We are starting a discussion about whom or what controls the events in our personal lives. Christians often talk about God’s providence and how God has arranged things in their lives to make their life better—getting them a new job, enabling them to buy a house they wanted. For example, a businessman and his wife had saved $30,000 to move into their dream house. However, they gave up that dream house to provide for a missionary with a need for $30,000 to purchase an airplane for use in his ministry in Africa. Six months later, the businessman and his wife were driving by their dream house and noticed it was still for sale. A call to the real estate agent revealed the price had been reduced $30,000 and they were able to obtain their dream house. [1] Was God rewarding this businessman and his wife for giving up their dream to help someone in need? What about the people who sold the house? They received $30,000 less than what they wanted. Had they never helped someone in need? Were they greedy and this was God’s way of punishing them? There are two sides to every story and we Christians tend to only look at the side that supports our beliefs.
However, if God can arrange our lives so we enjoy the good aspects of life, why does not God arrange things so bad things do not happen? For example, there have been several instances where a parent strapped their young child into a car seat intending to take the child to day care. Once the parent started driving, they went to work and forgot to take the child to day care. So here we have a young child strapped into a hot car and it is getting hotter. The young child is screaming its lungs out because of the heat and God’s providence is no where to be found. Why did not God somehow bring it to the parent’s attention that the child was still in the car? Why did not God cause the car window glass to break? Why did not God cause someone to walk by the car and notice the child?
Why would God care about getting us a job or a house while totally ignoring the screams of a helpless young child who is trapped in a hot car? Jesus had a special relationship with children (Matthew 19:13-15). Why would he not help children in need if he helps us adults when we have a need?
In the next few blog, we will explore more contradictions within the belief that God controls all events on this earth.
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[1] Kirk Gormley, “The Glastar and the Missionary”, EAA Sport Aviation, March 2005, Vol. 54, No. 3, p. 42.
