We Cannot Control God

I hear it all the time. “I can’t believe in a God who…” or “I would believe in a God who…” and we insert our opinion of Who God ‘should’ be. The only problem is (as if there is only one) we don’t control God. God is Who He is, and we either accept Him on His terms or not. We cannot change Him.

At that time, Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.'” And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Luke 11.1-10

In today’s Gospel passage, Christ is teaching us how much God loves us. God will not turn us away like our neighbors. He will not refuse us as our friends. We will not deny us what we need. All those traits are human failures. We are the ones who refuse those in need. We are the ones who look after our own agenda rather than others.

Rather than projecting God on ourselves, we project ourselves onto God. Since we have difficulty forgiving people who offend us, we prefer that God also refuses to forgive them. We feel less guilty that way. I believe this is why so many people live terrified of God.

It is easier to be afraid of God than to see His love as a blessing. If we accept His love, then we have to love others. Since we think we have to bride others to be nice to us, we naturally have to bride God to be nice to us as well. When I write it in these terms, it almost seems ridiculous. Unfortunately, it is exactly how we behave.

It is our human condition since The Fall. The serpent convinced Eve that God was jealous of her, so we think the same. Those who have gotten past the lie, see the grace of God and share it with others. Those who still look at God with human traits perpetuate the lie. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3.5)

Here is the truth. God DOES want us to be like Him. All the time we keep trying to make God to be like us. All the time God has been trying to invite us to be like Him. Only when we recognize the lie, that we can make God ‘more’ human, will we finally be on the path of become like Him. Stop trying to control God to ease your guilt. Start trying to control yourself to be like God.