Reformed Christians-need help with questions about God's will, etc.

[HappyGrace]

I am pretty newly Reformed-it has CHANGED me completely in my relationship with the Lord! Hallelujah! I see it all over the Scriptures now too, and wonder how I ever could have missed it! :)

 

But I'm struggling with answering questions from dd10, who is wrestling with owning her own faith. The Lord has been helping me answer her with Scriptures, but this one has me stumped. Basically, I've taken to praying for God's will more now than for the way *I* want things to go, because I'd rather trust His judgment and sovereignty. But dd wonders, and so do I:

 

If we pray for God's will for this day, we know it will be accomplished. But if we don't pray for God's will for that day, will it be accomplished in our lives anyway?

 

And generally, I could use some help on the whole predestination thing, especially in relationship to our part in prayer changing things. Is there a book that is Reformed perspective but an easy and understandable read? (Some of the Reformed writers can get pretty lofty and wordy-I just need SIMPLE.) I don't mean predestination as far as God's elect, etc.-I understand that totally. I mean predestination in terms of everyday happenings, etc.-how His sovereign will can be affected by our prayer, etc. I have a lot of chicken and the egg type questions such as-He knows in advance whether we will pray, obviously, so does He change it ahead of time, etc? I trust Him totally that He can accomplish all that supernaturally and we may never understand how, but I need some answers for dd!

 

Also could use prayers-dh just got laid off the other day! I'm grateful the Lord brought me to this understanding of His sovereignty to help me through this time!

Edited May 3, 2010 by HappyGrace

[Heather in WI]

 

If we pray for God's will for this day, we know it will be accomplished. But if we don't pray for God's will for that day, will it be accomplished in our lives anyway?

 

 

I believe God's will will be accomplished whether we pray or not. That said, we are still commanded to pray. :-) I think it is okay to ask for specific things in prayer, not always the generic "that His will will be done".

 

 

And generally, I could use some help on the whole predestination thing. Is there a book that is Reformed perspective but an easy and understandable read? (Some of the Reformed writers can get pretty lofty and wordy-I just need SIMPLE.)

 

 

I love, love, love this short essay by Walter Chantry on "The Myth of Free Will"

Edited May 3, 2010 by Heather in WI

[Tracy in Ky]

It is a mystery, but God has ordained to bring about many of His ends through the means of our prayers. These ends will happen, but they won't happen apart from the prayers of His people. And the prayers will happen--and they are real.

 

I love the book, "Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility" by D. A. Carson. You may find it helpful.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Sovereignty-Human-Responsibility-Perspective/dp/1579108598/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272905347&sr=1-1

[Julie in CA]

Our prayers don't change God's will--He is fully able to accomplish His sovereign will without our help. What prayer does do however, is change *our* hearts and our desires, and brings us into a closer relationship with the Lord.

 

It is something akin to the times when my dc and I have discussed a decision I've made for them--it doesn't necessarily affect my decision for them at all, but it does give us the chance to have a conversation, for them to understand more fully why I've made the decisions I've made, and enables them to understand me and the decisions I make on their behalf more clearly. We come away from the conversation better off than before.

[ScoutTN]

One distinction I've found helpful is to be clear about the moral will of God and the sovereign will of God.

 

God hates all sin and never causes it or desires it. Yet we all are do sin all the time and we live in a world full of it's effects. Why? This comes back to the origin of evil which is an unanswerable question. Except to say for our good and His glory - the "how" of which I'm not sure a human mind will ever fully understand.

 

The sovereign will of God is the big picture - his control over all things. Every molecule and thought and action in all time and all places. Nothing is outside of his command - if it were He would not be God.

 

 

 

I too liked the D.A. Carson book posted above.

 

Also Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer

R.C. Sproul has several book that center around the sovereignty/God's will themes.

 

Easier reading but a bit more general would be Michael Horton's

Putting Amazing Back into Grace.

 

Specifically on prayer and easy reading is Doug Kelly's If God Already Knows, Why Pray?

Edited May 3, 2010 by ScoutTN

[Kathleen in VA]

I love, love, love this short essay by Walter Chantry on "The Myth of Free Will"

 

Thanks for linking this article - I just read it and it was excellent.:)