Devotion: God Is In Control
“… Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness”
Genesis 1:26
“God has a plan!” We hear this phrase all the time, especially from our athletes. The frequency of this phrase has increased so much, it is difficult for us not to mimic it, or to at least question whether or not it is true!
Our new worship series will delve into this reality, and I believe we will all be the better for it. Control and who has it – God… us… or the world… figuring all this out is tough to navigate.
In my sermon last weekend, I spoke about athletes giving glory to God and expressing that it was God’s will, and communicating that God being in control was the reason for their victory. It sounds so innocuous, even humble when we hear this. But I challenge those assumptions. This fall, a couple of Husker athletes implied that it was God’s will (and control) that caused key losses. Hearing that God chose us to lose strikes us differently than God choosing us to win. Honestly, I believe we should hear them the same way.
When we say God made us win, we are basically regulating God to the status of being a fan of us, just like everyone else, who then put His finger on the scale to ensure our victory. Why? Well, because we are so special to him, of course. Again, it sounds so humble, but indeed, it is fairly centered on self.
When it comes to God’s control, I was taught that we have one of two choices, we either believe in a God who is all controlling or a God who is all loving. Which do you choose and why?
Genesis teaches that God made us in His image. The creator made us as co-creators. And we see this in our world because we actually make stuff that other animals don’t. So, what this means is that God shares control with us, because we create.
It also means that we have freewill, a quality which accompanies creative license. So all of this talk of God being in complete control, in my way of thinking, is completely wrong. We share control with God. Like it or not! We are partially in control! Whether it is on the football field, in our marriage, how we raise our children, or in our career, God created us to create – to freely choose.
Houston Texans Quarterback, CJ Stroud was quoted as saying, when asked about praying before a game: “I don’t think God is like, the Texans are gonna win… regardless of the win or loss, He gets the glory… and that’s up to us… that’s just worship.” Amen, CJ. Amen.
Let us pray:
Gracious God, open us up to your power in our lives. Help us to see ourselves as co-creators with you, and help us to steward each part of our lives in a way that is an act of worship and reflects giving you the glory. We pray these things in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Written by Pastor Greg Bouvier
Pastor Greg heard God’s call to Sheridan in 1999 and that began a journey which has become his life’s work. Having played a variety of roles as pastor of Sheridan, Pastor Greg was called as the Senior Pastor in 2011. He leads the staff and his primary focus is on the creation of culture, the overall direction of worship and partnering with our amazing team. Pastor Greg has been married to Rose for more than 30 years and together they have two servant-hearted grown children.