God's Sovereignty

After reading a friend's blog on destiny and how one must create his own, I began to consider the Biblical basis for the evangelical concept of "destiny." I wanted to know why so many of my fellows have a strong belief that God has one particular plan for their life. So, I did what I despise...a topical study.

Disclaimer: Please, I am no Bible expert, if anyone sees a misuse of a verse here, please tell me so I can make a correction. I've tried to be careful, but I am not perfect.

Starting with Nave's Topical Bible "Will of God, The Supreme Rule of Duty," I found the following (my paraphrase each and parallel passages have been grouped):

• Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2: Lord's Prayer, ask for God's will
• Matthew 12:50; Mark 3:35: The Father adopts those that do His will
• Matthew 26:39,42; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42: Jesus asks the Father for a different way, but accepts His will
• John 4:34: Jesus continues the analogy He presented to the Samaritan woman at the well by making the following of God's will equal to eating
• John 5:30: Jesus is only able to do the will of the Father
• John 6:38-40: Jesus came to do the Father's will; the will of the Father is that everyone should believe in Jesus and be raised by Jesus on the last day
• Acts 18:21: Paul promises to return to Ephesus if God wills it.
• Romans 12:2: Break free from the mold of the world and prove that God's will is good.
• Romans 15:30-32: Pray that God will allow Paul to visit the Romans; Paul believes that to be God's will.
• 1 Corinthians 4:19: Paul promising to visit Corinth, if God wills.
• 1 Corinthians 16:7: Paul hopes to visit and stay a while, if God wills.
• Hebrews 6:3: The teachers want to get to the deeper teachings of God, if God wills it.

I have not exhausted all the possible cross-references to do a complete study. Yet, from this small selection I think evangelicals are on strong footing for seeking God's particular will in their lives. On the other hand, we mustn't underestimate the effectiveness of our own choices. Everytime here, God's will is a choice to be followed, not an irresistable imperitave. We may either choose to do God's general and particular will or we may not. This doesn't even come close to covering the question of whether or not we know what God's particular plan is.

On the other hand, I do believe certain irresistable imperitaves do exist. This study goes beyond this brief look at a few verses. But, I can logically justify the statement. While we have free will, we live within a net of relationships. These relationships determine the limitations on our free will indirectly. For example, I cannot purchase a brand new Hummer H2, even if I might like to, because my relationships do not allow for such a purchase to be made (i.e., no car dealer is going to give me one on my income).

In some ways, you can equate relationships to gravity. Those who are closest to us have the most force to determine our freedoms, yet we are still affected by the force of every other human on earth because of the way all the other humans are related to each other. God is another relationship we all have. He has a much stronger pull than any other and defines even more indirect limitations on our will. Being all-knowing and all-powerful, He can have as much or as little sovereign control as He pleases. He doesn't step into history frequently, but we can see His hand nudging the direction of history too and fro, most notably in the arrival and influence of Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, I would agree with Travis and his postulation that life merely presents us with opportunities and we must make the choice as to which direction our life will proceed in. On the other, I partially disagree with his analysis of destiny. In some cases, I believe certain things that God means to be will be, regardless of our resistance. When the end of all things arrives, this will become apparent. However, from my Bible studies, I don't think that this kind of irresistable destiny is a part of our day to day lives, or even the big decisions of career and marriage—though, Paul's trip to Damascus is evidence that God may intervene directly in even those circumstances.

Rather, I do think there is a "meant to be" destiny for us that is a part of God's will. However, it is "meant to be" not "absolutely will become." It is a part of our lives to seek God's will in the general (knowing right from wrong, knowing God's plan for salvation, etc.) and particular (Where is God leading me?) and then to follow through by doing it. In this way, there is a path for each of us that is "meant to be."

And finally, a bit of experience, I have found that even when I don't follow God's will, it's not like stepping out into the dark with no way to return. Sometimes, I am stubborn or afraid and do not do what I know to be right. However, God's grace abounds. Even from our fallen state, He is able to say, "Okay, you've stepped off the path into the wild, I'll beat you a new path." God is willing to help us pick up the pieces of our lives when we shatter them and rebuild a new life, even though it might not be the same as if we hadn't broken God's will.