by jimwalton » Sun Jan 07, 2024 4:38 pm
I don't see in Scripture where God has "a plan for everyone." I don't see where our lives are either completely mapped out or even partially mapped out. I see specific instances that are planned, but nothing more.
Instead, life is in flux, there are bazillions of cause-and-effect complexities happening all around us, people use their free will to make their choices, other people's choices affect us sometimes whether we choose or not. Sometimes we are the effect of their choices, sometimes the victims, and sometimes we can use our choices to change things.
I don't see in the Bible, except a few times, where someone's sickness is God's plan. I don't see, except for a few times, where when someone dies that's God's plan.
The point of prayer is to communicate with God. Most of the prayers in the Bible pertain to our inner, spiritual lives, not to our external circumstances. And when they do pertain to our external circumstances, most of the time they don't get answered (at least not positively).
I don't see in Scripture where God has "a plan for everyone." I don't see where our lives are either completely mapped out or even partially mapped out. I see specific instances that are planned, but nothing more.
Instead, life is in flux, there are bazillions of cause-and-effect complexities happening all around us, people use their free will to make their choices, other people's choices affect us sometimes whether we choose or not. Sometimes we are the effect of their choices, sometimes the victims, and sometimes we can use our choices to change things.
I don't see in the Bible, except a few times, where someone's sickness is God's plan. I don't see, except for a few times, where when someone dies that's God's plan.
The point of prayer is to communicate with God. Most of the prayers in the Bible pertain to our inner, spiritual lives, not to our external circumstances. And when they do pertain to our external circumstances, most of the time they don't get answered (at least not positively).