The most frequently asked religious question is the relationship between God’s sovereignty and free will. If God knows everything (omniscience) and can do anything (omnipotence), I think our free will would be of no use, to put it in extreme terms.
Just because God knows everything does not mean we are destined to live as we want. God knew that Adam would sin by eating the forbidden fruit, but that did not mean He made Adam to do so. Don’t parents usually know what mischief their young children will get up to? Likewise, God can do everything, but that does not mean He will do everything for us. He does not sin! He does not control everything of us like robots.
A life of faith is the relationship between God and me. Thus, it is essential to understand who God is. To do so, it is crucial that we diligently read and study the Bible, the only book that indubitably explains who God really is.
The God shown through the Bible is truly personal. He is like the most caring father in the world. No matter how much money he has, a good father does not do everything his child asks for. A good father allows his child to do things on their own, and even though sometimes he would help his child if he feels like his child cannot handle it himself, most of the time, he usually tries to help his child grow up as an independent person. Likewise, our God also nurtures us in the same way.
At times, we live too irresponsibly and idly in the name of faith in God. God rules the world with the law of reaping what you sow so that you will be rewarded for your own choices and endeavours (Galatians 6:7). Of course, there are His mercies and miracles, but that is not the typical way of ruling. If it is something I genuinely cannot do on my own, God performs wonders. In addition, it is also true that God helps me in all my daily affairs. However, God never intercepts our share of work because that is not the way He loves us.
All the grace, power, and wisdom that God pours is not to avoid or easily handle the things that people have to be responsible for in their lives but rather to help them undertake their responsibilities better and more proactively. Thus, whatever we do, we must remember God’s governance, that He lets us reap what we sow.
Whether it be study or faith, doing it moderately without working hard and hoping that God will mercifully let you achieve results that exceed what you actually put in is not faith but blind faith. The reason people have so much distrust in prayer is because they prayed in this wrongful way and then got disappointed that God did not grant their wishes.
Because God is always with me and delicately helps me, we must, in every situation, by prayer and petition, present our requests to God (Philippians 4:6) and do the best as He is helping and working in us.
