David McCasland wrote an article for Our Daily Bread titled, “Our Hopes and Dreams.” Basing this piece on Apostle Paul’s dedication to advancing God’s kingdom, and the trials and setbacks he faced while so doing, the author concluded with this statement:
When our goal is to honor the Lord, He guides and guards us each step of the way. Whatever our hopes and dreams may be, when we place them in God’s hands we know that everything, including setback or success, is under His control. —David McCasland
McCasland used as a reference Scripture passage Acts 20:16-24.
I have to wonder if our lives more resemble a model sailboat under radio control, or one with a preset, wind controlled rudder and sail. To what extent does God micromanage our lives?
While the passage in Acts testifies to the Apostle’s own inability to predict the future, and his confidence in God’s faithfulness to carry out His intentions, it doesn’t say “everything, including setback or success, is under His control.”
Our absolutely sovereign, self-existent God cannot be constrained to human concepts and expectations for Him. We’re locked in to thinking of Him as either in control, or not in control. Are those the only two possibilities? Oh, I hope not, as those options are so … finite.
Apostle Paul gives a different perspective.
(Rom 8:28 NASB) And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
To me, this says He coordinates, but He doesn’t control. I desperately wish He would do just that, so we could see His mighty hand at work minute-by-minute. But trust doesn’t work like that, for we walk by faith, not by sight-- (2Corinthians 5:7 NASB)
Whether God micromanages our lives, or guides us through life’s pitfalls, matters little to a Christ-follower. We must simply trust Him to love us as only He can.
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