Some people query whether everything works according to fixed arbitrary laws or is there room for freedom in the affairs of men. Well, it is helpful to know that we function in an open universe under God. God is not distant but He has set boundaries and nothing can go beyond control. However He permits man to learn from his own mistakes and even allows sin to go unchecked until is becomes 'ripe'. That is the picture we get from the Scriptures. It is very important to know that we do not have a fatalistic world but God rewards faith and answers prayer in a way that is astounding in its scope and essence. He extended the life of King Hezekiah because of prayer after He Himself send word through Isaiah that he was to die. In the New Covenant, the promise is extreme - 'Ask whatever you will...'. And James is very clear when he says - 'You do not receive because you do not ask'..There is a seeming tension between what God does in His sovereignty and what He will not do because we do not ask. The supreme essence of the Christian faith is that a person can be made a child of God and is given the freedom to request things from God that are only possible under an open heaven. He can dare to ask Solomon what he would like to have and would bless him double portion just because he pleased God in his asking. Jesus cursed the fig tree for no reason other than to teach us that all things are possible in prayer. Let's take Him at His Word.
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