Thursday, January 26, 2006

Found this prayer I wrote to God while going through my collection of theological articles.

March 25, 2003

"Oh Lord God, how great You are!
Your knowledge is immediate and simultaneous,
Your comprehension is always complete,
Your decree is simply one comprehensive plan, embracing all that comes to pass,
In this I rejoice!
You, God, have in Yourself all possible causes and results,
You chose what You wanted to bring to realization, and thus formed Your eternal purpose,
What is there that You do noot know?
Does anything surprise You?
No, there cannot be anything that comes to pass that You have not ordained.
To You be glory evermore, Amen."

(Much of this was inspired and taken from Berkhof's Systematic Theology; The Doctrine of God: The Divine Decrees in General, pg. 102)

After reading this, I picked up Berkhof and flipped through it. I forgot what it felt like to be immersed in such rich theological language. It is like getting high on God's glory. We should be intoxicated by it. It is always profitable to the soul to read on God's attributes.

6 comments:

Truth and Zeal said...

I would have thought this prayer to be a Psalm at first. :)

Indeed, Berkhof is some intense reading. I only know a few others who have read it. FYI, it's required reading for the theology classes at TMC.

Dan (T&Z)

carson said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
carson said...

Just try to contemplate the intoxicating high that will come from being gathered around the throne forever.

crying "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the lamb, forever and ever!" (Rev 5:13)

Amen

Gordon said...

Amen, Carson, it's a good thing we will have a transformed body in that day. I don't think this one could handle it!

Correy said...

"What is there that You do not know?
Does anything surprise You?"

How do people understand this concept?

Is this because Everything has already happened and God is outside of time?

OR

Perhaps the answer is in Mr Berkhof's next sentance.

Truth and Zeal said...

...there cannot be anything that comes to pass that You have not ordained.

Amen... as Berkhof would say, "there is no blind decree in God, but only an intelligent and deliberate purpose" (emphasis mine).