God is in Control!

God is in Control!

This is the phrase that I keep hearing and reading as pastors and many other Christians try to offer comforting words during this time of crisis.

So, what does this phrase really mean?  The dictionary definition of “Control” that best fits this phrase is:  “power or authority to guide or manage.”

Most of the people that do not like the phrase, “God is in Control” will argue that if God is in Control, then what about free will?  They will tell you that if God gives us free will to make choices, but then determines the outcome by maintaining control over every situation, then we never truly had a choice at all.  Don’t be deceived, this is not a fair argument.  What they are talking about is “God is Controlling,” not “God is in Control.”

I agree, God is not Controlling, but, God is in Control.

Being “In Control” speaks to His authority.  If God is in Control, then God has Authority:

But our God is in the heavens;
He does whatever He pleases. (Ps. 115:3 NASB)

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matt. 28:18 NASB)

And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.” (Luke 4:36 NASB)

However, as One with Authority, He also delegates authority to us:

And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. (Luke 9:1-2 NASB)

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. (Matt. 16:19 NASB)

Even though God is in Control, He has given responsibilities to us, as Christians.

2 Biblical examples of this teach us how we are to carry out these responsibilities.

The 1st is from the Old Testament.  Elijah had prayed that it would not rain, and for a period of 3 and a half years, there was no rain.  After Elijah proves that Jehovah is the one true God, and that the worship of Baal was pointless, then Elijah prepared Israel for rain:

And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of the rushing of rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. (1 Kgs. 18:41-46 ESV)

The authority to control the weather was not Elijah’s, but God’s.  However, responsibility had been delegated to Elijah as a prophet of God.  In this passage above, Elijah tells Ahab that it is about to rain, even though he had yet to consult with God.  He had faith.  Then he goes up on the mountain and prays, and does not get the answer he was looking for.  So, he prays again.  Still, no rain cloud.  He does this 7 times, and that is when a tiny rain cloud forms.  That small cloud is enough for him.  He sends word to Ahab that he better start moving before the rain stops him.  Again, that is faith.  That little rain cloud quickly developed into a huge storm.  Did God need Elijah in order to break the drought and cause the rain?  Absolutely not.  However, God had delegated this responsibility to Elijah (see 1 Kings 18:1).

The 2nd example is from the New Testament.  This story can be found in either the book of Matthew or Mark.  I will be looking at it from the book of Matthew.

Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. (Matt. 10:1 NASB)

This verse establishes the authority Jesus gave His disciples.  They were to go out and function in the power of Jesus without Him being physically with them.  Now that is a pretty good example of delegation of authority!

In Matthew 17, we see Jesus taking Peter, James and John up on a mountain where the transfiguration takes place.  When they came down, that is when the trouble begins.  A man brings his son to Jesus and tells Him that the boy is possessed by a demon.  He says that he had brought him to the disciples but they couldn’t cast it out.  Now remember, these disciples had been given authority to act on Jesus’ behalf to cast out unclean spirits.  So, Jesus lets them know He is not pleased:

Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and rebellious generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” (Matt. 17:17 HCSB)

After casting the demon out, the disciples come to Him privately, and ask Him why they were not able to do it.  His answer:

“Because of your little faith,” He told them. “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. [However, this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.]” (Matt 17:20-21 HCSB)

In this case, Christ had delegated the authority to the disciples, and had expected that they would be able to carry out the responsibilities of that work, but they were not prepared.

So, how do we apply all of this to the CoronaVirus Crisis?

First, we must realize that to say that God is in Control does not mean that our future is determined, and we cannot change anything.

Second, when we say, God is in Control, we cannot use that as a means of just passing the buck so to speak.  To say, “It is all in God’s hands, now,” and leave it at that.  No, God wants us involved.  He wants to use us.  How?  That will be different for each person, but God wants to use you.  God wants to use me.

What can we, as Christians do for the CoronaVirus?

In both of the examples above, prayer was the central theme.  Our response to this virus needs to be one of prayer.

In the first example, God had told Elijah that He was going to send the rain.  Even so, Elijah still prayed for rain.  After his prayer, he sent his servant to check to see what the weather condition was.  The servant came back and reported no change.  So, he prayed again.  He went through this cycle 7 times before he saw a glimmer of hope; a small cloud the size of a man’s hand.  That is the way we need to approach prayer for this virus.  We pray, look for results, and then pray again.  Never give up.  We need to be persistent in our prayers against this virus.

In the second example, Jesus told His disciples that the demon was only going to come out due to prayer and fasting.  This may be a time when Christians everywhere take a look at disciplining themselves to a fast of some kind.  There are all kinds of fasts that you can consider, but only if approved by God:

• • • 1 Meal each day
    • 1 day each week
    • 3 successive days at a time
    • etc.

No one can tell you how to fast, or if you should fast.  That is a decision left between you and God, but a question that should be asked seriously in prayer.

One more thing:

Since churches are currently closed, many people will be going quite some time without taking communion.  In my church, we take communion every week.  Some churches only take it once a year.  Whatever your tradition is, this current quarantine is most likely affecting it.  I think that we should all start taking communion in our homes.  This could be as a group with other people (in an online forum), on in individual family units.  How often you do it is between you and God.  In the Apostle Paul’s instructions concerning communion, he says, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Cor. 11:26 NASB).  This certainly seems like we can take communion as often as we like, and what a better time to proclaim Christ’s death than when we are afflicted with this plague?

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I am interested in reading all of your thoughts, whether you agree or disagree with me.  Be sure to add your comments below.

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