Time, Space, and the Nature of God

Something that came up in our private correspondence is what we are and are not meant for - what God's plans are.

God exists outside of time. He sees all of eternity. He knows who will and who will not accept His Son's death on the cross - because He's not linear. He exists as much in the moment when our sun goes nova as in the moment when He created it.

He knows that we will, and do, far prefer the joy on the other side of death's portal to whatever happiness or misery that we experience here. And yet He allows us to muddle about in our time-constrained selves!

I've heard preachers talk about two types of the Will of God. The absolute will of God, the one that controls the day of return, the days of our deaths, the "big stuff". And the permissive will of God - what we do in each of our lives, the little things that don't muck up His big plans. I don't think there's ever any way to know what we're doing falls into "permissive" or "absolute". Being tied to time, however... how can we speak outside of it?

I pin my faith to two verses, one of which shows omnipotence and the other omnibenevolence.
Omnipotence: Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Omnibenevolence: Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? When we believe in an all-powerful God who loves us EACH as His beloved children... I cannot believe that any pain, any sacrifice, that we are called for in this life is anything but to be used for His glory. And I am willing to trust that through any trials that life will show me.

All of which doesn't stop me from asking him "Why?" and "Can I have xxx" any more than it does MY kids from doing the same to me. I'm glad He has eternal patience. :)