ALMIGHTY GOD IS SOVEREIGN! greatly rejoice...
Has God decreed all things that come to pass? Then there is nothing that falls out by chance, nor are we to ascribe what we meet with either to good or bad luck and fortune. There are many events in the world which men look upon as mere accidents, yet all these come by the counsel and appointment of Heaven. Solomon tells us, Proverbs 16:33 that "The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD."
However
disordered and fortuitous things may be with respect to us, yet they are
all determined and directed by the Lord. When that man drew a bow at
random (venture), 1 Kings 22:34, it was merely accidental with respect to him, yet
it was God that guided the motion of the arrow so as to
strike the king of Israel rather than any other man. Nothing then comes
to pass, however random and uncertain it may seem to be, but what was
decreed by God. . .
Let
the people of God comfort themselves in all cases by this doctrine of
the divine decrees; and, amidst whatever befalls them, rest quietly and
submissively in the bosom of God, considering that whatever comes or can
come to pass, proceeds from the decree of their gracious Friend and
reconciled Father, Who knows what is best for them, and will make all
things work together for their good.
O what a sweet and pleasant life
would you have under the heaviest pressures of affliction, and what
heavenly serenity and tranquillity of mind
would you enjoy, would you cheerfully acquiesce in the good will and
pleasure of God, and embrace every dispensation, no matter how sharp it
may be, because it is determined and appointed for you by the eternal
counsel of His will!
-preacher Thomas Boston (1676-1732 A.D.)
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