"The Dilemma"
Here is our dilemma. If God is all sovereign and everything that transpires in the universe is according to His plan or dictates, then God is ultimately responsible. If everything that happens on planet earth is dictated by God, then God is the cause of all evil and calamities and disasters. We are not overly fond of this notion. In essence, the deplorable condition of our planet would fall on the shoulders of God…IF we believe God is completely “in charge.” Do you see how this concept would affect our “relationship” with our God? Do you see why many folks would ultimately blame God for their loss or tragedy or circumstances?
What we believe, deep down, about God, the world, evil, the future, etc. directly impacts our perceptions of this life and guides our lifestyle choices from day to day, even oftentimes when we do not realize it. As I mentioned last week, a lot of people are upset at God regarding the world’s condition. A lot of people are “turned off” by God because of His failure to act or intervene with compassion more frequently. How about you? Are you a little miffed at God or emotionally “hurt” because of His failure to answer your prayer or intervene in your situation?
Where was God in the midst of my nasty divorce? Why didn’t God answer my plea for my child’s healing? Why am I so depressed? Why did my loved one have to die? The questions can be never-ending. Without the proper framework in place to under gird our understanding of God and our world, our faith can be severely wounded, our hope can be shattered, and our lives can soon be found in shambles. This is precisely the reason we should value some of these foundational spiritual truths.
Again, the dilemma is believing in an all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere God, yet not seeing Him intervene or “come to the rescue” in every circumstance. Isn’t that pretty much the quandary? Additionally (and closer to home), if God is so powerful why doesn’t He help me in my condition? After all, we have heard testimonies regarding God’s personal intervention in OTHER people’s lives, why not mine? I believe God does perform miracles, but why doesn’t He perform one for me?
IS GOD OMNI-?
First, since I have been discussing the characteristics of “God” throughout this series, let us ask the basic question, “Is God actually omnipotent (all powerful)?” Without quoting a cluster of Scripture verses, let me confirm that the Bible clearly reveals God’s power in a multitude of ways but perhaps predominantly through creation. Remember how we established the fact that creation itself reveals proof of a “Grand Architect” but also discloses particular attributes of that Creator. One obvious attribute is God’s incredible power to create “ex nihilo” or out of nothing. Humankind is thus far incapable of considering the entire scope of the universe or the intricacies of the earth, nature, and living beings. God is, without doubt, exceedingly powerful.
Other Scriptures likewise speak to us pretty clearly about His Omnipresence and Omniscience. He is everywhere, and He knows everything that can be known. Now, that is the rub, isn’t it? If God is everywhere and knows all things and has the power to do anything, then why doesn’t He? Either we are mistaken about the characteristics of God (who God is), or we are possibly missing the influence of other factors.
Here is our dilemma. If God is all sovereign and everything that transpires in the universe is according to His plan or dictates, then God is ultimately responsible. If everything that happens on planet earth is dictated by God, then God is the cause of all evil and calamities and disasters. We are not overly fond of this notion. In essence, the deplorable condition of our planet would fall on the shoulders of God…IF we believe God is completely “in charge.” Do you see how this concept would affect our “relationship” with our God? Do you see why many folks would ultimately blame God for their loss or tragedy or circumstances?
What we believe, deep down, about God, the world, evil, the future, etc. directly impacts our perceptions of this life and guides our lifestyle choices from day to day, even oftentimes when we do not realize it. As I mentioned last week, a lot of people are upset at God regarding the world’s condition. A lot of people are “turned off” by God because of His failure to act or intervene with compassion more frequently. How about you? Are you a little miffed at God or emotionally “hurt” because of His failure to answer your prayer or intervene in your situation?
Where was God in the midst of my nasty divorce? Why didn’t God answer my plea for my child’s healing? Why am I so depressed? Why did my loved one have to die? The questions can be never-ending. Without the proper framework in place to under gird our understanding of God and our world, our faith can be severely wounded, our hope can be shattered, and our lives can soon be found in shambles. This is precisely the reason we should value some of these foundational spiritual truths.
Again, the dilemma is believing in an all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere God, yet not seeing Him intervene or “come to the rescue” in every circumstance. Isn’t that pretty much the quandary? Additionally (and closer to home), if God is so powerful why doesn’t He help me in my condition? After all, we have heard testimonies regarding God’s personal intervention in OTHER people’s lives, why not mine? I believe God does perform miracles, but why doesn’t He perform one for me?
IS GOD OMNI-?
First, since I have been discussing the characteristics of “God” throughout this series, let us ask the basic question, “Is God actually omnipotent (all powerful)?” Without quoting a cluster of Scripture verses, let me confirm that the Bible clearly reveals God’s power in a multitude of ways but perhaps predominantly through creation. Remember how we established the fact that creation itself reveals proof of a “Grand Architect” but also discloses particular attributes of that Creator. One obvious attribute is God’s incredible power to create “ex nihilo” or out of nothing. Humankind is thus far incapable of considering the entire scope of the universe or the intricacies of the earth, nature, and living beings. God is, without doubt, exceedingly powerful.
Other Scriptures likewise speak to us pretty clearly about His Omnipresence and Omniscience. He is everywhere, and He knows everything that can be known. Now, that is the rub, isn’t it? If God is everywhere and knows all things and has the power to do anything, then why doesn’t He? Either we are mistaken about the characteristics of God (who God is), or we are possibly missing the influence of other factors.