It seems inevitable.
Whenever my Bible Study group gets together, the subject of free will comes up.
It’s certainly one of the hardest concepts to get our heads around. Why would God create us with free will when He knew ahead of time that the consequences would cost Him dearly?
The question gets disguised in many ways — why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? How come bad people get away with wronging others? Why doesn’t God step in and change the course of world affairs? And a myriad of other questions that begin with why? Including the ubiquitous, “why me?”.
It’s hard to give a better answer than that of C.S. Lewis that I paraphrase here — God must have considered giving us free will as such an essential part of his glory that He considered it worth the risk and consequences that would inevitably follow from His decision.
I am sure God must shake his head in sorrow over many of the choices we humans make. Many of those choices not only affect us personally, but also our families, communities, and, in some cases, whole nations. What’s more, the effects and consequences of those choices are not limited to the here and now, but can extend far into the future.
As usual it is instructive to turn to scripture to see what the Holy Spirit has to say about such circumstances:
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Long ago my people chose to live in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria. What is this?” asks the Lord. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long. But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them.” Isaiah 52:4-6 NLT
As usual, the Chosen People were in trouble again! Not having learned or remembered the lessons of captivity in Egypt they now found themselves enslaved in Babylon. Here’s where my bible study group would unleash their “why?”s. Why did God allow this? Why did God not prevent this? Why did God not intervene?
Those of you familiar with the story of Daniel (lions’ den, fiery furnace, vegetarian meals, rooftop prayer, etc) will recognize that God did indeed intervene, but His intervention involved the conscious choices of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo to show His glory in that situation. (If you are not familiar with the Book of Daniel, dust it off — it’s a fascinating read!)
The point is that it was the freewill choices of previous leaders that got them into mess in contravention of God’s will, and the freewill choices of subsequent individuals that resolved circumstances in accordance with God’s will.
I’m sure none of us want to be remembered as individuals who thwarted God’s will to the detriment of ourselves and others. But the only way to avoid that is to be obedient to God’s will.
Sometimes this is hard! But none of the choices we make can be as hard as the choice confronting Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. And at the hinge of history, he made his choice:
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Matthew 26:39 NLT
And the glorious consequences of that choice resonate in millions of believers to this day!
Let’s not be quick to ascribe the motivation behind every set of circumstance to God. He is not looking for opportunities to confuse, frustrate, or punish us. We know from both scripture and experience that He is loving, kind, merciful and generous: And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:28-29 NLT
Might I suggest that at every decision point in life, there will always be a path (sometimes more than one) that will be in accordance with God’s will? It might be obscure, and may not be obvious, but it will be revealed if we seek it out.
Isaiah had further words from God for the wayward nation of Israel:
Get out! Get out and leave your captivity, where everything you touch is unclean. Get out of there and purify yourselves, you who carry home the sacred objects of the Lord. You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the Lord will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind. Isaiah 52:11-12 NLT
God’s will was clear. But the choice was still theirs. And it’s yours too!
Don’t just sit there — do it!
Blessings on you and yours, Jim Black
P.S. if you’d like to read previous ruminations of mine they can be found at https://www.salvationarmyconcordca.org/chronicle/?category=Bible%20Study