pat loughery

“Prevenience is the conviction that God has been working diligently, redemptively, and strategically before I appeared on the scene, before I was aware there was something for me to do here… Like one who walks in late to a meeting, I am entering a complex situation in which God has already said decisive words and acted in decisive ways. My work is not necessarily to announce that but to discover what He is doing and live appropriately with it.”

“The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction” (Eugene H. Peterson)

via Bob Hyatt over at PastorHacks

Well done Bob on finding that great quote from one of the best books on pastoral ministry ever written.

This theological point is one that makes a deep impact on how we see people. If we believe in prevenience (prevenient grace), then we see that God is at work ahead of us, and we partner with the work of God as it’s revealed to us. It means that the Kingdom is a partnership between God and us, and it means that our role is very specifically subservient to God’s. I think there is vast Scriptural evidence for this view point – John 5:19-20 and Ephesians 2:10 come immediately to mind.

A worldview based on God’s prevenience means that we must constantly be attentive to the work of God around us and conscious of the interactive leadership of God toward us. It means we cannot take anything for granted – relationships, coincidences, people crossing our paths, our daily decisions.

That makes for an exciting journey, and one in which I’m not the one in control.