Subject-Object again

I was thinking of this subject-object relationship regarding science [see this post], and applying it to the subject of God's sovereignty and man's efforts. God is the first cause, but He operates through secondary causes which can be determined, contingent, or free. Human efforts are part of these secondary causes. This is what gives our actions meaning and what makes them real and effectual.

It's because we don't know which cause if free, determined, or contingent on something else, so a dense matrix is created where our effort is real and meaningful for the outcome of God's decree and providence.

As it is said, God's prescriptive will is known to us. It is what is revealed in the Bible. But his decretal will is not known to us. Deut. 29:29 speaks to this.

So what I was thinking is this subject-object relationship exists in this subject of God's sovereignty and mans's effort as well. God's decree and providence is the object, we are the subject. The object needs the subject for the plan to come in to play.

So when we pray, for instance, instead of just thinking, well, why pray when everything will happen anyway, we instead think that our very prayer is *part* of things coming to happen. Of course some secondary causes are determined, so they will happen no matter what in the way God means them to happen, and some secondary causes are contingent, meaning for something to happen something else has to occur as well, and maybe you will do that something else, maybe someone else will do it, but somebody will do it, and that is why effort is meaningful. And God probably takes note of *who does it* and kind of gives that person a special regard. Then there are free secondary causes which I think opens up a lot of the poetry and potential surprise of life.

So God - the First Cause - and human beings - secondary causes - have a similar relationship as the subject and object of science. And maybe in this is partly where it is meant that God is a personal God which makes Him different from other 'gods'.