For many, there is a strong belief in the absolute providence of God. In that, God determines or pre-determines all things. That God, as the supreme omniscient and omnipotent Being controls all events in the world. This past Friday I attended the funeral of a colleague and friend. Stan was his name. Stan was a “young” 71 and died quite suddenly a week ago. We all were in shock. I sat at his funeral grieving the loss with the family. Does God truly “will” this type of pain? Interestingly, the funeral started with a reading from the Heidelberg catechism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg_Catechism). One line jumped out at me “…that He (God) protects me so well that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head...” Does God really control when a hair falls from my head? Am I to believe that God really controls and manages every event in my body? Does God control all of the cellular events going on inside each cell in my body and the bodies of all humanity? This just seems strange to me. If God really controls the universe in this manner, it seems that there is little room for free will. Perhaps this is why I struggle with this view of God. I understand where it comes from, but it just seems to break down if you push this theology to it’s logical end. It simply makes God sort of a grand “master puppeteer” calling all the shots and making all of our decisions moot.
The opposite view is one that is held by those known as Deists. Many of our founding fathers were Deists. Their view is that God created the universe, created all of the principles that drive the universe, and then sealed the system up-stepped back and does not intervene or interact at all with the universe. To some extent, such a view is intellectually gratifying when trying to figure out God’s role (or the lack thereof) in the suffering of the world. But, this also seems so impersonal. It also is a view that seems contrary to my own personal experiences.
Clearly, God does intervene in this world and universe. The life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus demonstrate this loud and clear. I think where Deists come up short is that they neglect the actions of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that is God’s presence in this world. It is the Holy Spirit that reaches out to our minds, hearts, and souls—prompting us to be God’s hands and feet in this world. The Holy Spirit calls me to service, calls me to show love, and prompts me to experience God. While I have the free will to obey or ignore God speaking to me through the Holy Spirit, God is at work in the world and it is up to me to make God known in a tangible way. Sure there are times when God seems to intervene in a miraculous or unexplainable way, but that seems to be the exception not the rule—and those times remain a mystery. Most of the time, I believe God works through our humility and obedience to His Spirit calling us to intervene to bring comfort in times of tragedy, love in situations of hatred, peace in times of turmoil, and hope in times of despair. In the days ahead, it is my prayer that we listen for God’s voice and that we have the strength and the courage to let God be known in our world.
