Who is God? In Charge - Not in Total Control - but Ready to Take Over, Sovereign sans Dictatorship
- Kathryn Cox
- Sep 19, 2024
- 16 min read
Updated: Jan 18
Trying hard not to congratulate myself, I still wouldn’t have turned down a small gold medal had the Lord dispatched an angel (or two) to my son’s bedroom to honor my awesomeness. Holy, hushed silence filled the room. I sat on my 10-year-old boy’s bed with my treasured NIV Bible on my lap, open to the glorious verbiage of King David’s writings. Joshua’s sleepy-right-before-bedtime sky-blue eyes rested on my face as I finished reading (with passion, eloquence, and fervor, I might add) the last verse of Psalm 22. With a voice rivaling any Broadway leading lady, I concluded the night’s reading with, “They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!” Joshua quieted for a few seconds, then slowly began to speak, “Mom, do you think...”
At that moment, time stood still. My mind raced with delight, anticipating what theological subject my precious child might bring up. What shall be thy inquiry, son? I give thee all my divine understanding; I shall impart wisdom and knowledge I hath gained! Pray tell, what do ye want to know? How David slew the great giant? Do ye seeketh the mysteries of Creation? Scorn not will I any Biblical confusion but will gracefully teacheth you!
Joshua completed his sentence: “…your nose is somehow connected to your mouth? Because I know people can put something up their nose, and then it can come out their mouth.”
I no longer watched for angelic visitation with medal in hand. As I sat stunned, I recalled watching (in horror) a kid named Charley in my 6th grade middle school band class. Charley’s “claim to fame” was his ability to stuff his gold chain (that he would, with fanfare, remove from his neck) up one nostril, then sniffing aggressively, snort it somewhere up into his head. Forceful coughs and gags (making all us girls cringe) came next. The grand finale commenced as Charlie, with utmost delight and self-admiration, pulled the chain out of his mouth. The boys would hoot and cheer as we girls looked away in utter disgust.
Reigning my thoughts back on my son and the late hour, I gently closed my Bible. Embarrassed, I stammered, “Well, I believe so. It’s possible…kind of gross, but yes…it can be done.” I offered up a quick prayer, told Joshua goodnight, and dismissed the ordeal, knowing I’d get a few laughs recounting the story.
Of all people, parents of young children know too well they are “in charge” of their offspring, yet not in “total control.” While I was in command of Joshua’s bedtime routine, I couldn’t force him to carry the same zeal I had about Psalm 22 when his little boy mind preferred to contemplate the fine art of grossing out his friends. Not being able to control a situation can be frustrating, annoying, or maybe a bit humorous. But I’m sure anyone reading this knows it can also be devastating.
Mercy Missing
Trying hard not to congratulate myself, I stood on the high-school practice field, clarinet in grip, at perfect attention. Marching band was serious business in my small hometown, and every section, from flute to tuba, worked tirelessly to perfect a halftime show that we’d perform at every home football game. My fellow bandmates and I had finished a long day at school, but while other kids fled campus and headed for home (or the nearby Sonic), we band members trudged in the hot afternoon sun to the field for rehearsal. Our dedication made me proud. It wasn’t easy memorizing the music, plus the detailed steps and movements of a choreographed marching band performance. When firetruck and ambulance sirens began blaring off in the distance, I did notice but quickly dismissed them. Probably a small house fire somewhere. They’ll handle it.
Later that afternoon, when I made it home, the phone rang. When I heard my friend Nancy’s voice, I assumed she had called about a social studies assignment or an upcoming birthday party. No. She wanted to make sure I’d heard the news: A boy in our school had died in a car accident a few hours ago. I couldn’t believe it! The gregarious and hilarious kid in my Spanish class? Jackson was by no means a close friend, but he treated all with kindness, and we usually said hi as we found our seats before the bell rang. He always made Spanish extra fun and exciting with his antics. His family and close friends were beyond devastated, but this was my first experience with the death of someone I knew.
Heartbroken, I hung up the phone and bawled. Floods of emotions washed over me, but the strongest by far - downright fury. WHY GOD!? He was so young - just 16 years old! He was so nice, and everyone loved him! Lord, why didn’t YOU DO SOMETHING!? I wanted a darn good explanation on how in the world God could be All-Powerful (Genesis 1:1), Author of Salvation (John 3:16), Sovereign (Jeremiah 32:17), Possessive of All-Authority (Isaiah 40:10) yet couldn’t take control and dispatch an angel (or two) to slow Jackson down a bit while he turned a dangerous corner driving to work. How could my part-the-red-sea-raise-Lazarus-from-the-dead Heavenly Father allow this to happen?
What is God’s role here on Earth in overcoming/stopping/thwarting evil and/or all-things-awful-in-general? Is He in charge, in control, both, or neither? For the most part, humans are reasonable – we can accept that people make their own bad choices, resulting in less-than-desirable consequences. Still, countless times, we are truly left aghast as tragedy hits those we think are innocent, undeserving, or too young to know better…or too young. It’s true, my friend had been speeding, but what about a little mercy? Young and stupid go together like football timeouts and brass sections blasting (off-key) Land of 1000 Dances. Most of us, when we were 15-19 years old (give or take a few years either way), probably did something “dumb” that could have led to our untimely death.
Jesus Loves You – Truth or Hype?
God is Love or Jesus Loves You are pithy declarations heard in some form in every church across America and in nearly every Christian-themed devotional, book, poem, or music. Yet I can’t help but think about those who grieve from a soul-crushing loss. Flowery, cliché words in sympathy cards fall upon these numb hearts having a very hard time believing “love” and “God” indeed go together. It’s not only personal loss I’m certain convinces people in their hearts that a Supreme Being, at least a loving one, doesn’t exist. Visit a world news website, and any sensible soul would conclude Death and Destruction know neither restraint nor limit.
December 25, 2004. Christmas kicked off with good food, relaxation, and times of laughter as we in my family exchanged “white elephant” gifts – “presents” wrapped from your own home that were odd, mostly useless, and/or ugly (extra points). We giggled as my niece opened a hideous brown and orange candle and chuckled when my husband received a stuffed toy raccoon with a built-in AM radio. I went to bed that evening, content and clueless of impending disaster. The next day, the entire globe mourned. An earthquake occurred somewhere in the depths of the Indian Ocean. Although Indian Ocean quakes are typical and usually harmless (1), this one wasn’t. Studies conducted later found this December 26, 2004, seismic shift measured at an astounding 9.0 magnitude. Experts reported the quake had the strength of 23,000 Hiroshima style bombs! The tsunami waves that followed destroyed everything and everyone in its path. The coastlines of eleven countries from Africa to Thailand saw shocking annihilation as the monster wave crashed into them. By the time a subdued New Year’s celebration rolled around, the staggering number of lives lost across multiple countries stretched into the hundreds of thousands. Final estimated tally of fatalities totaled over 227,800. (2) It seemed to me during the tsunami aftermath that God was neither in charge nor in control of anything.
Sovereign without Servitude
King David wrote these words about Our Creator: The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. (Psalm 103:19, NIV) To me, it sounds like God should have the power and ability to do lots of things, especially in the “stop terrible stuff from happening” category. Looking further, Timothy said of Jesus, … He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, (1 Timothy 6:15, NASB) The Greek word “sovereign” is “dunastés” (probably where we get “dynasty” from) and means “one who rules by force, a ruler, potentate; also: courtier, member of the court.” So, does “sovereign” and “rule” mean absolute, total control?
All I can say is I’ve read the Bible many times from Genesis to Revelation, and what I gather is at Creation, before Adam and Eve, God spoke, and, by the power of His words alone, the universe formed (Genesis 1). Yet, once He made man and woman, it appears that He, still in charge with all power and ability to do literally anything, gave control of what transpires in the world to humans. He can and will intervene with His power, but this depends on the faith, words, and actions of His children. God didn’t form us so He could have robotic slaves. His heart was and is always set on relationship. So, although He’s Supreme Ruler, in my not-a-Bible-scholar reasoning, I believe what He will and even can do depends on His representatives – His true church.
Blasphemy? Heresy? Maybe. I did spend a majority of my time in Bible college (didn’t graduate) dreaming about the cute Australian guy sitting next to me in Acts class (We will celebrate 27 years of marriage in August 2024!). There are many perplexing issues of life where I wish The Lord would have spelled things out in greater clarity in Scriptures, yet, concerning the oft-repeated question of “How could God let this happen?” we can only study Biblical history to understand who He is and how He functions.
Disclaimer – I’m not a pastor, chaplain, minister, or even Sunday School teacher. I have no college degree (in Religion or anything else). It’s probably silly for someone as unqualified and uneducated as myself to tackle the lofty subject of “Is God in Control?” To properly address this conundrum, I’d guess it would take volumes of books from a team of highly-esteemed theologians with multiple Masters degrees. Somewhere on Amazon.com, something like that probably exists. All I can offer is my 2-cent (maybe only worth 1 cent) comments on, If there is a loving God, why [fill in the blank of all things hell related]?
God’s “I Will” Included Elijah’s Actions
Many believe, even Christians, that God is in full control, and whatever takes place, He, as Dictator-In-Chief, either authored or allowed it. For proof, they may reference (in addition to Psalm 103:19) Psalm 135:6 (NASB) – Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all the ocean depths. Does this verse prove God controls everything on Earth? There are too many verses to reference here, but the Bible states that God is loving, patient, fair, generous, and kind. Why, if He can do “whatever He pleases,” do bad things occur, especially to good people and innocent children? I believe the more important question is this: How does God do whatever He pleases?
To find answers, the events detailed in 1 Kings 17-18 is a great place to start. Because of sin, Israel experienced a severe drought, but God had plans of deliverance. First Kings 18:1 says, “Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, ‘Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will provide rain on the face of the earth.’” God said, “I will provide rain.” Yet, interestingly, another human, Elijah, had to be involved in bringing about what God said He’d most certainly do:
Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!” So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees. Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’” And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. (1 Kings 18:41-45, NLT)
Even though God said, “I will,” Elijah climbed a mountain and “prayed with his face between his knees.” The “face between the knees” posture refers to intense, travailing prayer. Not once, but seven times while Elijah is in serious intercession he sends his servant to check the sky for rain clouds. Why? Seems odd if “whatever the Lord pleases, He does…” From this event, I can only conclude one thing – to accomplish His will, God must have someone partnering with Him to release His “can-do-anything” power to take over control in certain situations and do what He wants. I know it appears crazy to infer that God does not, will not, or even cannot do anything unless He partners with someone (or a group of people), yet Amos 3:7 (NASB) says, “Certainly the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret plan to His servants the prophets.” Also, “Now hear My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make Myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream.” (Numbers 12:6) A prophet is not just someone who listens, but takes action. He or she will speak the words God revealed to them, write them down, and pray. So, what if The Almighty desires to do good, yet no one is listening for Him?
Who’s to Blame?
Personally, I want the Lord to swoop in and save us from all the plots of the devil regardless of what we idiots say or do, yet I must admit, that’s not how He seems to work. He is in charge, all-powerful, and ready to take over control in the face of evil events, impending death, and oncoming destruction – but the delivery of His saving power, I believe, relies upon His servants. Here are two more examples:
So it came about, when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed; but when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. And Moses’ hands were heavy. So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. So his hands were steady until the sun set. And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. (Exodus 17: 11-13)
And a man who had been unable to walk from birth was being carried…When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple grounds, he began asking to receive a charitable gift. But Peter, along with John, looked at him intently and said, “Look at us!” And he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!” And grasping him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. (Acts 3:2-7)
In both passages, the saving plans of God were carried out not with a clap of His hands or a wave of some mystical staff but through the faithfulness of Moses and Peter, as well as their declarations and deeds. E.M. Bounds, a master on the subject of prayer, said this, “Prayer projects faith on God, and God on the world. Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God.” (from his book, Necessity of Prayer, 1929)
Back to the 2004 tsunami – is it plausible that God wanted to release His power to stop such a catastrophic disaster AND sent, via His Holy Spirit promptings, or even dreams, to specific Christians to begin interceding weeks, months, or even years before that gut-wrenching day? And, what if those Christians were too busy watching TV, playing video games, socializing, “doing ministry” in their church, or distracted with daily life and neglected to follow the prayer assignment of Holy Spirit? Or, was there some reason this calamity had to manifest beyond our understanding? What about Jackson? What if God’s answer to my “WHY DIDN’T YOU DO SOMETHING!?” was “I DID, yet no one paid attention.”? Or again, maybe his death was part of some divine plan that would make sense 200 years from now. Still, it’s hard to fathom the “why” when an innocent child is killed or abused by an adult or a faithful, Godly, and loving spouse (especially with young kids) is laid to rest before a shattered family. Is God to blame, or not?
Faulty Formulas
Math has never been a strong skill of mine. In 4th grade, I pestered a teacher so much for help with a division assignment that, in exasperation, she finally said, “Don’t worry about doing this, Kathryn. Leave the questions blank and turn it in.” Yet, I do appreciate the certainty of mathematical rules: 2+2 always equals 4. It isn’t complicated and works every time.
I must admit I’ve searched for “formulas” in prayer. Convinced that God carries out His will through His people, I’ve desperately wanted to find answers for those who feel forsaken by the Lord, who they thought should have taken over and stopped something horrible from happening. After a heartbreaking defeat, I’d set to analyze and try to figure out “what went wrong.” Author Terri Brown has written a fantastic book I highly recommend titled, Troubleshooting Your Prayer Life: Connecting with God through the Delays, Detours, and Dead Ends In it, she says, “There is a truth in prayer that works, but it is not a formula. It is a principle rooted in a relationship.”
Jesus talked a lot about faith. I get it. Trying to comprehend this world and God’s exact role in what goes on is impossible. Faith steps into the unknown and says to the Lord, “I trust You even though it doesn’t make sense.” But I do know God isn’t in total control of everything on earth. If He were, the names Hitler and Mao Zedong would mean nothing. Everyone on the planet would worship Him in Spirit and in truth: …God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3, NASB). Although true, distress, depression, and sorrow are real – even when walking in faith. Life, regardless of who you are, is full of difficulties.
One Saved, One Lost
“We can't take away the mystery of why some prayers are unanswered or some people aren't healed, but we can walk closely with the Lord so we know we have done our part.” Terri Brown, Troubleshooting Your Prayer Life, used with permission.
July 13, 2024, 7PM. My husband and I had enjoyed dinner at our friend’s house, and after eating, we all headed to their large deck to sit and chat in the refreshing evening breeze. As we talked, our friend received an odd text: “I hope Trump is OK.” What!? I grabbed my phone and tapped on my “X” app. I watched, appalled yet in awe, the replay of the former President reaching up to grab his ear. As he shuffled off stage, I thanked God when I saw him stand up and thrust his fist in the air. OK, he’s alright. I realize some reading this may not be a MAGA fan, yet I think we can all agree none of us want to see any of our leaders, Democrat or Republican, physically harmed. I know I sure don’t! Within hours, many in the media declared “divine intervention!” Scrolling through social media, I saw many memes depicting an angel’s hand helping Trump to turn his head at the right moment, causing an assassin’s bullet to rip through a small portion of his ear instead of his head. Yet, amidst the celebrations of his supporters and “Praise Jesus!” I couldn’t help but pause and wonder how all this talk of angelic assistance made one devastated family feel.
A retired fire chief named Corey entered through the gates of heaven that day. I grieved for his wife and daughter, whom he shielded as soon as he heard the first shot. Although it may not be a popular question, I believe it is one many have struggled with: Why did God so obviously protect one man but not another? Was this “God’s will?” Or, did God prompt a select group of Christians to pray protection specifically over the attendees of this rally, and they missed it because of various life “distractions” or just immaturity in their walk with the Lord? I don’t know. In my own struggles to grasp why “bad things happen to good people,” I am drawn to a familiar passage: For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9, NASB)
Illogical Peace
I may or may not have heard clearly, but one afternoon, I was, yet again mad, or at least disappointed, in God. Eight years (and counting), I’ve watched in agony and soul-draining discouragement my mother’s decline in Alzheimer’s disease. I’ve prayed. I’ve fasted. I’ve spoken what I believed to be God’s word concerning my mom. Other strong and mighty prayer warriors have prayed, yet I see no improvement in her, only slow, miserable, dreadful decline. She’s still “here,” but not really. Determined never to abandon her, despite the torment it causes me, I visit her at the memory care facility often. My mother is gone, yet I must face her multiple times a week. I sobbed (again) and asked God why this is so hard. I MISS HER SO MUCH! I screamed. Again, maybe I misheard, but I sensed God’s spirit compassionately and gently answer…I know.
Really? You know? So why don’t You DO something?
Beyond logic, I felt peace after my meltdown. I confessed God could have given up on me because of my sins, yet He didn’t, so I couldn’t give up on trusting Him even though I could not see any reason for all the heartache. The best I can do is pursue a deeper relationship with the Lord and mature in my faith. And honestly, what would the world look like if all followers of Christ took their faith seriously and, to the best of their ability, represented Jesus Christ in His mercy and power? Would it be as dark as it is now? My best guess: no, absolutely not!
Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
Please know that no matter what you are going through or what has happened to you, God sees your pain. I’m certain He isn’t the author of any disease, abuse, or tribulation. He is not the mastermind of everything that takes place, yet one day, those of us who have accepted His Son Jesus as Lord and given our life to Him, we will understand…all of it. Until then, on this side of heaven, we must acknowledge His ways are beyond our comprehension and choose to trust Him and keep going.
“Trouble is neither above God nor beyond His control. It is not something in life independent of God. No matter from what source it springs nor whence it arises, God is sufficiently wise and able to lay His hand upon it without assuming responsibility for its origin, and work it into His plans and purposes concerning the highest welfare of His saints.” E.M. Bounds (from his book The Essentials of Prayer, 1925, public domain)
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