This Out of Control World

                This should be my best blog post ever.  I am actually sitting at a coffee shop and drinking awesome loose-leaf tea.  If I only had a Macbook, I would be a professional writer.

                Anyway, if you are even a causal news follower, you know that we are living in a crazy time.  A giant tsunami has left Japan in chaos.  Homes and businesses have been destroyed.  Power plants are on the verge of catastrophic meltdown.  In the Middle East, nations are in chaos as revolts rise up in Egypt and Libya to overthrow dictators.  Even in our country, we are not immune.  We face the issues of rising gas prices and a struggling economy.  All these events can lead us to ask some serious questions about God. 

Are these things beyond God’s control?

               

                Are these events just acts of nature and chance?  Is God unable to stop them?  These are legitimate questions in the face of such tragedy.  However, the Bible is clear that there is nothing beyond the control of God.

 Psalm 115:3 tells us that God can do whatever he wants to do.  I love this passage. There is nothing that God cannot do.  Whatever he wants to do he does.  The only thing that limits God is God.

Even nature is under the control of God.  Genesis 1 makes the point clear that God created all of nature and, as creator, he has supreme rule and control over his creation.  God is in control of the sun and rain. (Matthew 5:45) All of nature falls under his dominion.

Is God just an absentee creator?  

               

                In the movie The Adjustment Bureau, the God character steps in and out of control of world events.  During the movie, one of the “angelic” figures gives an overview of history.  He points to the worst times in human history being the times that God stepped back from control of history.  Is this what is happened now?  Has God taken a vacation?

                Psalm 121:3 is a very encouraging passage.  The psalmist is comforted in the fact that God is in control, keeping Israel from completely falling apart and God never ever sleeps.  (This makes me feel pretty weak in comparison.) God is always aware of what is going on.

 God knows the intricate details of each of us.  Psalm 139 describes the intricate knowledge God has of us, from the time we in our mother’s womb throughout our entire life.  Most amazingly he knows it all right now.  (Isaiah 46:10)

                God is in intimate control of every aspect of creation.  This is not to say he is the active cause of all things, but just to say that nothing happens without God’s knowledge or beyond his ability.

Is God evil in not stopping these tragedies?

                First, we must realize that we are all sinners, meaning we are disobedient of God.  (Romans 3:23)  This sin leads God’s wrath to be poured out.  (Colossians 3:5-6)  We really deserve nothing more than for God to crush us.  (For more on this check out my last post)  Thus, it is not evil for God to allow tragedy but it is a great mercy that God limits tragedy.

                Second, God has a plan even in horrible things.  Jeremiah 29:11 is often very poorly interpreted but in its context it is amazing.  God is speaking to the people of Israel while they are in exile.  Their land has been conquered.  They have been dragged to a foreign land.  All that they have hoped in seems dead.  And yet, God says to them that he has a plan to prosper them.  While we cannot apply this passage directly to us, we can see that God even uses terrible events to do great things in his ultimate plan.

                Finally, Romans 8:28 encourages those that believe in Christ that even the worst events in their life will be used by God for their good, either in this life or the next.

                In summary, even though our world seems to be falling apart, God is still in control.  God still has a plan. God will use all these things to the glory of his name and the furthering of his gospel.  So, I hope that addresses some of your questions.  If you have more questions, leave a comment below.