I've been told that Thomas Jefferson was a Deist, in that he believed that God created the universe and then has "stepped back" and let it unfold without intervening. Deism has been called a heresy, and I can see why. I believe that there is a kernel of truth to the concept. For instance, bacteria randomly attack and cause sickness. We live in a fallen world and bad things happen (to both "good people" and "bad people"). In that sense, I believe that God allows the created order He put in place to operate. I also believe He intervenes and heals and protects and speaks.
Genesis 18 presents an unusual challenge, though, because Abraham meets three people that he immediately recognizes as being His God or higher beings that he should humble himself before. One is refered to as the Lord and the other two are called angels in the next chapter. The Lord tells Abraham that they are there to check in on the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah, to see if the outcry against those cities are accurate. It's interesting, because God is sovereign. Why would He need a closer look? He apparently doesn't even make the rest of the journey, as the two angels go on without Him.
Wouldn't it be cool for God to check in on you? If He actually opened the door and came in your room, just to see how you were doing? Of course, if it were a grievous sin reason like those two ancient cities, it would not be a good thing; but if He just came by to say hello and see how you were doing, that would be great.
One thing I like to do sometimes is approach God in prayer like that. Say stuff like, "What are You up to today, Lord? And how can I be a part of it?" It's a scary prayer to speak, because it opens us up to assignments we may not know about, but we know that God is trustworthy.
I'm planning on seeing the movie Friday Night Lights with my friend Paul Q-Pek (who just moved back to Austin) today. That should be fun.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at October 8, 2004 10:09 AM