Prevenience

I have been working on this post for a while.

John 5:17 Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."

What does this mean? Last weekend a group of us is spent some extended time considering this question. What does it mean that God is always at work? The old timers called it prevenience. It means that God is somehow at work in everyday normal life to accomplish his purpose. It means that God is going before us so that things are ready when we get there. Though it is sometimes clearly recognizable in retrospect, it is difficult to trace the hand of God as he moves.

For instance, when we read the story of Joseph we know with certainty that God was at work in those circumstances, but the text doesn't mention God directly. It is only later in life that Joseph can say, "What you meant for evil, God meant for good." He was able to see backward that there had been an unseen actor in his personal drama who was in fact the star of the show. Though Joseph made his contribution, he attributes the work to God.

It happens throughout scripture. Life for the children of God is filled with "coincidence". The sense is that God is up to something and people are chosen to participate in his grand design. Rather than imposing their will and shaping what happens, people seem to be moving along in a kind of unfolding drama.

This truth has profound implications for followers of Jesus. For instance, think about how evangelism changes if this is true. When I think of the evangelism in the NT it seems to me that the evangelists keep running into people who are primed or ready for the message. It seems to me that God had preveniently gone before them to get Lydia, Cornelius and the Eunuch ready for happened next. What if God is still doing that?

If this is true then it is a paradigm shifting thought for ministry. I don't go to LifeGroup or lead a LifeGroup hoping to make something happen. The burden for eternally significant ministry shifts from me to God. He is already at work. He is going before me. He is causing things to happen in the lives of the other members of my group and preparing them for whatever work comes next. I am responsible to pay very close attention to what he might be doing.

The signs of his work are not immediately obvious. They require a vigilant curiosity. They requrie an intense interest in the people around me and in what might be happening below the surface. To see them requires a heart prepared with prayer and listening. You can't be looking out for your own interests or your own good. To see the signs of God requires selflessness and love. You can't see the clues unless you believe that God is at work and he is interested in us knowing what he is up to.

So today God is working. He is moving. What if today you made it your goal to pay attention? What if today you made it your mission to keep your eyes open for indications that wherever you are God has already been and he is doing something for you to join in.