In August of 1977, I was living with my parents in a mobile home park in Waycross, Georgia. My dad had recently resigned a church in Axson where he had served as pastor. Dad was no longer a pastor. He had no church. Now he had to work a job and was getting into TV repair. I was just starting 8th grade at Ware County High School.
In a few short weeks, things changed dramatically.
One day my dad received a phone call from the state bishop that a church had opened up in a town called Villa Rica. It was located about 20 miles west of Atlanta. My dad accepted and we moved there.
If that move hadn’t happened, I probably would have never met my wife.
The Reverend Bobby Beasley changed the course of my life in 1977. Who is Bobby Beasley? He was the pastor at Villa Rica who decided to leave his church for a position in Nebraska which made the vacancy possible.
If Bobby Beasley hadn’t taken that position, we wouldn’t have moved and I would not have met my wife. There is more to the story which makes this even more amazing but I may bore you with those details another time.
Some call it the “butterfly effect” where the actions of one unknowingly affects the lives of others. I prefer to call it “ordered steps” which are directed by God. No one knew at that time or even years later how that one decision by Bobby Beasley would change everything.
“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” — Proverbs 16:9
So did God know in 1977 that I would be where I am today and married to the woman I met in high school when we moved to Villa Rica? Would I have still ended up here had Bobby Beasley decided not to leave his church? Thinking about this too much might give us both a headache.
One thing I do know - I am not God.
God’s plans aren’t always in a straight line either. Never expect that He will take you from Point A directly to Point B. Sometimes it might involve all the other letters of the alphabet. There are a lot of reasons that factor into this. Our decisions take us in different directions along God’s plan. It took Israel 40 days to make an 11-day trip when they were delivered out of Egyptian bondage. Sometimes God alters our course for His purpose in order to fulfill another persons' life.
I have heard people say that everything happens for a reason. That is certainly true but things don’t always happen for a good reason. Ultimately we can fulfill God’s plan for our lives if we trust Him to do it. If we don’t and go our own way, we will end up wherever we end up and sometimes that is still God’s plan.
I have heard people claim that God already knows our future and they get all crazy about the subject of predestination. Some think that your future has been decided since birth and none of us have any way of changing that. Our free will plays into God’s plan to where it isn’t that everything has all been planned without alterations but that God knows what is ahead on our chosen path. For instance, if you are driving from Nashville, Tennessee to Atlanta, Georgia you could go one route but you might decide to go through Knoxville instead of Chattanooga to get there. When you and I make a choice, God knows where that path is going to lead. If we have a relationship with Him, He will help us get there and navigate us much like a GPS does when we are driving.
The point of all this is that we don’t need to think so much about this and try to figure it out because we won’t. Everyone’s journey is different.
The theology of both groups can be supported by scripture as man may determine the meaning of scripture. While there is little argument over the meaning of the word predestination, there is a lack of clarity to what God’s intend and application is in regard to what predestination applies to. There are few verses that provide a clear picture to the application of predestination.
What is God’s desire for each of us? The Lord … not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9). If God wants all to reach repentance and if predestination is true, then wouldn’t God predestine all to receive repentance?
Like I said earlier, we shouldn’t think about this so hard and just live our lives to the best of our ability and enjoy the journey. If God is in control, we will end up in the right place. I am reminded of the hit song "Jesus Take The Wheel" by Country Music Artist Carrie Underwood:
Jesus, take the wheel
Take it from my hands
'Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
And save me from this road I'm on."
Whatever has happened or going to happen, I'm just glad that Bobby Beasley made his decision in 1977.
