Jonathan Edwards

Usually by 24 hours after any news, I have come to terms with not worrying about it. Tonight I was praying for the pro-life issues about which I blogged earlier. Don't think I'm caring less. But God can handle all the details of petitions and campaigns and schedules, and changing hearts, and making abortion illegal again. I'm not much good at deciding those things myself. They're in God's hands.

In fact, even the wicked abortionists are in His hands. They are sinners in the hands of an angry God, just like I was. Jonathan Edwards was one of my first exposures to the answer to suffering in the world. So he borrowed his theology from Jeremiah and the rest of the Bible-writers. From him I learned that God is actually being gracious to us by just keeping us out of hell - for now! Aside from the pain, and aside from the future, God is being gracious to every person alive. When I realized my complete un-deserving-ness of even life, it sort of turned my view of what God did for me right-side-up. He whom I owed, who owed me nothing, gave me everything.

The sermon isn't too long. Read or re-read Jonathan Edwards' classic: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. And praise the God who let you live long enough to read it. Don't make that grace of no effect.

To God be all glory.