(Ephesians 1:5 NLT) God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.
I’ve known many people that struggle with the ideal of God knowing in advance which ones would be called His. Surely, this means we are predestined to heaven or hell and therefore it doesn’t matter what we do in this life because our fate has already been determined. This is a lie straight from the enemy ultimately meant to destroy the very souls Jesus came to save. Within this lie is the ability to separate those who find it hard to believe God would love someone such as themselves from those who have not come to terms with their own sin and cannot see why God would deny them anything. Not only does this lie keep the broken hearted at bay but it also gives the self-righteous an excuse to continue in their decadence. How is it with one arrow the enemy can keep both camps from knowing God but the truth reveals God’s glory that cannot be hidden from view of those seeking it. For it is the self-centeredness of mankind to think he can know the mind of God or compare God’s ways to man’s own reasoning, it is utterly ridiculous! It would be the same as asking a toddler to explain the theory of relativity – it can’t be done. If we know anything of God it is only because His Holy Spirit has revealed it to us and not because of our own abilities.
(Job 38:1-21 NLT) Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: "Who is this that questions My wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? "Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, 'This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!' "Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night's wickedness? As the light approaches, the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal; it is robed in brilliant colors. The light disturbs the wicked and stops the arm that is raised in violence. "Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you explored their depths? Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell Me about it if you know! "Where does light come from, and where does darkness go? Can you take each to its home? Do you know how to get there? But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!
So where does that leave us? Does God know our future? Yes! Will that cause us to doubt His present involvement in our lives? It shouldn’t! This life is a race, a test for something we know not of in the future, does that cause us to run with any less zeal? It should make us run all the more knowing the God holds our future and it rest not on our own ability to get where we are going.
(Psalms 22:24-26 NLT) For He has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned His back on them, but has listened to their cries for help. I will praise You in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship You. The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the LORD will praise Him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
