Is God in control? Wow! Now, that’s a question. It is a question which may have no direct answer, or at best no simple or easy answer. It will not be satisfied by a simple "yes" or "no" answer. It is a complex question, in that it may suggest different things to different people. What do we mean by "in control," and "in control" of what and where and when?

This may be like another question some have asked, perhaps facetiously, "Is there anything God cannot do?" And they go on to illustrate by asking, "Can God make a weight so large he cannot lift it?" Is this another Catch-22 type of question; you’re wrong no matter what answer you give?

Whether we’re confronted with, "Is God in control?" or, "Is there anything God cannot do?", perhaps our first response as Bible-believing evangelicals is to say, "Of course, God is in control. Of course, God can do anything." He is omnipresent. He is omniscient. He is omnipotent. Why would anyone question God’s ability to be in control and to do anything and everything? However, the Bible does say God cannot lie; God cannot do evil; God cannot sin. When we say God can do anything and then say God cannot lie, we are not equivocating the truth. So is this whole issue a play on words or a matter of semantics?

To be sure, the crux of the matter is that God is in control and can do and will do anything and everything consistent with His nature and compatible with His will. There is no law that binds God to a certain code of conduct. God is bound only by His essence, by His nature, by His substance, by who and what He is. Consequently, God cannot lie, for that would be inconsistent with His nature. It is not that there is a law governing God and that He, the Creator, is subject to that law. There is nothing or anyone higher than God Himself. God is too great to paint himself into a corner.

Perhaps what some may have in mind when they ask about God being in control is more like--if He is in control, why doesn’t He end suffering and do away with disease and death? We look for visual manifestations and material blessings. We want to be fed miraculously by the loaves and fishes. Yet, for now, it seems the heavens are silent. In reality, God has already spoken through His Son. We have the full revelation of the scriptures. The Holy Spirit resides in us. Claiming promises and expecting extra-biblical miraculous solutions which were manifested at other times in other dispensations would be demanding of God something which is not compatible with His will for us today as members of the Body of Christ.

It is not that God has lost His power or His love or His compassion. Rather, God is dealing differently now with the world and with us. We ought not expect God to do things He has not said He would do. The tragedy is, if we expect God to do the things we think He ought to do, and then they don’t happen, we end up blaming God and imagining He is not in control or that He does not care about us.

The other part of the problem is that we cannot perfectly know the will of God for every exigency of our human experience. We now walk by faith and not by sight (appearance). God has equipped us with the ability for good judgment, which we are to exercise in making decisions. Directed by His Word and led by His Holy Spirit, we are equipped to live in this present evil age and even experience joy in the midst of adversity. We are, by His grace, equipped to live in Satan’s world. We can be more than conquerors in life and in service for our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave Himself for us.

What we do know for certain about the will of God for us as believers is our position in Christ. We are assured God has saved us and seated us in the heavenlies with Christ. We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings. We are eternally secure, having been sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption.

But, in addition to the will of God working in this present age, there is also the will of Satan. And make no mistake about it, Satan does have much influence in the present world system. The apostle Paul alerted us to our warfare against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, and against wickedness in high places. Though not all-powerful, Satan is powerful. It is his will to lie, to deceive, to overthrow, and to attempt to counterfeit the very things of God.

Beyond the will of God and the will of Satan, there is the will of man. Since the fall, mankind did not want to retain the knowledge of God and therefore became a slave of his own degenerate mind. Ignoring God’s righteousness, man set out to establish his own righteousness and do what seemed right to him. Influenced by Satan, the will of man has brought suffering and sorrow and ruin to every generation. Man as a fallen creature, living in a fallen world, is primarily responsible for the chaos and misery which has affected the saved and unsaved alike.

Finally, for all of us, there are involved, complicated conditions and circumstances surrounding our personal genetic makeup over which we have little or no control. We are also subject to accidents and disease and aging and dying. And it’s all part of what is called "common to man." With all the beauty and grandeur present on planet earth today, we know it’s a fallen world and we must contend with things as storms, earthquakes, and volcanoes. There is a curse on the animal kingdom, and the earth brings forth thorns and thistles. The whole creation groans and travails in pain.

But the good news is that there is a coming day when all things will be changed. God will accomplish that good work He has begun in us, and we will be caught up to be with Him forever and ever. God will then take up His program again with His people Israel, establish His kingdom, and eventually a new heaven and a new earth, where His power and majesty will be manifest to all. The curse will be lifted. Satan will be bound and cast into the lake of fire. Then there will be no more sorrow, nor suffering, nor crying, nor pain. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

This article first appeared in Truth Magazine,
a Grace Gospel Fellowship publication.