Plans
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
Our Monday night Bible study group struggled through the doctrine of "providence" this week. It is certainly a mind bending concept. Our study guide defined "providence" as:
"God has specific purposes in our world and that God works in the events of our world to bring those purposes to pass."
I ran across the following quote on my good friend Jason Woolever's blog written by Bishop William Willimon from his book Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry:
God has called us. It all rests upon his summons. It is not our job to make the world turn out right or to see the church triumphant or even to make this congregation into an unmistakable outpost of the kingdom of God. Only God can do that. It is not my task to work in such a skillful, informed, and competent way that my ministry will ultimately count for something. Only God can do that. And while God is doing that, it is good for me to keep in mind that this God wins victories through suffering, through love that, from a cross, moves the sun and moon and stars. The suffering that faithful ministry sometimes entails is not a sign of failure, but of fidelity.
The LORD's purpose prevails.
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