Answer - Give us this day our daily bread. That is: Provide us with all our bodily needs1 so that we may acknowledge that Thou art the only fountain of all good,2 and that our care and labour, and also Thy gifts, cannot do us any good without Thy blessing.3 Grant therefore that we may withdraw our trust from all creatures, and place it only in Thee.4
Answer - Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. That is: Grant that we and all men may deny our own will, and without any murmuring obey Thy will, for it alone is good.1 Grant also that everyone may carry out the duties of his office and calling2 as willingly and faithfully as the angels in heaven.3
The recent terrorist attacks and consequent military action have reminded us in a horribly stark way of how little we know of the future and how tenuous the hold is that we have on life. And as this type of warfare reminds us of how uncertain we must be when we put our hope in what we have in this life, Psalm 46 comes to us with assurance of God's sovereign care over His creation. This psalm reminds us of hope and gives us the assurance that we all need as we live through difficult times.
Ask the average Christian the question in the title of this article and you're likely to get one of two reactions. Some will give you a quizzical look, as much as to say, "All right, what's the catch? Everyone knows the answer to that question." Others will say simply, "Christ died for everyone who ever lived." A small number of people will smell heresy and point an accusing finger. "Aha!" they will cry, "You're a Calvinist!" Without another word they may convey a further disheartening message: you ought to blush with shame and slink back into whatever hole it was that you crawled out of.
Let's take a further look at this last reaction. A frequent complaint against Reformed or Calvinistic people goes something like this: "Your view of the Atonement is not the result of Scripture but of logic. In fact, you are rationalists!" Those are harsh words indeed, but necessary, if true.
When I hear that I am a rationalist I am reminded of something Carl F. H. Henry said in another connection: "Let those who want to defend irrationalism do it with whatever weapons they can find!"
1. How can you trust God after this kind of an event?
The Christian answer to issues of suffering and tragedy always has to do with the Cross. Imagine you are an admirer and companion of Jesus Christ during his ministry. He is such a powerful worker of miracles that disease and hunger are almost banished from the countryside when he is present.
He is such a powerful teacher and spiritual guide that thousands of people hear him gladly and get hope. Then suddenly this man who is the one to help the whole country is cruelly, unjustly cut off in the very midst of his life--at only age 33.
What if you stood at the foot of the cross in front of this apparently senseless act of violence and tragic waste of life, and you said, "I can never, ever trust God again after an event like this!" And what if you went home and completely renounced all belief in God saying, "This proves that God is either a monster or indifferent or he doesn't exist"? If you did that, you would have been missing the greatest act of God's love and redemption in history. But of course no one at that time (and only a few for a good while afterwards) could fathom what had happened.
On March 23 and 24, 2007, Resurgence had the great privilege of having Dr. Bruce Ware come to Mars Hill Church in Seattle to speak on issues related to the sovereignty of God. In this, the third session the conference, given the afternoon of the 24th, watch as Dr. Ware talks about the Reformed Tradition's view of God's work in creation.
To follow along with Dr. Ware's notes, click here.
On March 23 and 24, 2007, Resurgence had the great privilege of having Dr. Bruce Ware come to Mars Hill Church in Seattle to speak on issues related to the sovereignty of God. In this, the third session the conference, given the afternoon of the 24th, listen as Dr. Ware talks about the Reformed Tradition's view of God's work in creation.
To follow along with Dr. Ware's notes, click here.
On March 23 and 24, 2007, Resurgence had the great privilege of having Dr. Bruce Ware come to Mars Hill Church in Seattle to speak on issues related to the sovereignty of God. In this, the second session the conference, given the morning of the 24th, watch as Dr. Ware talks about the Arminian Tradition's view of God's work in creation.
To follow along with Dr. Ware's notes, click here.
On March 23 and 24, 2007, Resurgence had the great privilege of having Dr. Bruce Ware come to Mars Hill Church in Seattle to speak on issues related to the sovereignty of God. In this, the second session the conference, given the morning of the 24th, listen as Dr. Ware talks about the Arminian Tradition's view of God's work in creation.
To follow along with Dr. Ware's notes, click here.
