Predestination or divine predestination rather is the concept that the Lord has a His own purpose for us which has been determined way before we even existed. It tells us that the Lord is able of planning the course of our lives and is capable of bringing these plans into motion for us to experience and endure with reasons that are bigger than us, whether or not we may understand His reasons for allowing them to happen in our lives.
Isiah 14:24-27 gives us a better understanding of predestination by saying:
The Lord Almighty has sworn,
“Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will happen.
25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land;
on my mountains, I will trample him down.
His yoke will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders.”
26 This is the plan determined for the whole world;
this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
Many Christians have questioned whether we are predestined to a life of salvation and happiness or a life of condemnation but in times like this, the bible tells us that:
- As we are born in sin, we all deserve to be condemned but also,
- Salvation is achievable as the Lord is gracious and through His initiative, we can be saved.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29)
The most common thing that Christians do not seem to understand completely is the concept that some people will be put through more pain as compared to others- whether or not they deserve it. We often ask ourselves, “why would God let that person endure so much suffering while others who live in sin bask in a full life?”
Let me tell you this, we do not deserve to be saved and we all deserve eternal punishment. However, God still chooses to save those who seek Him for as long as we are worthy of it. God may have predestined some of us to a life of relaxation and indulgence while others a lifetime of struggle and suffering and that is just something we need to entrust in the Lord.
No matter what life we are given, the most important part is that we learn and strive to be worthy Christians despite and in spite of what the Lord has given us.
