of traditionalism, but I contend that it is not 'Good News' at all. For the nine hundred and fifty who are about to perish, it certainly is not 'Good News.' For those fifty who will not perish, it is not 'Good News,' because they likely will leave behind children, wives and husbands. Most of all it is not 'Good News' to the captain because he knows it was his responsibility to assure the well-being of his passengers."

Here is what we learn from the Costa Concordia: the captain is always responsible for his ship – and all under his care. Any loss is unacceptable, even .8%. This is even truer concerning the Sovereign of the Universe. He is responsible for all He has made – for His entire creation – and He emphatically declares Himself to be the "Savior of all men" (I Timothy 4:10).

In effectually discharging His responsibility God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to "take away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), proclaiming Him to be the actual "Savior of the world" (John 4:42).

In spite of all of this, Christianity has the faithless audacity to bring an indictment against God: the vast majority of His creation will be eternally lost, and His Son will utterly fail, being guilty Himself of dereliction of responsibility for His Saviorhood.

Our Lord Jesus Christ "came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10), and He Who leaves the 99, tirelessly and unfailingly will "go after that which is lost, until He finds it" (Luke 15:4). Some of Christianity would have the nerve to suggest that only a fraction will eventually be saved. However, if Christ's rate of salvation was that of the Costa Concordia's – 99.2% – He would be an utter failure, as He was not declared to be the "99.2% Savior of the world."

Salvation is not the responsibility of the crew or passengers, but of Salvation's Captain (the "Captain of their salvation" – Hebrews 2:10, KJV) – the successful "Savior of the WORLD." He, and He alone, will see to its full and complete accomplishment. The Good News is that the ship Salvation is in unwaveringly capable hands. Father and His Son are in absolute control.

Rest, and enjoy the cruise.

Clyde L. Pilkington, Jr.  

You'll have to excuse the American spellings in most of these quotes, but it is truly amazing how many people have held this "universalist" position, in one form or another, over the centuries.

Since discovering all these authors I have been tempted several times to stop writing my book as it has all been said before, but I am definitely continuing, as my presentation will be much "lighter" and more geared to 'the man in the street' than most of the books and sites I have discovered.


Blessings, Barry

Is God a Sinner?

In the Greek, the word for sin is "hamartia", which means to miss the mark or target, or fail to reach the goal.

Paul tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3 : 23)
God created mankind in his image and our purpose was to reflect him and his glory on the earth.
But we failed to achieve this, so we are sinners, miss-ers of the mark.

We probably all agree on this.

But do we realise that most of the world (including most of mainstream christianity) believe God is also a sinner, or at least will be?

Paul tells us that God's plan is to reconcile all things to himself through Jesus (Col 1 : 20).
But most people think he will not achieve this and so will miss the mark, will sin.

Jesus said he would draw all mankind to himself (John 12 : 32).
Most people feel this will not happen and so Jesus will miss the mark, will sin.

Paul said God is going to have mercy on us all (Romans 11 : 32).
Most people believe God will punish the majority of mankind forever and therefore will not reach his goal, will miss the target, will sin.

I believe what the Bible says 
and therefore believe God will achieve all his purposes.
God is no sinner - nor ever will be.

What do you think?

Blessings, Barry

The Giant Sudoku

This is a short section from Chapter TWO of the book.

Because some stuff that comes before it is relevant but missing in this post, it might not be as useful to you as it could be.  

But I thought it was worth sharing with you anyway, as it is part of my explanation of how God's sovereignty and man's "freewill" can co-exist, and this is always a challenge for thinking Christians to get their minds around.  This co-existence I have called The Magic Combo earlier in the chapter.

Isabel loves solving Sudoku puzzles (and I'm known to enjoy them pretty frequently too).

It occurs to me that these are another example of the Magic Combo we have been discussing.

Each puzzle has a designer and players.

The designer creates the puzzle, determines its end result and sets the rules to be used in its solution.

As such, the designer builds the fence inside which the players must remain to enjoy and solve the puzzle he/she has created.

The rules are written in negative form (you must not have the same numeral in any one row, column or region) as were the rules for the behaviour for the management team in our corporate governance-management model above.

Although there is only one correct solution or end result for each puzzle, players can work towards that in any way they choose - as long as they keep to the rules.

Within these limits, they are free to make a wide range of decisions and use a variety of strategies.

They have “limited freewill.”  (There's that term again.)

They can guess, follow clues logically, backtrack, erase the work done so far, start again, or any combination of these.

They can even put it aside for a time and come back to it sometime later.

But the correct solution never changes, nor do the rules, no matter what the player does.

The designer is sovereign, and all players must submit to his/her sovereignty.

Within the puzzle itself there are clues to help fill in the blanks and reach the goal.

And there is usually a rescue plan in place for those who can't make it on their own.

If the puzzle is in a book, there might be hints or the final solution in the back.

If the puzzle is attempted online, hints and prompts are readily available with the click of a mouse button.

One way or another, it is possible for every player to achieve the end result, although they may take different routes and different amounts of time.

We happily accept there is only one solution; we happily accept there are rules that cannot be broken; we happily accept the challenge the designer has set before us.

That's just the way things are!

As is life.

God is sovereign, the Designer, who has decided on the end result and set the rules for getting there.

Mankind can make choices and decisions like a Sudoku player, but in the end, there is only one result and the same rules apply to all players.

And thankfully, there is a rescue plan in place for those who can't or won't get to that result during their lifetime on the planet.

Blessings, Barry

Romans 11 : 36

Paul concludes his little essay in Romans chapters 9 - 11 on the history, condition and future of Israel with

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
............
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be glory forever."
[ Romans 11 : 33 - 36   ESV]

Some translations have "for him are all things" rather than "to him are all things."
That sentence

"For from him and through him and to (or for) him are all things."

has become my mantra in recent years.

The Message translation says it this way.

"Everything comes from him;
Everything happens through him;
Everything ends up in him."

That truth has now permeated my whole being.
Everything I see, hear, read and think about is filtered through this speck of gospel gold.
It helps me keep God's overall purpose and plan in perspective so that I can more easily see isolated events and circumstances as consistent parts of God's big picture.

"To him be glory forever."

Barry

Atheism is Stupid

In Chapter Two of THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT GOD (my working title for the upcoming book) I talk about the sovereignty of God, how God is in total control of everything.
In discussing this, I assume the position that God does in fact exist.
Although I don't want to get into a debate on the existence of God in this book, I thought I might use the theme of this chapter to point out the stupidity of atheism, and a couple of consequences of holding such a position.

Atheism is considered to be a non-religious position, the non-belief in a God or deity.
But atheists generally are very committed to TWO religions, two belief systems of their own. 
A cursory reading of evolutionary literature quickly demonstrates that the theory of evolution is a belief system which is held with more passion than most Christians hold to their belief system.  
Although it is promoted as a science, the theory of evolution is certainly not a science as it cannot be even demonstrated experimentally, let alone proven by scientific practice.

And humanism is the second religion of atheists, the belief system that promotes humanity as the sovereign deity and only saviour of this planet.

I find it interesting that these two religions oppose each other yet are held by the same people.
Let me illustrate.
Evolution says that we all appeared as a result of natural, random processes.
So our minds, our most prized possessions, are controlled by physical laws, and our thoughts, feelings and emotions are just the result of chemical reactions. (see comment below)
We can't take credit for anything we do or think or feel or decide.
These all happen the way they do because of the way we are, the way we have evolved.
We are no more in control of ourselves or of our behaviors than is a cog in a wheel or a rock on a hill.
We just do what is consistent with the way we happened to end up in the evolutionary process.

Humanism, on the other hand, says that we have the capacity and brilliance to determine and control the future of mankind, including solving all its problems..
That's aiming a bit high for a cog or a rock, don't you think?

If we follow the atheism/evolution connection further we would also come to some other interesting, but demeaning, conclusions.
Since no-one is responsible for who they are or for what they can do, all behaviour is just part of the package we have become.
A loving hug is the same as an act of murder; the skilled person is exactly the same as the unskilled - all are the result of random, undirected processes over which we had or have no control.
Everyone is just doing what they are made to do, what they "just have to do" because of who they have become.

What meaning is there in a life explained by an atheist or evolutionist?
None. 
We are just robots doing what the particular mix of physical and chemical bits that was our lot determine we should do.

No wonder people brought up on a diet of atheism/evolution have no hope, see no future, see no purpose in life.
How could they?

Guys and Gals, I would be very interested to get some solid feedback on this blog.
Talk to me please.
Barry

The Parable of the Surf Beach

Australia has superb surfing beaches.  As well as the excitement of riding the white caps to shore there is also a dangerous undertow or rip lurking beneath them to avoid or overcome.

Lifesavers patrol our beaches, mark the safest sections in which to swim and surf, and stand ready to save any who ignore the markings, become injured or fall victim to the outgoing undertow.

The beach, its waves and undertow, the surfers and lifesavers form a neat picture of God's purpose to bring all of his creation to unity under the leadership of Jesus Christ.

Imagine the picture.
The water is littered with surfers on their boards, having left the shore some time earlier.  Some are on the way in, some are sitting waiting for a good wave, some are just enjoying the view, some are paddling around, some are even heading out toward the open sea.
But eventually, at the end of the day, all of them return to the beach.

There are no options in the game plan.  All go out to sea and all come back to shore.
But what happens during a day's surfing?

Some surfers immediately catch their wave and come straight to shore.  Some choose to ride their wave more adventurously - changing direction, even going backwards at times, through the tube, up on the crest, lost in the foam, but eventually arriving "home".
Others fall from their wave or miss it altogether and have to wait for another.

Regardless of the variety of maneuvers or choices made by each surfer, the waves continue to travel towards the shore and all surfers will eventually arrive there too.
The natural rhythm of the ocean, the unchanging laws of nature, guarantee that!

So how does this picture demonstrate God's purpose in the world?

The surf is the world.  The beach is home, the final destination of every person in the world. 
The surfers are God's offspring, littered all over the world.  Some catch waves that take them to Jesus in their lifetime, others take longer having missed waves or not been in the right place to even see one.
The lifesaver on the beach is Jesus who is watching with great interest and compassion as his creation rides the waves and battles the rips of the world.

God's unchanging purpose for all of his creation is to bring everyone home.  We can't avoid it. It's the natural rhythm of the universe. Regardless of the choices we make, the number of waves we miss or ignore or fall from, eventually one of them will bring us to shore.

All of us?  What about the surfer who is injured, becomes exhausted, is totally captured by the rip and driven out beyond the breaking waves, or just never sees a wave?
The lifesaver comes to the rescue.  He brings to shore those who can't or won't get there themselves.  That's what he's there for.

He may even have to fight with them, overcome them, to bring them to the beach. Jesus once said he would even "drag" people home.

Jesus is God's lifesaver.  Jesus describes his role in the parables about the lost sheep and lost coin in Luke 15.  A sheep and a coin that are lost with no hope of returning home under their own steam are rescued by their owners.  

No-one will drown while Jesus is on duty in the lifesaver's box!  All of God's creation get home one way or the other.
Barry

The Joseph Story

The story of Joseph, like that of Jonah, shows how uninformed we are about God's workings on this planet, how little we understand how resolutely He works at fulfilling His plans.  We think we make all the decisions in our lives by our "free" will, but really we have no idea that God is orchestrating the whole symphony from behind the scenes.

Joseph's brothers hated him because he was their father's favourite.  They hated him all the more when he told them of his dreams which predicted that one day they would be his servants.

Because of their hatred and jealousy, the brothers threw Joseph into a pit intending to kill him, but sold him to passing traders instead.  These traders were on their way to Egypt and, on their arrival there, sold Joseph to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard.

Through extraordinary circumstances, Joseph became Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.  In this position he saved Egypt from ruin during the seven year famine that Joseph himself had previously predicted.

Because the famine also affected Canaan, where Joseph's family lived, his brothers came to Egypt to buy food from the stockpiles Joseph had created during the good years before the famine hit.  After several dealings with Joseph, who they did not recognise, the brothers finally discovered they were doing business with Joseph, their youngest brother, when he revealed his identity to them.

"I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!  And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you."  [Genesis 45 : 4 - 5  NIV]

Later, all the rest of Joseph's family moved to Egypt where Jacob, their father, subsequently died.  Fearing revenge from Joseph after their father's death, Joseph reassured them that their mischief-making and evil intentions were used by God to execute His plans to save Jacob (Israel) and his family.

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."  [Genesis 50 : 20  NIV]

Sounds a bit like what Jesus might have said to those who put him on the cross, doesn't it?

Jonah, Joseph, Jesus ...... God is really running the show, even when we don't recognise it.  However, the wise King Solomon did.

"People may plan all kinds of things, but the LORD's will is going to be done."  [Proverbs 19 : 21  GNB]  and "You may make your plans, but God directs your actions. "  [Proverbs 16 : 9  GNB] were two of his thoughts on the subject.

Barry

The Jonah Story

The story of Jonah contains lots of illustrations of the way God acts towards us in general, not just to Jonah and the city of Nineveh.

Have you noticed how much God is in control and is orchestrating the events in this story? 

The word of the Lord came to Jonah .... 

Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea ....
But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah ....
And the Lord commanded the fish ....
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time ....
God had compassion and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened .....
Then the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow ....
God provided a worm ....
God provided a scorching east wind ....
       
This definitely sounds like the God who Isaiah quotes in Isaiah 45 : 5 - 7
"I am the Lord, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,
so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting
men may know there is no other.
I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the Lord, do all these things."

God's sovereignty is clear, but what about man's free will, which is proudly proclaimed in the world, indeed in most mainstream churches?

The Jonah story is a great example that shows the difference between God's sovereignty and man's so-called "free" will, which I prefer to call man's will. 

God had a plan for Jonah's life which involved him going to the people of Nineveh and warning them of God's displeasure with their behaviour and His coming judgement on them unless they repented. 

Jonah chose to disobey and run from God's presence.  (Fancy thinking he could do that?  He obviously had lost his copy of  Psalm 139.)  Well that was his choice and he exercised his will in catching a ship to Tarshish and heading in the opposite direction.

But God sent a great wind that threatened the safety of all on board and Jonah was thrown overboard to reduce the risk.  God then sent a great fish to swallow Jonah.  

The storm, the potential shipwreck and the fish attack eventually got Jonah's attention and he quickly learnt to pray.   When God asked him to go to Nineveh again, he readily agreed to go.

Jonah certainly had the ability to make choices and exercise his will, but in the end, God had His way.

God has a plan for all of us.  To live in fellowship and harmony with Him forever.  We have the authority to exercise our wills and make all the choices we want, but these will only determine the quality of the journey - make the journey wonderful or dangerous. 

God has no hesitation in providing trouble, persecutions, even disasters, to get our attention and get us back on track.  Even Jonah in the middle of his troubles and deep sea crisis recognised this fact. 

In his prayer he revealed his understanding of God's grace and the futility of relegating God and His plans to last place in his life.  He said, "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs." 

Paul says we can experience God's kindness/grace or His sternness/correction on the journey, the choice is ours.  But the final destination has already been chosen for us by the Sovereign God, who loves us and wants the best for us.

Indeed, in one way or another, in this age or another, through the lake of fire if need be, God will get us to where He wants us to go.  Just ask Jonah.

Barry