I think that it stems from the ideas of sovereignty and providence. The former being "God's absolute right and ability to do all things according to his will" and the latter "the foreseeing care and guidance of God over His creation". Here is what, in part, I shared on that a few years ago in a post that I called
"I like Providence more than Sovereignty":
"We can error if we believe that because God is sovereign He wills bad things to happen us. We can also mistakenly take His providential care for granted thinking that our actions are not important because He can use bad stuff as well as good."So when I think about God's timing being perfect I don't think of timing so much as a sovereign chronology of time but more as an opportunity to trust in the providential care and presence of God. I think more of God being there when things happen rather than God making things to happen. Maybe is more about the perfect presence of God rather than the perfect timing of God? What do you think about these ideas of sovereignty, providence and perfect timing?
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteOne of the passages that popped out at me when I was a very young babe in Christ was this one:
Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
Rom 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
I think any form of theology tries to "figure out God", and He is beyond our ability to do so. He does not fit in any theological box....but the closest I can come is the Reform way of perceiving Him which puts Him into a sovereign.... straight-jacket (?) because our ideas of sovereignty fit our limited understanding of what that needs to be...however, like I said, our understanding being as limited as it is cannot come close to perceiving the fulness of His majesty. The term "I am THAT I am" comes to mind....He just is who He is.
Thanks Susan. I echo your thinking is that it is beyond our ability to "figure out God". It is why declarations about God's perfect timing come across more cliche like than anything substantial.
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