We Can't Control God. by John.

We Can't Control God

All of us establish rules in our minds about everything. I suppose it is necessary for us to keep some order to things. Some of those rules become so strong that we might call them our personal laws. Someone observed is was like building a box that fit everything. It's our way of saying, "This has to be like this." It may, or may not, be a logical conclusion, but we still try to make everything fit in one of our mental boxes. Maybe it is more appropriate to call these mental file cabinets in which we store what we know we know. This sounds a little redundant doesn't it?

Doing this is okay except we frequently discover it doesn't work. Some think creation can only have happened according to scientific principles. I believe that it did and does; however, to suggest there is not a God disobeys a basic scientific principle. My atheistic Zoology professor in college drilled into us that we must observe (under the microscope) and report only what we observe. To declare because of other discipoines that there is no God is only an inference of ignorance. Besides, we all know there is more science to be learned than we yet uncovered. Some of us, and I certainly include myself, believe God created everything that is. How can I believe in science and God? Well, I discovered long ago that there is no mental box big enough to contain God. A Methodist minister when I was a child illustrated our plight with a story of three blind men's first contact with an elephant. Each touched the elephant just once and then discussed what they discovered. One felt the elephant's tail. He said an elephant is like a big, rough rope. The second felt the elephant's leg, and he said an elephant is like a big tree. The third felt the elephant's trunk said the elephant was like a huge snake! They got angry with each other because of their disagreement. The preacher then compared their view of the elephant with our view of God. The only thing the blind men agreed on was that the elephant was big! Humans only get glimpses of God, and from those we fill in an image of Him. All of our experiences with God may be entirely real and valid, and yet even when we put them together sincerely believing we are right we've only begun to find out what God is really like.

I read a humorous story someone wrote many years ago about a little girl sitting at the kitchen table while her mother prepared their meal. Her mother noticed she was scribbling on some paper with crayons. She asked, "What are you doing, dear?" Her daughter answered, "I'm drawing a picture of God." "But you don't know what God looks like, do you, dear?" "No. But I will when I get done."

I believe God let's us see as much of Himself as He wants us to see. I believe He also limits us to be sure we develop faith in Him instead of seeing Him as a fact. If we could conceive of Him precisely, couldn't we build a box around Him? Wouldn't we think we could control Him? Of course, if that were possible, and I certainly don't believe it is, we would discover that being God, He still could not be manipulated.

Moses talked directly to God and God answered Him directly the Scripture says in Numbers 12:6-7, God spoke to Miriam and Aaron directly on one occasion. Moses stood by them; "...When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house." God wanted them to know there are different levels of inspiration. Then God continued in verse 8: "With him I speak face to face clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

My wife wrote in her book, "Women of the Bible" that Miriam was strong-willed, and Aaron was weak, and that she probably convinced Aaron to join with her in rebellion against their brother Moses, so God punished her alone as responsible instead of punishing Aaron, too. He made her immediately leprous. Moses interceded for her, but she still had to remain leprous for seven days. She was kept outside the camp until the leprosy was gone.

That not only tells us we may have differing levels of inspiration but also tells us we should be careful not to go beyond what God has given us. It may be extremely costly if we do. I have a lot of tools that I am fond of, but when one breaks and can't be repaired, I toss it into the trash barrel. I'm thankful God loves us more than I love my tools.

I study the Bible a lot, almost every day, and I've learned a lot, but I am careful to say I don't really know the Bible. I've had some tell me they didn't need to know the whole Bible because they lived by the Golden Rule. When I asked them what they called the Golden Rule, some of them said, "Why, it's do unto others as they have done to you! Everybody knows that!" Wrong, of course, but even if they had gotten it right, I'd have to also ask them, are you doing it? When anyone gives it some real thought, I think they will find they come up quite short of that goal because all of us have too much selfish desire to get it done.

You might think I'm trying to explain God, or protect Him in some way by what I've written here, but I would not dare! God doesn't need anyone's protection! I am certain about that. I am also sure that I sin by overstepping the inspiration I have as it is without adding another sin to the list.

We can't search out God. He reveals Himself to us. We can list some of His attributes, but we cannot give anyone an absolutely clear picture of God. We can state with assurance that God even created science, and that scientists only discover what God has created, but we don't have all the answers to questions of science, technology, or anything else. God does, and our disbelief in Him does not make him less real or untrue. Neither does it stop His love for us, His creations. John 3:16 is still vital to every human being: "For God so loved the world (that's us) that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Instead of trying to figure God out, my advice is put your trust in Him, and let Him fill you with His inspiration!