Premonition

I'm not turning into a movie reviewer, but I thought I'd comment on this title-linked film. My wife and I were unimpressed, as the timeline jumping was never explained. However, I made a very intriguing observation mid-way through, and found the end to confirm my thoughts. As in the film DejaVu, with Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock's every move was intended to keep the known-future from coming to pass. But just like with DejaVu, her every move proved to actually bring the future into the present.

Theologically, this principle fits with divine sovereignty and human freedom. Folks often get caught up in the predestination / free will debate, but there's nothing to debate. Both are true, as both of the aforementioned films confirm, in the sense that God has indeed ordained whatsoever comes to pass and that man's decisions are uncoerced by God. The Westminster divines understood this principle long ago (from chapter 3 of The Confession):

I. God from all eternity did by the most and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.

II. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions; yet hath He not decreed any thing because He foresaw it as future, as that which would come to pass, upon such conditions.

VI. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so hath He, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto.

I find in interesting that Hollywood has begun to dabble in this "mystery" with these and other films (The Matrix Reloaded, for example). Again, the Westminster divines had this "mystery" pegged:

VIII. The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending to the will of God revealed in His Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God; and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.

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This is the Will of God...

... your sanctification.

This quote from 1 Thessalonians 4:3 answers a question that is often asked by Christians today: What is God's will for my life?

Sadly, the answer may not bring the glad tidings we may want while living in the world. We want happiness, but God wants holiness. We want happiness, which is temporal, but God wants our joy, which is infinitely greater and everlasting. We want comfort, but God sanctifies through suffering, which builds perseverance, character, and hope (Romans 5:1-11). We want comfort, but God wants us to be content - in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. We want peace, but Jesus said in this world you will have trouble. We want peace, but there is war going on - a battle that is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).

So when Christians ask, "What is God's will for my life?" do they want this news? By the grace of God alone, we will indeed desire sanctification, for we know that "if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory... Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Romans 8:17-18).