The Lord of Hosts has sworn: As I have purposed, so it will be; as I have planned it, so it will happen. – Isaiah 14:24
In those places where most of the unreached peoples of the world live, one saying is oft-repeated. The phrase is “Insha’Allah,” which in Arabic means, “God-willing.” For those who use it most, this little phrase implies a fatalistic approach to their everyday lives and is often a mantra for reckless behavior. They believe that since God determines the extent of one’s life and the moment of death, it makes no difference what you do or how you live.
In case you were wondering, Christ-followers should not see it that way.
For us, “God-willing” is also “God-doing.” Yes, we believe in the absolute sovereignty of God, but His sovereignty does not negate our personal responsibility to discover His purposes, study to apprehend them, and (even when we cannot fully comprehend them) to obey them. While God’s will/desire is always accomplished, we should remain active and responsible participants in that accomplishment.
God has not predicted the future, He has “pre-dictated” it and He is inviting us to walk with Him through it.
The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. – C. S. Lewis
