Asking questions is an important part of learning and understanding. Either we ask the questions ourselves or are given questions that help us navigate this life. As important as questions are, we rarely ask the right questions. Because of our selfish and self-centered nature, we ask questions that focus on what we want and not what is. We ask questions about our desires. How do I get this thing? How do I accomplish this task? More often than not, our desires and the questions we ask end up having negative consequences. This is not to say that we do not have good questions. We often ask questions about why or how things happen. The truth is that even when we get the answers to these questions, they are not satisfying. There are a lot of reasons why this might be, but mostly, it comes back to our nature. When we look at the questions of the Westminster Larger Catechism, the question of the decrees of the Lord is possibly the one that we struggle with the most. Our last devotional asked what God has decreed for men and angels and the reality that God, according to his sovereign will, is constantly at work. Today, we ask the next question.
Question # 14
When we learn that scripture teaches that God is constantly at work in and through us, our first response is usually to reject it or to attempt to figure out a way to explain it away. We want to make it about us. We reject the idea that we are not in control, but we need to understand how it is that God works. So the catechism asks the question;
How does God execute his decrees?
The answer that we are given perhaps is not as satisfying as we would like because it is so simple.
God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence, according to his infallible fore-knowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will.
There are two parts to this answer. They are creation and providence. These two subjects will be the subject of future catechism questions, so for now, we will set them aside and focus more on the reason given in the answer. We are told that these things happen according to God's own knowledge and will. This is the most important part of the answer. It points us to the nature of God. The Lord is all-powerful and all-knowing. We understand what these words mean, but not fully. We can't. We can understand what knowledge is, but the concept of all knowledge is beyond us. It is beyond us because we are limited beings. We cannot even grasp what all knowledge might contain. It is perhaps the unknown nature of all knowledge that bothers us. We are afraid of the unknown. We are afraid of things that we are not in control of. Yet, at the same time, we take comfort from the knowledge that someone more powerful is in control. As children, we feel safe because we believe that our parents can and will protect us. As citizens, we take comfort in knowing that there are people protecting us, such as the police and firefighters. But God is so far beyond us in knowledge and power, infinitely so, that it can be frightening.
The Fear of the Lord
Fear is an appropriate response. We are told throughout Proverbs that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. We like to downplay the idea of fear as one of respect, but that does not tell the whole story. Respect for the Lord is essential. He is, after all, the one who created all things. He created you and me and deserves our respect. But the fear of the Lord is more than simply respect. In Matthew, we are told that we are not to fear the people of this world who can kill our bodies but to fear the one who can destroy both body and soul. That suggests something more than respect. It suggests real fear. Fear is not a bad thing. It is what we do with that fear that matters. We rightly fear burning our hands on the stove, but this pushes us to be more careful. The fear of burns pushes us to use the tool correctly. It is right to fear the Lord, but what we do with that fear is equally important. Fear is the beginning of wisdom. It is the starting place. We must move from that fear to understanding who God is. He is the creator of all things who is constantly at work in and through creation and providence to bring about the greatest good. He is our King and our Lord. If we had an earthly king, it would be right to be afraid of displeasing him. It would be right to be afraid of ending up on the king's bad side. At the same time, it would be right to seek to please the king, to obey what he has commanded. To understand that he has responsibilities and power that we do not have. The fear we are to have of the Lord is meant to be real fear, but not complete fear. It is a fear that is to push us toward obedience and love.
Our Heavenly Father
In the Lord's prayer, we are taught to pray your kingdom come, and your will be done. This is the right response to our fear. He is our Father. He is the one who knows best for us. Like our earthly fathers, who are meant to be an example for us, we should fear to displease him. A good father instills fear while at the same time instilling the understanding that discipline comes from love. That the correction is for our good. We should fear to displease our fathers because we want to please them. A right fear of the Lord points us to his love. That he is working for our good. A good greater than we can imagine. When we seek to understand how God executes his decrees, it can bring fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of powerlessness. But we must remember that God is good. We are called to fear the Lord, not his plans for us. After all, our Heavenly Father knows what is best for his children. Christ tells us that our earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to their children, though they are evil. How much more does our heavenly Father, who can do no evil, have good gifts for us? The decrees of the Lord are the decrees of a Father who loves his children.
Comments