24 November 2023
Sometimes it helps to draw a psychological model, even if we know that the actual truth of what goes on inside of us exceeds the grasp of science. The verbiage in Scripture seems to run in different directions in different contexts because it's beyond words in the first place. Sometimes there's a heavy burden of responsibility laid on the individual, and at other times it seems as if there was nothing anyone could have done either way.
A psychology that stands on the Doctrine of Election is quite foreign to the West. The whole of western thinking is man-centered, that we are the captains of our destiny. That kind of language is everywhere. Well, it's true only for things that don't matter. In other words, what you can accomplish by the power of your own will has no bearing on Eternity. Human free will is there, but it does not apply to a certain range of things God has taken in His own hands.
The key issue is that at no time in your existence is your eternal destiny a matter of choice. You don't choose spiritual birth; you simply become aware of it. It will appear to you that it happened at some point in your personal timeline, but that was your awareness. The truth that you were chosen is eternal itself, before the creation of the world. He knew you before you were born.
Once you become aware of your election, it becomes an issue of cooperating with what God has in mind for you. There's a certain amount of interplay here, something that is entirely personal between Him and you. Some changes He will make unilaterally; for others, He will wait until you cooperate. And for sure, some issues have a distinct window -- if you miss it, it's gone.
Part of the trick here is recognizing that the pain and sorrow of this life is justly due our mortality in itself. Sometimes there are things you can recognize as your fault, but some are just part of the package of human existence. In a certain sense, there is no difference, in that you must remain humble. Otherwise, you become deaf to His voice.
And there are degrees to that deafness. There is ample testimony from other believers that they have experienced times when they felt utterly cut off from the Lord. The joyful sweet Presence of His Spirit has been withdrawn and they felt as if their election was taken away with it. I've experienced this, so I know it's a real thing, not just silly emotional ebb and flow. I might not be able to verbalize what I believe I learned from that experience, but I never felt like He had disowned me, only that it was a time of discipline. And it was miserable beyond words. Had it not been cut short, I'm quite certain I would have become suicidal.
Nothing can replace that sense of divine Presence. Nothing in this world could fill that void -- nothing.
So, I seek to honor that voice by obeying it. That obedience was tough at first, but the more often I surrendered, the easier it got. I never forget that I'm just along for the ride. The Lord will do what He does; I can get involved and enjoy His glory, or I can miss out by chasing something else. No one else's destiny depends on me, not even my own. But the joy and peace of His Presence is a choice I must make, and I can choose it only for myself.
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