The Works of God

Our video team has had more on their plates than normal, but they are working hard to get the videos from Desiring God’s conference, The Works of God: God’s Good Design in Disability, available on the web.

I am grateful for the many emails and direct messages asking about them.  I’m ready to share them myself!  It could be as early as later today.  If that’s the case I’ll post again here and on twitter.

In the meantime, Pastor John tweeted an interesting quote that got me looking for its context:

“There are hard texts in the works, as well as the word of God.” Flavel

It comes from John Flavel‘s book, Divine Conduct; or The Mystery of Providence, first published in 1678.  The section below comes from pages 155 and 156. Emphasis in bold is mine:

Pry not too curiously into the secrets of Providence, nor suffer your shallow reason to judge and censure its designs.

There are hard texts in the works, as well as in the word of God. It becomes us modestly and humbly to reverence, but not to dogmatize boldly and positively upon them. “When I thought to know this,” says Asaph, “it was too wonderful for me.” “I thought to know this;” there was the arrogant attempt of reason, there he pryed into the arcana of Providence; but “it was too wonderful for me,” it was a useless labor. He pryed so far into that mystery, the afflictions of the righteous and the prosperity of the wicked, till it begat envy towards them, and despondency in himself; and this was all that he got by summoning Providence to the bar of reason.

I know that there is nothing in the word or in the works of God which is repugnant to sound reason; but there are some things in both, which are opposite to carnal reason, as well as above right reason; and therefore our reason never shows itself more unreasonable, than in summoning those things to its bar, which transcend its sphere and capacity. Manifold are the mischiefs which ensure from this practice. By this we are drawn into an unworthy suspicion and distrust of the faithfulness of God in the promises. Hence comes despondency of mind, and faintness of heart under afflictive providences. Hence flow temptations to deliver ourselves by indirect and sinful means.

Beware, therefore, that you lean not too much to your own understanding. Nothing is more plausible, nothing more dangerous.