Of course, this is not the case because God needs the creation in any sense. He is completely self-sufficient, enjoying the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit throughout eternity. Yet he has chosen to create, to express his love in this further way, and he does not just set the world going and abandon it to its own devices. He sustains and directs all things. His love means he will not ignore the details of what is happening on earth but instead, in the midst of those details, he acts to redeem men and women from the compromises and chaos that is the result of our sin. What happens on earth matters to him as much as what happens in heaven .
All of this shows us that God’s will is not an ethereal thing, something abstract and beyond our comprehension. God’s will is played out on earth, in our time and space. We might not understand all the details, how a particular piece fits in the larger pattern of his purposes. But we know that this piece, like every other piece, does fit and God remains Lord at every point and in every moment.
This means we can pray about the details of our lives on earth and know that God is vitally concerned. The Christian person knows that God is not remote from our need or from our suffering, just as he is not remote from our successes and our joy. We delight to pray that God’s will might be done on earth as it is in heaven . We long for the day when all the details of life are seen in their proper relation to Jesus Christ, through whom and for whom all things were created (Col. 1:15).
As we pray for the specific and personal needs of each other and of our College we can have confidence that our Heavenly Father is already and always involved in the world he lovingly chose to create. Thank you for praying with us.
Mark Thompson
Dr Mark Thompson is the principal of Moore College and Head of the Department of Theology, Philosophy and Ethics.
To mark Moore College Sunday held on August 3, we decided to share some resources on prayer to be a helpful ministry resource for you in your spiritual life. How can Moore be praying for you? Let us know: here.
*This blog post was originally published as a letter from the principal included in the September – November 2014 Moore College Prayer Bulletin.
