November 15, 2010

To Live is Christ — seeing God’s hand in all things

Having a Christian world view affects daily behavior. For instance, because I believe that God is sovereign and involved in the affairs of my life, I’m less inclined to worry and more inclined to pray. Yesterday I experienced protests from those who do not think that way.

These people segregate God’s activity. For them, He does some things if we ask Him, but everything else is just “life.” They say we have little control over the things of life, but God isn’t involved either. This means that when problems arise, they are supposed to use their own brains and rational thinking to sort out the issues of “life” and are free to do that. One of them said sometimes we have a right to complain, and we should.

Some of this comes from a view that God created all things, but He wound the world up like a clock and does not interfere with the unwinding. There may also be mixed in a failure to understand the extent of sin, and that even our ability to think rationally and solve problems is affected by our selfishness and resistance to God.

A third problem with this view is that it counters what the Bible says concerning God’s work in this world and His commands about how we are to live. His sovereignty is described in many places. The verse that comes to mind is from the Old Testament. God says, “I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.” (Isaiah 45:7)

While I cannot claim to understand, I know that God doesn’t stand back and watch calamity or good things happen to me either. He has purposes in the stuff of my life. His Word says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) The next verse says that His purpose is to transform me into the image of His Son. For this, He uses all things, and all means all. The issues of life are all in His hands to do with as He pleases.

When I am faced with decisions, small or big, He tells me this: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5–7)

My understanding is insufficient and often polluted with selfishness. I cannot assume that simply because I am a believer in Jesus Christ that I can now ignore this command and trust myself without consulting God. Romans 12:2 says that I need my mind renewed. With dismay I’ve noticed that the more He shines His light in the way I think, the more I see how much my thinking needs changing. I dare not lean on my own understanding. If I do, I will miss God’s direction and not be able to avoid evil.

As for the grumbling, the Bible is clear how much God hates it. In the Old Testament when the Israelites complained about their lot in life, some died because of their grumbling. At least once in their history, God sent “sinners worse than they" to chasten them. Their prophet Habakkuk was dismayed, but when God explained what He was doing, this godly man asked only that, “in wrath remember mercy.”

Christians complain. I do too, far more often than I want to admit. We have no right. How can we grumble when God has mercifully saved us and put the penalty we deserve on His Son? We have so much to be thankful for. The New Testament says to me, 

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. (Philippians 2:14–16)
Nothing in the Bible gives anyone justification for complaining, even if we have a legitimate beef. If we don’t like what other Christians do, He says to hush, for they are accountable to Him and He can make them stand. He also gives much instruction on how to deal with problems. If I cannot “fix it” His way, then I am to be quiet and not complain.

My personal experience is that God uses negative experiences to test me and teach me how to be like Jesus. This is part of the “all things” in Romans 8:28-29. James 1:2-4 even says that I’m to consider it a joyful thing to experience trials because they produce patience, a quality that comes from Him.

The Bible also teaches that griping is really a complaint against what God has done. In my heart, I know that is true. When I complain, I am telling Him that He is wrong, or does not know what is best. I am ignoring the possibility that He has done this for a reason — and maybe that reason is to teach me something about my own sinful spirit.

Today’s verses encourage me. I’ve felt burdened about this. I’ve had to bite my lip so as not to complain about those who think it is okay to complain. I’ve prayed and wondered if this even matters to God. Yet the psalmist says God is listening . . . 

But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me! (Psalm 66:19–20)
For this, I am so grateful. He, who knows all hearts and is sovereign over all, is at work in my heart. Yet He is also at work in the hearts of those whose ideas concern me. One day, all of us who believe in Jesus will be like Him. I’ve no reason to worry — or complain.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading your comments. I do try to see god and good in all things but stumble when i read today about the massacre in Norway. It is so difficult to see God or good in this scenario. Can we really believe that God's hand is at work here? I do agree that for those relations and friends of the victims who have trust in God,they will know that God is with them in their suffering. Would welcome comments on this.