Is God In Control Of The World?

Is God really in control of life? When I ask myself this question I have to define the word “control”. What do I mean by control? Does he control the living beings on earth in such a manner that only good takes place and all bad is avoided? If “control” means that, then God is certainly not in control, at least not displaying this sort of control in life. He is not in control of life, at least he is not displaying this kind of control. He doesn’t control us. He doesn’t control human beings. He doesn’t control animals as well.

This morning I saw a scene, which made me very sad. I saw a dog maul a little kitten. The poor kitten was badly injured. It was not able to walk properly. But it had the spirit to drag itself under a car. It rested under a standing car. I don’t know what happened to the kitten later. I said a prayer for it. I asked God to take care of the kitten. But many kittens would have been mauled today by bigger animals. Many smaller animals would have suffered today on account of what the bigger animals did to them. There seems to be cruelty in life. I see cruelty in every place. I see cruelty among human beings. And I see cruelty among animals.When I see cruelty I need to ask myself the question, “Is God really in control? Or is this world without control? Is there no control at all?

Control is what we find in human minds. Human beings talk about control. Human beings would like to be controlled in the way they interact with other human beings. Human beings talk about restraining themselves. From where did they get this concept of control?  Why are human beings trying to control themselves? Why can’t they be uncontrolled? Why can’t they do whatever they want? Why should there be any restraint in the way human beings behave?And why do some human beings believe that they need to be restrained because of what an external presence may think of them? Why do some human beings believe that there is an external God who wants them to be controlled in their behaviour?

I have asked a few questions: “Is God really in control? If he is, what sort of control is this?”It is certainly not a control, which eliminates undesirable behaviour and promotes only desirable behaviour. It is not such a control. God doesn’t police us that way. If he is in control, what sort of control is this? When we see cruelty all around us, when we see unfairness and wickedness all around us, what sort of control does God display in a world like this? How can we say that God is in control? Yes, there is cruelty in life. There is unfairness. There is wickedness. But there is also control. There is control in the human mind. Many human beings want to be controlled in the way they behave. Many human beings also attempt to control others in the way they behave. There is a certain desirable code of behaviour and human beings are expected to adhere to this code. And those who do not do so will be controlled to do so. The law enforcement agency will control human beings to behave in a certain way, and if they don’t (behave in that way), they (human beings) will have to pay a penalty for their lack of control.

If human beings are controlled in the way they behave, then how does this reflect God’s control?How does this mean that God is in control? Man is made in the image of God. Soif Man desires control, if Man feels the need to control himself and others,then this need reflects a certain divine characteristic. To put it in another way, God works in human beings, and it is in this way that he controls the world, by getting human beings to be aware of a certain lawlessness in their behaviour and to do something about it. Human beings are made aware of the dangers of lawlessness,and they are also directed to control this lawlessness in their own behaviour and in the behaviour of others.

Though cruelty can be found all around us, control is also found, the desire for control is found,the desire for acceptable behaviour is also found, the insistence on good behaviour is also found. One cannot behave any way one wants. There are controls. Human beings employ these controls, and they do so because they are made aware of the need for control. When human beings are made aware, I believe they are made aware by a superior force. There is a superior force in each and every one of us. We are made in the image of God. We have his image in us.Though it may not be a perfect image of God, there is a certain image, and we feel the need to conform to a divine principle of control.

Is God in control of this world? Not (in) the way one normally considers the word control, one normally understands the word “control”. God doesn’t control us. He does give us the freedom to decide for ourselves. At the same time he also plants in us the awareness of the dangers of lawlessness and thus he persuades us to control ourselves and to control others.

It’s not an easy life.It is difficult. But it is not hopeless. It is not a lost cause. This life on earth, difficult as it is, cruel as it is, unfair as it is sometimes, perhaps even many times, is not a hopeless act. It is certainly not something that we must give up on. There is control. Let us hang on to this control. And let us live desiring good not only for ourselves but also for others.

(A transcript of the speech made by Samuel Godfrey George on 15 December 2013)