As some of you know, I was at a youth rally this past weekend. In short, it was a great experience and I learned a lot–not to mention I really enjoyed being able to see all my dear friends again.
The topic of the rally was (see title above) about God’s sovereignty and predestination. A topic that I have had a great interest in over the past two years since I struggle with putting my belief that God is in sovereign control over everything to practical action in my life.
In summary of what the rally was about, I am putting it below in three points, basically the summary of each three sessions. It was an excellent study, in my opinion, and I learned so much.
Predestination defined according to the Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter III paragraph I:
“God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.”
So, if we believe in predestination (and I do), what does this truth mean in the life of a Christian?
- God has predestined everything in the world from before the world was made. This includes both small and big things from holding the universe in place to me stubbing my toe against the leg of the couch. (Numbers 23:19, 1 Chronicles 29:11-12, Psalm 103:19, Proverbs 16:3, Isaiah 14:24 & 27, Isaiah 46:9-11)
- God has predestined and is in complete control of every aspect and detail of our each individual lives. (Matthew 6:25-34, Daniel 4:35)
- If we are in Christ, everything that happens to us, whether good or bad, is for our greater good and His glory. This includes trials and hardships of all sorts; they are meant to draw us closer to Him and to cause us to trust Him more.
However, those who aren’t in Christ do not have this promise of God’s love and protection. We can only pray for them and trust God in these circumstances, believing that His will is best.
As for those who struggle with anxiety and depression and who often struggle in believing in God’s sovereignty, as such, we can only pray and trust God and His promises. (Romans 8:28 & 35-39, 1 Timothy 6:15, Lamentations 3:21-26, Habakkuk 3:17-19, Isaiah 40, Matthew 28:20, Revelation 21:4)
So yes, in a nutshell, that was the rally. It was really deep stuff, but I enjoyed learning more about it. I hope you guys could gather stuff from it as well. 😉
Soon I hope to be back in regular postings and more about the projects I’ve been working on. Maybe I’ll have a normal post up on Friday, but no promises!
Until next time,
Cheyenne
The Dancing Bardess 