“God Always Gets God’s Way”

What it Doesn’t Mean that “God is in Control”, Part II

Early on in my spiritual journey, I remember hearing that the most important thing about us is what comes to mind when we think of God. That’s a big statement, isn’t it? It’s attributed to A. W. Tozer and from his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, which I read years ago. And yet, today, as I consider the current landscape of Christendom, specifically the enormous divide between Christians in our country, I wonder if this is at the heart of our differences, especially in relation to how we think about God and power.

We have been taught that God is all-powerful. Now, what comes to mind when you consider this assertion? Does it match the God you know, the God you have observed at work in the world? The God who has engaged with you throughout your life? Do you ever recall a time when God used power over you to control you? Can you think of a single time when God forced you to do something or single-handedly imposed circumstances to turn out a certain way? How ironic that when we think of God, we imagine a deity who uses power and control in a way that we’ve never actually experienced in real life! 

As I sit here this morning on the dock of the Lily Pad, I’m thoughtful about how I would describe the quality of God’s presence and involvement over my lifetime. Here are a few of the adjectives that come to mind:

·        Faithful

·        Gentle

·        Unrelenting

·        Resourceful

·        Steadfast

·        Patient

·        Accepting

·        Gracious

·        Compassionate

How about you?

During my sabbatical, I’ve been reflecting on what it means and doesn’t mean that God is in control. There’s one particular arresting statement that I’ve come across from my reading the work of Thomas J. Oord and would like for you to consider with me: 

God’s love is inherently uncontrolling.

Take a moment and allow that sentence to sink in. Then recall your response when I asked you to review your life and notice if God ever forced you to do anything. Your answer was likely, “No.” So is mine. That’s because God is essentially and primarily loving, and God’s love by its very nature doesn’t control!

Oord argues that love is the primary feature of God’s essence. All God’s other attributes are secondary expressions of God’s primary nature as an uncontrolling Lover. Could this be at the root of our differences? Could it be that how we express our Christian faith boils down to what we believe to be the primary feature of God’s essence as we’ve experienced it? Is it uncontrolling love or absolute power? Naturally, whatever comes to mind reveals itself in the way we live out our faith. We imitate God, much like kids imitate their parents. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

“God’s love is inherently uncontrolling.” This theological assumption is a foundational concept in Tom Oord’s book, God Can’t: How to Believe in God and Love after Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils. He elaborates,

“Love does not overrule or override. It does ‘not force itself on others,’ to quote the Apostle Paul (I Cor. 13:5). Love does not manipulate, dominate, or dictate in ways that allow no response. Love does not control.” 

Because God is, by nature, pure love, and love does not control others, it is impossible for God always to get what God wants, because to do so, God would need to force us to comply. While some might turn to enigmatic examples in the Old Testament when this appears to happen, I’m convinced that the more helpful direction to look is toward the life of Jesus, who perfectly revealed God. (Hebrews 1:3).

Consider with me what happened when Jesus didn’t get what he wanted. How did he respond? Did he use force? Did he retaliate and seek revenge? Did Jesus eliminate his enemies who didn’t go along with him? Not once do we see Jesus respond this way! Let’s look at one example when Jesus taught in the synagogue of his hometown of Nazareth:

“...many who heard him were amazed. They asked, ‘Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?’ Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. He was unable [italics added] to do any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few sick people and healed them. He was appalled by their disbelief.” (Mark 6:2-6, NLT)

He was unable to do any miracles. Let those words sink in. Mark suggests that there was actually something (Oord would describe as forces, factors, or actors) that blocked Jesus from doing what he wanted to do. In other words, his essential nature of uncontrolling love wouldn’t allow him to act forcefully to do what he wanted to do! And how did Jesus respond when he didn’t get what he wanted? He left Nazareth. (He also told his disciples to do the same when they were not welcomed by a town and its people—to simply shake the dust off their feet and leave.) Hardly an act of violence.

If what comes to mind when we think of God is an all-powerful, ever-triumphant God who always gets his way, then it makes sense that we might be okay with using force to get what we want, especially if we believe that what we want is one-and-the-same with what God wants. But if what comes to my mind when we think of God is an uncontrolling Lover—compassionate, patient, and invitational—we will be alarmed by the use of force, intimidation, dehumanization, and control! 

We imitate the character of the One whose likeness we imagine. I suspect that this is the crux of our differences and why many of us are absolutely gob-smacked to hear of Christians supporting and promoting actions and behaviors from the Trump administration that are antithetical to a God who is essentially and primarily an uncontrolling Lover. Now I’m reminded of a not-so-humorous old saying:

“In the beginning God created man in His own image,

and man has been trying to repay the favor ever since.”

Voltaire

Let me know what you think! Thanks, Beth Booram