“Look, if we could understand everything about God, we wouldn’t need Him. There are elements of God and His will and His working and His ways that are mysterious to us.” - Pastor Jeff Cranston  

Hello Kitchen Table Theology Family! Welcome to this special episode in which Pastor Jeff and Jen Denton answer questions from you! 

[00:01]  Introduction to Today’s Bonus Episode

• Pastor Jeff finally gets to tell his joke 

 [04:53] Is Prayer and God’s Providence Paradoxical?

• How do God's providence and our prayers work together?
• If God is providential, and He has ordained everything before the foundations of the world, why do we pray?
  • It is both true that God’s providence is seen everywhere in scripture and God’s people are commanded to pray 
• God utilizes our prayers as a means to the fulfillment of His purpose in some way
  • At the end of the day what the Lord says will be, will be 
• The relational aspect of prayer 

 [15:56]  Does Having Peace About a Decision Give Assurance of God's Direction

• Most people measure the will of God for our lives based on our personal peace 
• We see many examples in the Bible of people in line with God’s will, doing things that are not naturally comforting 
• Sometimes Jesus will call us out of the places that give us comfort and peace (Matt 16:24-28)
•  God’s call is always good 

[23:40] Did a Baby Die Because of David’s Sin?

• The prophet Nathan confronted David about his sin and pronounced judgment (2 Samuel 12) 
• It feels to us that God is unjustly punishing a child for the sins of David 
  • God was punishing David
  • This child was ushered into the arms of God after sickness 
  • While it feels extreme to us, could it be that God was protecting David’s son? 

 [30:20] Final Thoughts    

• Tune in next week when we talk about the job description of angels 
• Connect with us! 

Key Quotes

“The providence of God, basically means that God is in charge. God is in control of everything, and God's going to do what God determines to do. That's His providence,” - Pastor Jeff Cranston   

“When we pray, we have hope and certainty, that we have a God who can and will respond to our needs and pleas. I think what God does is He uses our requests to fulfill His goal in concert with us, his people, in some mysterious way. So God utilizes our prayers as a means to the fulfillment of His purpose in some way.”-  Pastor Jeff Cranston   

“Attempt something so great for God that if God not be in it, it is doomed to fail.” - William Carey

Resources Mentioned

• William Carey by S Pearce Carey

Join the Conversation

We love your feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review. If you have any questions or comments on today’s episode, email me at [email protected]

Visit my website https://www.jeffcranston.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Join me on Sunday mornings at LowCountry Community Church. 

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Remember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!