God's Sovereign Will vs. Our Free Will

God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omnipresent (all-present everywhere and continuously), and omniscient (all-knowing). These 3 "Omni's" of God's nature point to the fact that God is sovereign over all! He is in control, He has a plan, and He will see it come to pass; the book of Isaiah puts it this way: 

"Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose." - Isaiah 46:10

God's plan and purpose for His creation is called His "Sovereign Will," but how then can we have "free will," or the ability to choose, if God is in control of everything? If God is in control of everything, are we in control of anything? On top of that, are our choices even our own, and do they even matter? These are critical questions that we not only have to answer for ourselves, but must answer to better understand God's plan for us and the world!

To better understand God's "sovereign will" and how it relates to our "free fill," we can separate His will into three parts; 1) "God's Perfect Will," 2) "God's Permissive Will," and 3) "God's Perceptive Will." These three "wills," while different, overlap to show us how God, even in all His power, presence, and knowledge, still leaves room for us to make our own choices. And over the next two days of the fast, we will dive into these profound theological truths straight out of scripture. 

We hope that as we move from the "shallow end" of the pool that is our theology and understanding of God into deeper waters, we can better understand how even in the midst of the trials and tribulations that we go through in the life, we can know that God is with us and will never leave us.

Heavenly Father, I pray that as we dive deeper into our understanding of you, that we never forget the simplicity of the Gospel. These truths do not overshadow what you did on the cross but only serve to help us better walk out your will for our lives. We pray this all in the name of Jesus, Amen.