My husband, Pat, has always considered both sides of everything. He has never taken anything he has been told for granted. Although he might disagree with this statement, the longer we have been married, the more I have come to resemble him in this regard. For quite some time, I have been reflecting on something I have been told since childhood. I am not asking you to agree or disagree with me, but I would like to share my perspective.
I came to the Lord as a young child because I heard He loved me. As I grew older, I wondered why bad things happened if God loved me. When faced with a question they couldn’t answer, I often heard people tell others that God was in control. God gave me free will to choose Him and make decisions for my life. How does that work with Him being in control of everything? I came to the conclusion that it doesn’t.
If the God I know were in control of everything, this earth would resemble heaven. Adam and Eve would never have sinned, Cain would not have killed Abel, and there would be no evil, sickness, pain, or disasters.
If the God I know controlled everything that happens on earth, Jesus would have never needed to instruct me to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus would not have had to come to destroy the works of the enemy. If this were a world where God controlled all things, then evil, sickness, suffering, corruption, war, and misfortune would all deserve our praise.
Who is the thief that comes to steal, kill, and destroy? Does God control the works of darkness for His glory? How many are coming to the Lord through witnessing human trafficking, drug addiction, and senseless crime?
If God controls all things, what good is prayer? I have no right to question His will, so there is no need to ask. That means I have no right to hope for something better. If God controls all things, is His best suffering and heartache?
What was God’s creation like in the beginning? It was perfect—heaven on earth. God didn’t control Adam when he sinned; instead, Adam exercised his free will. If God controlled all things, there would be no sin and, therefore, no need for a Redeemer. But Jesus came. We live in Adam’s fallen world. We desperately needed a Redeemer!
Jesus said to His disciples the night before His crucifixion:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12).
The “greater works” Jesus refers to would not have been necessary if Adam had not surrendered his authority over the works of God’s hands to Satan. However, Adam relinquished that authority. Jesus Christ restored our authority. In a world desperately in need of redemption, the “greater works” of Jesus are what we have been given to overcome evil with good.
However, many believers, instead of revealing God’s goodness, authority, and power, live in fear and confusion. Some even blame God for the evil in this world. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). He said, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Jesus gave us authority over all the powers of the enemy so that we might have life more abundantly.
The Holy Spirit asks me every day:
“Are you tired of the thief who steals, kills, and destroys your abundant life? Do you value My light in you more than darkness? Will you meditate on My Word or your problems? Your pain or My promise? Your loss or My victory? Will you exercise the choice I gave my life for you to have?
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