“Faith isn’t abstract; we put our faith in the promises of God, in the truth he has revealed. Scripture never promises believers they will be healthy or wealthy. Paul’s thorn in the flesh was probably a physical disease, and though he prayed three times for deliverance, God said ‘no.’” (“Why Doesn’t Our Faith Move Mountains,” Thomas Schreiner, www.thegospelcoalition.org)
In short, faith is about God, not us. And when we say things like, “You’re sick because you didn’t have enough faith,” we take the reins right out of God’s hands and we put them into our own, wrongly trusting in our human abilities so that we can try to obtain what we desire.
3. “God isn’t in control.”
Christians often say this when they are trying to defend God. They know that He is good, so He can’t be in control of something as evil as a pandemic. This is partially a true statement. God is, in fact, good, and there can be no evil in Him. However, claiming that He isn’t in control is tantamount to claiming that He isn’t God. The issue is the difference between “control” and “cause,” and I believe that many have begun to use these two words to mean the same thing. In fact, these two words are completely different. According to Dictionary.com, “cause” means to be the cause of, or to bring about, but “control” means to exercise restraint or direction over; to dominate; to command.
When Christians claim that “God isn’t in control of this virus,” what I think they mean is that God didn’t cause it. And that is correct.
James calls God “the Father of Heavenly Lights” from whom comes every good and perfect gift. Psalm 92:15 says, “The Lord always does right! God is our mighty rock!” And finally, John wrote, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all!” By virtue of God’s very character, He cannot author evil. However, by virtue of His very “God-ness,” He overrides any evil intent by the enemy or even sin so that His good and perfect will can be accomplished. He will work all things out for good and to His glory (Rom 8:28, ESV); He will take all that the enemy means for evil and use it for good (Gen 50:20, ESV); and as Isaiah wrote, “The Lord of hosts has sworn, ‘As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.’” (Isaiah 14:24, ESV)
In an attempt to defend God’s character, some Christians have inadvertently laid waste His place as God. He did not cause this pandemic but make no mistake—He is in control of it. If He were not, He would cease to be God.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “When you go through a trial, the sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which you lay your head.” God’s prevailing authority should always lead Christians to a place of perfect peace during this pandemic and whatever else may come our way. As we represent God to a lost world during these difficult days, we need to choose our words carefully. God is still on the throne and He still wants people to know Jesus. Let’s be the reason they find Him instead of the reason they turn away.
