And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
The way the apostles worded this prayer is important. First is that the Lord knows the hearts of all men. This is easily understood by anyone who accepts the sovereignty of God. God knows the hearts of men because He formed the hearts of men (Psalm 33:15). God turns hearts as He sees fit to accomplish His purpose (Psalm 57:2, Proverbs 21:1). God is the one who takes out the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). He gives His people a heart to know Him (Jeremiah 24:7) and fear Him for their own good and for the good of their children (Jeremiah 32:39). God opens hearts and keeps hearts closed (Acts 16:14). God turns hearts to hate His people, whether they be children of Israel or Christians (Psalm 105:25). And He does all of this while making men believe they have free will!
So the apostles praying “Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men...” could be a serious understatement to someone not reading that prayer in the Spirit
Second is they acknowledged that God had already chosen a replacement for Judas, and by casting lots, were putting it completely into His hands. But exactly when was this replacement chosen? The answer is that he was chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). God did not simply choose His Elect at that “time” but He also determined the plan and purpose for each life - the apostles, those who would be saved, and those who would not be saved. When God created time, He created the beginning, the end, and everything in between, including the people and situations. We are simply living through what God has already determined (Isaiah 46:10).
It was and is for His pleasure that He has created all things (Revelation 4:11). This is why His Word will never return void but will always accomplish that for which It was sent (Isaiah 55:11), i.e. His will. That is why His will IS being done on earth, just as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:9-13). That is why all things work together for good! (Romans 8:28) His good, not ours! This is why He works all things after the counsel of His will, not ours (Ephesians 1:11). There is no place in Holy Scripture where anything is left up to chance or the will of man. God has a plan for each and every human being into whom He breathed life and no one will ever live and die NOT fulfilling God’s purpose. Why? Because it is GOD Who fulfills His purpose for each one of us (Psalm 57:2, Psalm 138:8, Revelation 17:17).
So you see, God is sovereign and does whatever He wants with His creation. The myth of a free will among Christians is simply a carry-over from the unredeemed life as ALL the lost, each and every one, believe they have a free will. It is a believer who is still hanging on to his flesh who believes he has a free will, believes he chose Jesus (he didn’t - John 15:16), and who does not believe God’s sovereignty in election.
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