Is the faith saying "it'll work out"?

[OldAbramBrown]

Does the current version of the teachings of Calvin forbid commending one's peers (individually, when in need) to the providence of Christ and Holy Spirit?

Wasn't Calvin reputed to be laissez faire? That when there is a prayer request one ought to just say, "it'll work out"?

Are one's peers in need, God's providential gift to us also?

That they are in need, doesn't mean they don't have insight? That they have insight, doesn't mean they are not in need?

"I thank Thee O God that I am not a loser like that loser over there"?

Has the wrong kind of literalism made a materialist kind of moralising into the deciding principle (now that it is no longer badged "prosperity gospel")?

Is faith really "pragmatism" debased into manoeuvring?

 

[timf]

Calvin may not have been right.

It might be more helpful to make your prayers and petitions known to God and grow in knowledge by the word.

 

[Soyeong]

Does the current version of the teachings of Calvin forbid commending one's peers (individually, when in need) to the providence of Christ and Holy Spirit?

Wasn't Calvin reputed to be laissez faire? That when there is a prayer request one ought to just say, "it'll work out"?

Are one's peers in need, God's providential gift to us also?

That they are in need, doesn't mean they don't have insight? That they have insight, doesn't mean they are not in need?

"I thank Thee O God that I am not a loser like that loser over there"?

Has the wrong kind of literalism made a materialist kind of moralising into the deciding principle (now that it is no longer badged "prosperity gospel")?

Is faith really "pragmatism" debased into manoeuvring?

In Proverbs 3:5-7, we have a choice between whether we are going to lean on our own understanding of right and wrong by doing what is right in our own eyes or whether we are going to trust in God with all of our heart to correctly make that division through obeying what He has instructed, and that is what it means to have faith. Paul suffered and then was martyred, so having faith is not about saying that things will eventually work out according to our understanding of how we would like them to work out, but about trusting God to guide us in how to rightly live regardless of the circumstances.

Here is a story:

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, because he owned a beautiful white horse. People offered fabulous prices for the horse, but the old man always refused. “This horse is a friend, not a possession,” he would respond.

One morning the horse was not in the stable. All the villagers said, “You old fool. We told you someone would steal that beautiful horse. You could at least have gotten the money. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.” The old man responded, “Perhaps. All I know is that my horse is gone; the rest I do not know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say.”

After fifteen days the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses back with him. Once again the village people gathered around the old man and said, “You were right – what we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.” The old man responded, “Perhaps. Once again you’ve gone too far. How do you know if this is a blessing or a curse? Unless you can see the whole story, how can you judge?” But the people could only see the obvious. The old man now had twelve additional horses that could be broken and sold for a great deal of money.

The old man had a son, an only son. He began to break the wild horses. Unfortunately, after just a few days, he fell from a horse and broke both his legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and said, “You were right. The wild horses were not a blessing; they were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs and now in your old age you have no one to help you. You are poorer than ever.” But the old man said, “Perhaps. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. We have only a fragment of the whole story.”

It so happened that a few weeks later the country went to war with a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he had two broken legs. Once again the people gathered around, crying because there was little chance their sons would return. “You were right, old man. Your son’s accident was a blessing. Our sons are gone forever.” The old man spoke again. “You people are always quick to jump to conclusions. Only God knows the final story.”

We don't have the full picture to be able to judge whether the way that things turned out is a blessing or a curse, but we can have faith that it is a blessing if we continue to abide in what God has instructed.