Is God In Control?
Reflections on the war in Ukraine, first posted on Facebook 14 Mar 22.
Where's God now? Is He in control? Allowing untold suffering, fear and wickedness? Working everything out to his secret plan, because He is Sovereign over all this?! Not my God!
My God says "An enemy did this"! My God says "In this world you will have trouble". My God says "The whole world is under the control of the evil one!"
My God says "when the evil day comes.. stand your ground". My God says "Resist the Devil". My God says "Pray in the Spirit".
The outcome of this war has NOT been determined by some distant deity before time began, but rests on the decisions, prayers and actions of Christians, world leaders and courageous people of peace. We're fighting demonically empowered HUMAN fear, greed, violence, lying and jealousy, with no regard for human life.
People, it really could go either way.
Which is why we pray. We exert heaven's rule in the face of hell's intimidation. We pick up the authority we have in the Holy Spirit and say NO to evil.
We may lose. Ukraine may fall. Oppression may increase. But let's do ALL we can to turn the tide. And, do you know what? We could prevail! Peace, law & order, freedom and, eventually, even laughter & joy could return. Let's pray it in!
And whatever happens there is an unbelievably perfect kingdom, that is not of this world, that will NEVER fail. It is FOR all of this world that want it. And He will wipe away every tear...
David Attenborough sees the natural world "red in tooth & claw" and so rejects the notion of a God of love. Stephen Fry catches many peoples heart cry by protesting "Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world that is so full of injustice and pain?" The skeptic on social media sarcastically mocks prayer as suffering escalates. We have to do better than look in the eyes of the abused and say, "Don't worry, God's in control, He knows what He's doing."
Jesus came on a war footing, to contest the enemy's kingdom with a kingdom of His own. To confront darkness and death with light and life. We have got to be so careful not to mis-label utter depravity as "the permissible will of God", or see the enemy's work as God's mysterious sovereign will. Jesus is King over His Kingdom, but He is NOT prince over the kingdom of darkness, the devil is!
Sure God is the God of the Universe, supreme, unassailable, Sovereign, but there is a small part of creation that is in rebellion, chaos and darkness. There, He is NOT Kinging it ... that is why Jesus told His disciples to PRAY "your kingdom come, your will be done, here on Earth as it is in Heaven".. because at the moment it's not!!
I am aware that this is radical theology, that might stick in the throats of more reformed theologians, but it is right, and it needs expression!!