Providential humanism

A few months ago, I was stricken with the worldview of providential humanism. Someone else may have thought of this already, and they may think they're being infringed upon, but the name and complex of concepts came upon me at one particular juncture. I was part of a project that had everything to do with God's work. I was excited about it, so I was pushing to get the word out. We received a very timely admonition from one team member that this was ultimately God's work, so we shouldn't take too much control of how the word spread. While the suggestion toward humility was quite necessary, I think I take (humble) issue with our (lack of) role in the process.

God created us as his co-rulers within the creation. He has uniquely gifted each of us for serving him and each other in our own regency in his kingdom. My area of service happens to be predominately in theology and language (and more pointedly in a mixture of the two), with some dabblings in connecting people to further God's kingdom. So if I have these gifts, do I leave these things "up to God"? I don't think I do. I think I humbly pursue my giftings within my sphere of influence for God's glory. That's what it means to be truly human, and that's what it means to live within God's providence.

I recently sang a song in a "praise and worship" (whatever that means) setting called "Empty Me" by Jeremy Camp. I get the feeling that I rarely understand a song in the way a lyricist intends it, and that's probably the case here. Here are the lyrics:

Holy fire burn away
My desire for anything
That is not of you and is of me
I want more of you
And less of me

Empty me, empty me, fill me
With you, with you

I'm trying to figure out exactly my issue with it. I think it is the "you versus me" attitude. One might call it appropriate humility to say I never end up wanting what God wants, and only what he wants is good. But I think that destroys the possiblity of progress, or better said, redemption in the Christian life. I like to soberly think that I'm desiring things more like Jesus now than I did five years ago. But this song is saying that whatever is of Jesus is good (true) and whatever is of me is bad (untrue). What happened to the fact that I'm God's vice-regent, ruling the portion of creation he has gifted me to rule? If I am humbly pursuing his redemption, I think I can say that his holy fire can burn me and still leave a good portion of me. On a cautionary note, I know that I can make choices beginning today that will drive me further away from God's desire for my life. But the bigger caution goes to living like I'm a robot that used to clutch my own remote, but now has given it to Jesus.

We must live as responsible people in a truly human way under the hand of God Who Provides.