It is a curious thing
Lots of people seem to think they have the right to speak
for God
As if has somehow made them a personal confidant
Take for example a candidate for the US Senate
who, when commenting about a rape
and the subsequent impregnation of the woman
felt entitled to tell us
the WHY
Why it happened.
Pregnancies from rape are “something that God intended to
happen."
(it seems)
Really?
God told him?
We tend to do this a lot
Put words in God’s mouth
Intentions in God heart
Poor God!
The problem I suspect is that we want certainty
We want to understand
We want formulas to explain how everything works
Do good and prosper
Do evil and fail
Love God and be blessed
Reject God and suffer
We want it neat and clean
We have an obsession with knowing WHY
And the easy solution is that God is in control of
everything
And God makes everything happen
And God has God’s reasons
And so we go to this place where God micromanages
everything
everything
its all God
whatever happens it is God's will
The problem is not what is happening
The problem is simply our understanding
You know the platitudes
“God's will is like a jigsaw puzzle, sooner or later, all
the pieces will fit together.”
There is of course, an element of truth in such insights
But ultimately this is an odd formula
One not exactly supported by scripture
And one that seems to ignore the fact that people have a
lot to say
when it comes to evil
I think it is one of the great theological mistakes,
this idea that God makes everything happen...
not only the good
but also the bad and the ugly.
It takes us such weird places
A child dies... we must make sense of it
Why? Why? we cry...
We must know why!
And so people say "God wanted this beautiful child in
heaven with Him"
Really?
Not my God. He would not do that to a loving parent.
A woman is raped and gets pregnant.
God must have wanted another life?
It doesn't work!
The formula is flawed, and no amount of creative thinking
can always come up with a reason WHY God did something...
As with Adam and Eve,
we darn well have our own minds
and we make our choices
and its not always good
and we can't always make sense of it, except to say
that's life
that is what happens when people
who are all too flawed, have choices
“WHY” is the wrong question
It takes us to horrible places
But Paul did remind us... all things work together for good,
for those who love God"
God is certainly in the mix
So I think the question is this... WHAT?
What can God and I do with the mess I have made?
What can God do with the mess those around me have made?
What can God in the power of the Spirit
do in me
do through me
do with me,
to create good out of what is clearly not good.
Is it God’s will that a rape result in a pregnancy?
No! Hell no!
But is God there, in the midst and the pain?
Yes!
Is it God’s will to work with us to try and make good emerge
Even from the darkest and most evil sitautions?
Yes!
Yes!
Yes!
So as darkness falls
And evil flourishes
It seems the primary question should not be WHY
(although we will always want to know,
even Jesus asked
“why” while on the cross)
But WHAT
What can God do?
What can I do to help?
How can I work together with God
So that love, and grace, and forgiveness thrive
Because this I do believe
With God
All things can work together
For good
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