Who's In Charge?

We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (RSV)


This weekend's hiking trip to White Oak Canyon's lower falls went nicely. It was slightly overcast and a bit on the cool side. The baptism was an adventure; late September + mountain stream = COLD! Both Pastor Matt and Tabatha said, in effect, the same thing - the cold just sucked the breath out of both of them. Too bad for them; the scenery was awesome for the rest of us. :-)

We did have an incident along the trail, though. We encountered a swarm of bees along the way. Unfortunately, one of our dogs (we took our two boxers along, much to their regret) was stung repeatedly. She started to vomit, she had difficulty breathing and she developed hives on her legs and up her back. She was miserable. And that was on the way UP to the falls. To make it worse, we had failed to pack our Benadryl. Poor dog was really glad to make it home finally.

She's doing fine now, thanks for asking ...

Her story kind of ties into what I wanted to talk about this week. It brings us to this: God may not have meant it to be this way, but why doesn't He fix it now that is this way? Is He in control? Does He not care? Surely He could have made it so that bees wouldn't have stung our dog. Surely He could have healed her once she was stung.

This one will require some time and space, because there is not a "one size fits all" answer. I promise, if you bear with me, probably over the next two posts, I'll give my best answer. Part of the answer may leave you slightly dissatisfied; that will be where trust and faith will come into play.

Before we get into answering our questions, please allow me to tell a story and ask a few questions of my own.

In the course of conducting my business, I've come to know a young man whose father is very wealthy. The father wanted to help the son, so he bought a business and allowed the son to run it. The father was quite "hands off;" it was almost like the son was the owner. He made all of the decisions, paid the bills, hired the help, etc... Well, the son did not have much business background and there were some setbacks, some of them were not really controllable, that made it a bit more difficult for the son. The father would offer some advice here and there, but like I said, he really did not push the son or interfere. Eventually, you guessed it, the business went under.

My questions: Who owned the business, the father or the son? The father owned; the son ran it. Did the father have the right to step in anytime he wanted and take over? Of course he did. What would that have done for the son? Would he have learned anything for the long haul? What may it have done to their relationship?

Ah, you're sharp! You're right, I'm going to relate this to God and us (try to anyway).

First, it's important to remember that all of this exists only by God, through God and for God. (Colossians 1:16) It's His. He owns it. He has the right to do whatever He wants in it and to it. The "it" includes us and our surroundings and circumstances.

Second, with God, all things are possible! He can make the blind to see, the lame to walk and the deaf to hear. He can cure diseases, He can give and He can take away. That doesn't mean He always will, however.

And the final point for tonight, just as the father turned the keys to the business over to his son and kept his hands off, God has done a similar thing. When Adam and Eve rebelled (we often don't like to see it that way, but that's what it was), the keys to this world were turned over to another party - Satan. ( John 12:31, Ephesians 2:2; among others)

"What!" you say, "Satan is in control of this world?"

Yes, but with limits. (just read the 1st two chapters of Job) This fact alone explains a lot of the evil we see occurring, but I'll fill in more detail. Just remember this verse: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour ..." 1Peter 5:8.

But also remember this - there is one key that frees us from Satan's rule. I'll give you a hint in advance - John 14:6.

See ya later ...