{"id":6400,"date":"2017-03-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/2017\/03\/01\/out-of-control\/"},"modified":"2017-03-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-03-01T00:00:00","slug":"out-of-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/2017\/03\/01\/out-of-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Out of Control"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The United States has just sworn in a new president. Looking back on the campaign, I find myself paraphrasing Winston Churchill: Never before have so few been so disliked by so many. But the choice has been made, and, as usual, we\u2019ll soon discover just how right—or wrong—we were.<\/p>\n

There are many among us who don\u2019t seem concerned about the election outcome. \u201cWhy worry?\u201d they post on social media or announce by the water cooler. \u201cEverything will turn out fine. God is in control.\u201d<\/p>\n

Really? <\/p>\n

We human beings love to shift the burden of responsibility for our personal or corporate actions to someone or something<\/em> we perceive to possess broader shoulders. Most religions of the world proudly support this concept. \u201cGod is in control,\u201d cries the Christian. \u201cInshallah [if it\u2019s God\u2019s will],\u201d intones the Muslim. Hindu worshippers insist they can count on at least one of their many deities to step in when needed. Jews recite endless examples from their Torah, where God overruled His followers\u2019 foibles and made things right in spite of them.<\/p>\n

Not being a Muslim, Hindu, or a full-blooded son of Abraham, I must try to reconcile my beliefs using Christian principles. Is God in control in Washington, D.C., these days? Is He working out some complex plan of action that absolutely requires the services of someone for whom I did or did not vote?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a Bible text that seems to support this idea. \u201cHe [God] changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning\u201d (Daniel 2:21, NIV). *<\/p>\n

Wait, there\u2019s more. The God of my Bible seems to be telling me that no matter who\u2019s in charge, I must follow his or her lead. The apostle Paul, writing to the early Christian church in Rome, advised, \u201cLet every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God\u201d (Romans 13:1). Then he tightens the screws. \u201cWhosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation\u201d (verse 2).<\/p>\n

He goes on to say that rulers are not a \u201cterror to good works, but to the evil\u201d (verse 3) and that we should render \u201ctribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour\u201d (verse 7). Is it any wonder why Adolf Hitler regarded Romans 13 as his favorite Bible passage? He used it very effectively as a propaganda tool to secure the support of the \u201cconservative right\u201d of his day—the Lutheran and, reluctantly, the Catholic churches—as well as the liberals who helped establish the Weimar Republic, the democratic government founded in Germany after Kaiser Wilhelm II\u2019s abdication near the end of War World I. They, like countless others, got on board the Nazi express in order to survive another day. These factions, many motivated by Paul\u2019s words, helped catapult a madman into power. But don\u2019t worry. God is in control!<\/p>\n

So we should sit back and wait for a new occupant of the White House to guide us down the pathway of God\u2019s design, right?<\/p>\n

\u201cNot so fast,\u201d Old Testament prophet Hosea seems to be saying as he conveys words given to him by God Himself. Addressing the self-possessed actions of the Israelites, God\u2019s chosen people, who, after generations of wandering in the desert, were now tucked away safe and sound in the Promised Land, he wrote: \u201cThey set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction\u201d (Hosea 8:4, NIV). <\/p>\n

Is it possible for humankind to operate fully and consistently outside<\/em> of the control of God? Can rulers be something other than \u201cordained\u201d by Him? Are there times we, faithful citizens, should not<\/em> be subject unto their powers?<\/p>\n

No one in his or her right mind would insist that God was in control when the Holocaust snuffed out the lives of millions. The Crusades, the Dark Ages, the endless persecution administered by those calling themselves \u201cChristian,\u201d can hardly be labeled as acts of God. King Solomon, a man known for his great wisdom, offers this warning: \u201cThere is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death\u201d (Proverbs 16:25).<\/p>\n

Garden Kingdom<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was a time that God was totally and unquestionably in control of humanity. The human population was quite small then; two people, in a garden, with fruit trees.<\/p>\n

The Genesis account makes it clear exactly who was calling the shots: \u201cSo God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, \u2018Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground\u2019\u201d (Genesis 1:27, 28, NIV). Humanity\u2019s marching orders came directly from the Creator. \u201cInshallah\u201d was a given. Everything<\/em> aligned perfectly with God\u2019s will.<\/p>\n

Then God set one more jewel in the crown of Adam and Eve\u2019s perfect lives: the freedom to choose. \u201cAnd the Lord God commanded the man, \u2018You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die\u2019\u201d (Genesis 2:16, 17, NIV).<\/p>\n

The line in the sand was drawn. On one side stood God and His loving, sustaining control. On the other side stood a man and a woman doing what was right in their own eyes. Any Bible student knows what happened next. Adam and Eve nibbled their way out from under God\u2019s control and right out of the Garden of Eden. They chose to follow another power, another force, another leader, who promised they could have their apple and eat it too.<\/p>\n

History proves beyond a doubt that living apart from God isn\u2019t optimal to anyone\u2019s health and well being. Thankfully, humankind\u2019s heavenly Father didn\u2019t fly off to some remote galaxy to sulk. He did (and continues to do) His level best to reinsert Himself back into all aspects of life on earth. He seems to have decided that if He couldn\u2019t be in control, He could at least act as a buffer between human beings and the evil forces bent on destroying them.<\/p>\n

To this end, He set up rules and principles to act as guardrails along the road of life. \u201cDon\u2019t kill, don\u2019t commit adultery, honor your parents, be honest, love one another, be kind, feed the poor, nurture nature, treat all people with the same love and respect you shower on yourself, allow others to choose the spiritual framework of their own lives, and if you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed, talk to Me.\u201d <\/p>\n

When people groups followed His rules and principles, amazing things happened. God was able to put in place leaders who would support everyone\u2019s humanitarian and spiritual efforts, not undermine them. He routed enemies without shots being fired. Peace and harmony settled over the landscape like a comforting blanket on a chilly night.<\/p>\n

However, when people and nations turned their backs on God, outcomes changed dramatically. Wars, famines, corruption in high places, dangerous, life-threatening religions, and even entire nations being carried off into captivity followed with sickening regularity. These weren\u2019t acts<\/em> of God. This was what happened in the absence<\/em> of God.<\/p>\n

Human History<\/strong><\/p>\n

That line in the sand has scratched its way through human history and remains to this day. When human beings are standing firm to the guidelines that the Creator God set in place and doing their level best to live according to His laws and principles, Daniel 2:21 happens. But when they cross that line and align themselves with forces other than divine, Hosea 8:4 raises its frightening head.<\/p>\n

All of this takes place regardless of religious affiliation or whatever faith community has sprung up around random collections of God\u2019s principles. His laws, like gravity, remain in full effect no matter if a person or nation considers itself Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, agnostic, or downright atheist. A person of faith—or person with no<\/em> faith—will drop to the bottom of a cliff if he or she jumps. <\/p>\n

Thankfully, even at this level of freedom, God maintains a very unhumanlike propensity to love everyone, even those who don\u2019t love Him in return. Speaking of His Father, Christ revealed, \u201cHe causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous\u201d (Matthew 5:45, NIV).<\/p>\n

Which brings us back to Washington, D.C., and what\u2019s happening on the steps of the Capitol building. Did heavenly powers bring our new president to that podium? Is God in control?<\/p>\n

Freewill Choice<\/strong><\/p>\n

I put this question to Greg Hamilton, president of the Northwest Religious Liberty Association, during an interview for Liberty<\/em> magazine\u2019s flagship radio program LifeQuest Liberty<\/em>. Here\u2019s what he said: \u201cGod does not interfere with our freewill choice at all. He never has. God is a God of choice. He does not arbitrarily intervene against our worst interests or even in our best interests. He guides and counsels, but then it\u2019s really up to us to determine what we want to do. When we proactively seek to better our nation, whether it be for social justice reasons, whether it be for law and order reasons, God understands the motive, God understands the heart.\u201d <\/p>\n

In light of this, I believe that the question we should be asking is: \u201cAre we<\/em> in control? Are we living and voting<\/em> from our hearts? Have we selected a president based on our belief that God\u2019s principles need to be part of the political formula that forms decisions and establishes laws? Did our candidate of choice reflect and live those principles? Or have we allowed anger, dissatisfaction, or long-held prejudices to drive our choices? If history is any indication, this will determine whether the next four years is a Daniel thing or a Hosea thing.<\/p>\n

Even if we\u2019ve chosen to stand on the dangerous side of the line in the sand, there\u2019s still hope. God doesn\u2019t give up. When it comes to humankind, He\u2019s one persistent power.<\/p>\n

Our leaders may \u201csolemnly swear\u201d in Washington, but it is our heavenly Father who is standing by, eager to help us fix our misjudgments or bask in the glow of our wise choices. Living out of control is only one option. The choice is ours. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States has just sworn in a new president. Looking back on the campaign, I find myself paraphrasing Winston Churchill: Never before have so few been so disliked by so many. But the choice has been made, and, as usual, we\u2019ll soon discover just how right—or wrong—we were. There are many among us who<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[316],"tags":[148],"class_list":["post-6400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-march-april-2017","tag-march-april-2017"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6400\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}