Is God in control?

This week I had a heart-wrenching conversation with a client. Earlier this year, his wife left him for a lesbian relationship. He spoke of the transformation of his wife into someone he barely recognizes. The woman she was has been traded for a new identity. At one point he asked a question that so many of us ask when our world disintegrates – Why did God allow this to happen?

I frequently hear people say, “Well…God is still in control.” That thought process leads us to question why God would allow terrible things to happen. In fact it deeply calls into question the goodness of God. If God is in control of the situation, then is it not His fault that children are abused, that women are raped, and that children destroy their body with drugs?

God never created people to be puppets on a string, involuntarily dancing to his beck and call. He created us in His image with the ability to control our own destiny. He gave us the ability to make decisions and the responsibility to suffer the consequences of those decisions. Unfortunately the impact of negative decisions extends far beyond the one making that decision.

Does God have the power to be in control? I am convinced that He possesses that power. However I am equally convinced that God has limited himself in the affairs of humanity. I believe that part of what it means to be created in the image of God is that we have the ability to create our own destiny. Most of the destructive events that occur in humanity are the result of people making destructive choices. Most of the blessings that occur in humanity are the results of people choosing to live life according to God’s pattern.

Is God in control of every situation here on earth? No. He is not in control when innocent people are killed. He is not in control of my client’s wife. She has chosen to reject God for a self-determined path. Is God in control when Christians act maliciously toward other Christians? No. The actions are a consequence of a self-centered heart.

It God is in control, then He is to blame for millions of Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps. If God is in control, then He is at fault for the abortions of millions of babies. The very chaos of war and violence indicates that He is not in control.

Now do not hear me wrongly here. I believe that God could be in control. He has the power to do whatever He pleases. However, since creation, God has limited Himself in this world, allowing us to choose our own destiny. When we depart from His ways, He freely allows us to pursue our own ways. Conversely when we embrace His ways, we find blessings and peace.