“No worries, God is in control.” It’s a phrase we use often, mostly as an easy excuse when something goes wrong. “God is in control,” we say when someone dies; when we lose our job; when our health fails; when something doesn’t workout the way we expected or wanted.
But what does it really mean when we say this? Do we mean that God controls every decision, every event; every single thing that happens? Is God a puppeteer, controlling every aspect of our lives? The color of the socks I wear, the speed of the cyclone, the actions of my boss?
That thinking falls inline with Muslim theology. Inshallah. Nothing happens without the direct, intervening hand of Allah, willing it to be as it is.
But Christians don’t believe this, or should not believe such a view of God. We hold firmly to the power of free-will, personal choice. We are free to decide how we spend our money, how we drive our cars, who we marry, what career path we follow, and the everyday choices we make... some good ones and some not so good.
So herein lies the thorny theological paradox. How does God’s sovereignty and human free–will interact? It’s a debate that’s older than time. Paul in his all-over-the-place discussion of this as it applies to salvation of the Jews and Gentiles, declares it a mystery and proclaims: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out!!” (Romans 11:33) So what exactly does this phrase mean? Here’s what we can be sure of:
1. God is not controlling. God does not control us. He does not give us free–will then take it away by predetermining our choices. He offers us blessing and cursing, life and death. He gives us options. He says; ‘Stay faithful to the covenant life’, but doesn’t hit us over the head with a sledgehammer when we don’t.
2. Not everything that happens is God’s will. If everything that ever happened on earth was God’s will, there would be no reason to pray; “Your will be done on earth as it heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). Much of what we see here on earth are not God’s choices for humanity. Earth is not heaven and is certainly in harmony with God’s plan at this point in time. Sometimes I think using this phrase can be dangerous. It can lead us to blame God and avert taking our own responsibility for the choices and decisions we make.
So, if I chose to drink and drive a car while intoxicated, and some is seriously injured, was God in control of that? If I don’t pay my bills on time, recklessly spending away my money on luxuries and go bankrupt, saddled with crippling debt, was God in control of that? If I don’t resolve the failings of my relational behaviors, learn to manage my anger, and my marriage falls apart as a consequence, was that God’s doing?
Maybe it would be a good idea to re-work that statement a little. I wonder if we should change the default line from “God is in control” to; “God is always good. He is always able to bring good from any situation as we trust him.”
Yes, his awe-inspiring, miraculous and mysterious, all-knowing sovereignty means while I make my choices and they have consequences, a life consecrated to God means that my not so good choices and unfortunate consequences can bring glory to Him.
How is that possible? When we stay faithful to God through our failings in life, not blaming Him, persevering, knowing things will get better because He promises as much, then we can endure our “self-inflicted” hardships brought on by pride, self-assurance and our fumbling weaknesses, and God, His ways, His promises, are raised up above ourselves and He and His way is glorified.
It means that when people do wrong to us and the consequences of those decisions fall upon us, we don’t miss out on His favor. We bear no grudge, no root of bitterness forms, and no matter what happens to us that is outside God’s perfect will, he is able make all things work together for those who love him.
God does not control humans, nor does he manipulate them into doing things that would we counter to His love and desire for us to experience peace. He persuades us through his Word and Guidance to live and act in ways that protect us from making choices that can be harmful to us. Keep on Keepin’ on... the path to glory.
