Sunday Reading

I'm finishing up a theologically-rich book edited by John Piper entitled Beyond the Bounds: Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity. This book has been very thought-provoking, as it has shed light on some ways in which I am tempted to think unbiblically.

Recently I encountered the question, "Did God allow it or did He plan it?" (This was concerning the birth of a child with Down Syndrome.*) Some may say that it somehow relieves God of His responsibility if He only "allows" something. This is somehow the more comforting answer for some people, but I say, "NO!" My only comfort in hard situations is the knowledge that God has indeed planned it. For only then can I know that God is working His good purpose in my life. To quote from Beyond the Bounds,

From the smallest thing to the greatest, good and evil, happy and sad,
pagan and Christian, pain and pleasure--God governs all for his wise, just, and
good purposes (Isa. 46:10). Lest we miss the point, the Bible speaks most
clearly to this in the most painful situations. Amos asks, "Does disaster come
to a city, unless the LORD has done it? (Amos 3:6) After losing his ten
children, Job says "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the
name of the LORD" (Job 1:21). Covered with boils, he says, "Shall we receive
good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10) . . . Let us beware.
If we spare God the burden of his sovereignty, we lose our only
hope. (emphasis mine)

*I also have a child with Down Syndrome, and am so glad to know that she is not an accident. God planned, before the foundation of the world, to create her and to put her in our family. That is a true comfort during the difficult times.